Blogs as a marketing tool?

LogoMotives

I was curious how many others here are using a blog as part of their business marketing and promotion?  I was hesitant at first, in regards to adding one more "to do" to my already large workload.  Instead of making it a daily task, I make additions to bLog-oMotives a two to four times a week commitment.  I also find that I can create several possible entries in advance for posting at a later date.  With the tagline "Tips, trips, observations, clickety-clacks, & an occasional "toot!" along the tracks from Jeff Fisher LogoMotives" I`ve been able to post writings about a wide variety of topics - and have found it another method of distributing my own press releases.The result has been an incredible amount of traffic being driven to my business web site and many more potential clients contacting me after having read posts on my blog.  That is in part to my blog URL being part of both my email and forum signatures. My blog has also resulted in print media coverage and recently being asked to write an article about designers making use of the online dairies as a marketing or portfolio tool.  Search engines seem to love my blog as well, with 13,200 references listed as a result of a Google search for  "bLog-oMotives" this morning (I was just curious where my blog was showing up on the Internet).With the success of blogs for many I know in the design profession, I would like to know how other businesses are making use of this promotion method with their business ventures?- J.

Chuck

Jeff - you`ve just about hit on every marketing advantage blogs can offer:Establishing your credibility as an expert in your fieldGenerating frequently updated content that makes search engine spiders happy - you increase your indexed content, you can optimize the content for search, and the results can be realized very quicklyProviding a vehicle to publish variatey of content types - press mentions, article-type content, rants and raves, product reviews - your only limitations on the content type are those that you set yourselfTo those I`d add the powerful effect of RSS feeds - blogs are tailor made for RSS, and once you have a subscriber you`re able to get in front of them every time they check the feed.  It`s like a supercharged email opt-in - they`ve opted in to seeing every new piece of content on your blog.I`d just caution anyone thinking about the blog route that Jeff`s concerns about commitment are well-founded - if you`re not able to dedicate yourself to consistently updating the content, you`re not going to see great results.  Just ask Joel Welsh about how much I hassle him to keep his blog up to date.

Seafarer

I`ve been posting to my Family Travel blog for about 3 months, and just this week really got smarter on RSS feeds.  They really help me to collate tons of information and sift through it quickly for story ideas (I`m a freelance writer.)
When I read in wrote about my thoughts on my blog.
Hope you folks find it useful.
Sheila
www.sheilascarborough.com</A>

Rich

this is a great topic and one that deserves more discussion. effective blogging can be a huge marketing PLUS!to take the topic to the next level, my question would be, what makes a blog most effective?here are some elements for consideration:make it educational - give people something to take away and usemake it entertaining - create a fun factor for subscribersmake it irreverent - blogs are in concept a little more free-form than other written content, so don`t be shy about stepping out a little bitmake it real-world - some of the best blogs cut through the BS and get right to the bottom line, nitty-gritty, in-the-trenches stuffmake it topical and urgent - "urgency" gives people a sense and expectation that they NEED to check back to see what`s next.make it easy - be sure to provide a simple way to sign up for automatic notifications (RSS feed) so people are informed of latest postings.thoughts?

Roughstock

I`ll add a few to Rich`s list:7. Make it literate! Nothing is more unprofessional than spelling and grammatical errors, or typos.8. Make it consistent. You don`t have to write about the same thing every time, but there should be continuity in style, tone and general subject matter.9. Make it navigable. It should be easy to cruise around, links should be relevant and labeled appropriately, layout should be logical.
Roughstock2007-4-26 20:12:47

Seafarer

Thanks for reviving this topic -- I looked back and was amazed that my last entry was April 2006 -- boy have I learned a lot about blogging since then!
As a writer, my blogging work is an absolutely essential part of my portfolio and has led directly to offers of writing jobs.  In addition to the aforementioned Home Turf Media. 
You couldn`t ask for better publicity than having thousands of your words out there all the time for people to read, on a variety of topics.  Bloggers also like to do online interviews, so I`ve been featured in blogs based in Working at Home on the Internet.
I`m also meeting a senior editor of a major national travel magazine for dinner next month, based on our shared interests discussed in the comments section of, you guessed it, her blog.  Why dinner?  Well, we`re both going to the same blogging conference, so of course we`ll get together. 
Can`t beat all that for marketing....

ktodd

This is a very exciting topic.  As we are continuing to develop our site I know blogs need to be part of the activity on the site, both for customers and associates.   Have any of you used blogs to share ideas and communication with members or asscociate on your sites?

castocreations

Great topic.
What are your opinions on having a stand alone blog site (i.e. www. your name here blog .com versus being a member of a blogging network like Blogger?
I seem to get a few hits from my blog, but I have a feeling it`s just other jewelers checking out my work. And my blog isn`t part of my website...it`s part of a network of other artsy / jewelry people. 
I`ve been working really hard to post on my blog as often as I can each week...but for some reason I have a hard time blogging about MY work. I seem to blog about other people`s work and exciting things I`ve discovered. Harmful? I don`t like the idea of talking about myself all the time.

Rich

Roughstock,what an awesome post. you`re hugely helpful - tons of substance and clearly expressed.i look forward to subscribing to Bar Stories!regarding "blog" site vs. website, castocreations, i think it comes down to who you`re targeting. i imagine a percentage of web users will be inclined to sign up for - or enjoy - blogs, and a percentage won`t.  it`s important to think through the "profile" of a typical person you`re targeting to make this call.

Rich

jess,how about making that available from SUN?rich

metalmagic

All involved in Blog-marketing:
We`re new to e-commerce, but think it offers tremendous potential for an operation like ours, (designing, manufacturing, wholesaling jewelry).  But it`s taking a lot of time to discover what`s out there and then learn how to develop and utilize and what works.  Do any of you have any suggestions to good self education types of materials, sites, etc?
Most of the posts I`ve read since signing up with Sun are interesting, but confusing at times which is a reflection of my ignorance and skill level, not your forums.
I suspect like a lot of people in our business, designing and making jewelry is a lot more satisfying than spending the time and energy to learn and develop the skillset to make this a really useful addition to the business.
Any comments, ideas, etc. welcome.
metalmagic

pkamm

Truth is, you could blather on and on in any medium, whether it`s a blog, a wiki, forum, chat, email, a regular website, radio, TV, film, live performance, or print.Blogs have a particular niche and strength as a tool. The strength of the tool should not be defined by how well it is used (or misused) by practitioners.
pkamm2007-6-21 1:9:3