Blogs As Marketing Tools For Small And Medium
Times are changing. In the highly competitive marketplace,
small and medium sized business entities (SMBs) veer away from
the traditional to more creative and interactive approaches to
doing business. Opportunities now spring from new markets, new
consumer segments and new marketing tools exemplified by
websites specifically business blogs.
Understanding Business Blogs
A blog, short for weblog, is a website in which journal-like
entries called posts are written on an ongoing basis and
displayed in reverse chronological order. New posts appear at
the homepage so visitors can read what is new. It is an easy,
frequently updated online journal, focused around a topic,
industry or personality. Authoring a blog or adding an article
to a blog is called blogging while the person who posts these
entries is known as a blogger. Typically, a blog is composed of
hypertext, images and links to other web pages, audio, video and
other files. A distinct feature of a blog is that it allows
readers to write their reactions or comments to what was
written in the blog post. Another wonderful thing about a blog
is that a blogger can update his blog thru a special type of
blogging software called a blog tool instantly from any
Internet connection on any computer. He just types his entry
into a simple online form and the entry is readily available on
the web for worldwide readers to see.
Over the years, blogs have evolved from simple, personal online
journals to effective tools for augmenting business
communications. Along the way, search engines like Google and
Yahoo were displaying popular media blogs produced by
journalists, in most cases, appearing above other search result
rankings. Propelled by this discovery, companies started writing
blogs to provide relevant information about their business to
potential customers to visit their sites.
What then is a business blog? It is a blog about a business. It
is an organized journal about a company's products or services.
A business blog provides specific news, statistics, product
releases, and other relevant information related to the company
to prospective customers starting a business blog and providing
these information give potential customers enough reasons to
visit a company's website. Just imagine prospective clients
visiting a company's blog periodically without the company
having to spend hefty amounts of money on advertising and
promotion. As they say, give readers valuable pertinent
information and they will come. Moreover, customer service
issues may be addressed using a blog.
A business blog is best viewed as an addition to a website. If
a company has a website, a business blog is just embedded in
it. For small and medium sized businesses, business blogs help
put a personal touch on an otherwise bland business site. A
business blog can be an excellent marketing tool to support a
main business, to provide value, build healthy relationships
with potential clients and thus create personal brand and
image.
Blogging as a Marketing Tool
Business blogging provides a way for companies and readers to
meet on common ground and discuss ideas, products and services
in the hopes of building an audience that can become customers.
A business blog provides a cost-effective alternative to having
a website. For small and medium sized business entrepreneurs
without the time and the means to set up a website, business
blogging offers an inexpensive tool to herald the company's
presence on the powerful Internet.
Business blogs provide SMBs with an avenue to share their
expertise and knowledge with a bigger audience. Both online and
offline small and medium sized businesses can use blogs to take
their products and services to a wider audience increasing web
traffic and boosting sales. The fact is business blogging is
fast becoming a sustainable marketing strategy for any online
marketer. There are numerous ways a business can benefit from a
blog.
An effective business blog can help give a human face to a
business. Blogs bring a personal dimension to the web. Blogs
make business sites more personal. Since blogs are updated by
individuals, the "voice" of the blogger will resonate through.
This will assure potential customers that there are real people
behind the blog engaging them in real conversations. Blogs can
be opinionated, informative, at other times infused with humor
thus eliciting better response from target audience.
A business blog if used productively can improve customer
service. It provides instant customer feedback through
comments. It allows one's audience to comment on a post and
create a dialogue with them. A blog can act as a question and
answer forum. Customers can post questions and receive instant
replies. An effective business blog functions as a central
knowledge base of articles, tutorials, product development
status, and other relevant product or service information. This
is good customer service.
A business blog keeps an archive of older posts organized by
date and categorized by topic. This gives the target audience
easier access to information. With business blogs, it is also
easy to add new information on a regular basis. Frequent
updates in the form of fresh new posts mean visitors will have
all the reasons to keep coming back thus building loyal readers
- best potential clients.
A business blog can increase the chances of prospective clients
to visit a company's website. For a start, visitors to a
business blog can be redirected to the company's main site
through links and special offers. Use of relevant keywords and
popular links to specific sales pages improve search engine
ranking of both the business blog and the main website. Just
like the main website, top search result rank equals traffic.
With more and more people turning to the all-powerful Internet
to search for products and services, it is essential for small
businesses to be easily crawled by search engines. Since search
engines thrive on new content, the more likely the search
engines are going to visit the blog and share it with the
world.
Regularly posting valuable content on a business blog builds
company credibility and creates sound business reputation. A
business blog can help project a company as an expert in a
chosen business area. Customers feel more comfortable
transacting business with a reputable company.
A business blog can be an avenue to introduce company products
or services. Ideally, a blog is not about selling. A blog can
be used to mention new products or services and direct visitors
to the company's main website in the process generating more
sales. Interestingly, several advertising programs such as
Google Adsense allow companies to monetize their business blogs
and generate extra revenue.
However, a business blog is not urgent but important for small
and medium sized businesses. A business blog alone is not
enough to market a company product or service. But it is good
investment for startup businesses to have conversations with
customers and prospective clients. Business blogging is an
effective way to start conversing with visitors interested in
ones products or services but it is in no way to be viewed as a
stand alone strategy. Yes, business blogging can do wonders. But
it is not going to work on its own. A business blog is most
effective when it is used in conjunction with other online
communication tools such as e-mail, press release, pay per
click, company websites, to name a few.
Setting up and maintaining a great business blog that visitors
will find useful and relevant is just like having an effective
built-in public relations staff that will spread the word about
the business.
As a final thought, starting a business blog is easy but
transforming it into a marketing tool that drives traffic and
sales to a business takes time, dedication and consistency.
small and medium sized business entities (SMBs) veer away from
the traditional to more creative and interactive approaches to
doing business. Opportunities now spring from new markets, new
consumer segments and new marketing tools exemplified by
websites specifically business blogs.
Understanding Business Blogs
A blog, short for weblog, is a website in which journal-like
entries called posts are written on an ongoing basis and
displayed in reverse chronological order. New posts appear at
the homepage so visitors can read what is new. It is an easy,
frequently updated online journal, focused around a topic,
industry or personality. Authoring a blog or adding an article
to a blog is called blogging while the person who posts these
entries is known as a blogger. Typically, a blog is composed of
hypertext, images and links to other web pages, audio, video and
other files. A distinct feature of a blog is that it allows
readers to write their reactions or comments to what was
written in the blog post. Another wonderful thing about a blog
is that a blogger can update his blog thru a special type of
blogging software called a blog tool instantly from any
Internet connection on any computer. He just types his entry
into a simple online form and the entry is readily available on
the web for worldwide readers to see.
Over the years, blogs have evolved from simple, personal online
journals to effective tools for augmenting business
communications. Along the way, search engines like Google and
Yahoo were displaying popular media blogs produced by
journalists, in most cases, appearing above other search result
rankings. Propelled by this discovery, companies started writing
blogs to provide relevant information about their business to
potential customers to visit their sites.
What then is a business blog? It is a blog about a business. It
is an organized journal about a company's products or services.
A business blog provides specific news, statistics, product
releases, and other relevant information related to the company
to prospective customers starting a business blog and providing
these information give potential customers enough reasons to
visit a company's website. Just imagine prospective clients
visiting a company's blog periodically without the company
having to spend hefty amounts of money on advertising and
promotion. As they say, give readers valuable pertinent
information and they will come. Moreover, customer service
issues may be addressed using a blog.
A business blog is best viewed as an addition to a website. If
a company has a website, a business blog is just embedded in
it. For small and medium sized businesses, business blogs help
put a personal touch on an otherwise bland business site. A
business blog can be an excellent marketing tool to support a
main business, to provide value, build healthy relationships
with potential clients and thus create personal brand and
image.
Blogging as a Marketing Tool
Business blogging provides a way for companies and readers to
meet on common ground and discuss ideas, products and services
in the hopes of building an audience that can become customers.
A business blog provides a cost-effective alternative to having
a website. For small and medium sized business entrepreneurs
without the time and the means to set up a website, business
blogging offers an inexpensive tool to herald the company's
presence on the powerful Internet.
Business blogs provide SMBs with an avenue to share their
expertise and knowledge with a bigger audience. Both online and
offline small and medium sized businesses can use blogs to take
their products and services to a wider audience increasing web
traffic and boosting sales. The fact is business blogging is
fast becoming a sustainable marketing strategy for any online
marketer. There are numerous ways a business can benefit from a
blog.
An effective business blog can help give a human face to a
business. Blogs bring a personal dimension to the web. Blogs
make business sites more personal. Since blogs are updated by
individuals, the "voice" of the blogger will resonate through.
This will assure potential customers that there are real people
behind the blog engaging them in real conversations. Blogs can
be opinionated, informative, at other times infused with humor
thus eliciting better response from target audience.
A business blog if used productively can improve customer
service. It provides instant customer feedback through
comments. It allows one's audience to comment on a post and
create a dialogue with them. A blog can act as a question and
answer forum. Customers can post questions and receive instant
replies. An effective business blog functions as a central
knowledge base of articles, tutorials, product development
status, and other relevant product or service information. This
is good customer service.
A business blog keeps an archive of older posts organized by
date and categorized by topic. This gives the target audience
easier access to information. With business blogs, it is also
easy to add new information on a regular basis. Frequent
updates in the form of fresh new posts mean visitors will have
all the reasons to keep coming back thus building loyal readers
- best potential clients.
A business blog can increase the chances of prospective clients
to visit a company's website. For a start, visitors to a
business blog can be redirected to the company's main site
through links and special offers. Use of relevant keywords and
popular links to specific sales pages improve search engine
ranking of both the business blog and the main website. Just
like the main website, top search result rank equals traffic.
With more and more people turning to the all-powerful Internet
to search for products and services, it is essential for small
businesses to be easily crawled by search engines. Since search
engines thrive on new content, the more likely the search
engines are going to visit the blog and share it with the
world.
Regularly posting valuable content on a business blog builds
company credibility and creates sound business reputation. A
business blog can help project a company as an expert in a
chosen business area. Customers feel more comfortable
transacting business with a reputable company.
A business blog can be an avenue to introduce company products
or services. Ideally, a blog is not about selling. A blog can
be used to mention new products or services and direct visitors
to the company's main website in the process generating more
sales. Interestingly, several advertising programs such as
Google Adsense allow companies to monetize their business blogs
and generate extra revenue.
However, a business blog is not urgent but important for small
and medium sized businesses. A business blog alone is not
enough to market a company product or service. But it is good
investment for startup businesses to have conversations with
customers and prospective clients. Business blogging is an
effective way to start conversing with visitors interested in
ones products or services but it is in no way to be viewed as a
stand alone strategy. Yes, business blogging can do wonders. But
it is not going to work on its own. A business blog is most
effective when it is used in conjunction with other online
communication tools such as e-mail, press release, pay per
click, company websites, to name a few.
Setting up and maintaining a great business blog that visitors
will find useful and relevant is just like having an effective
built-in public relations staff that will spread the word about
the business.
As a final thought, starting a business blog is easy but
transforming it into a marketing tool that drives traffic and
sales to a business takes time, dedication and consistency.
About The Author: http://www.theinternetone.net
posted by Peter Smith @ 10:52 AM
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