Why Blog?

I have been blogging for a few months now and I wish I knew then what I know now. I had read a lot about blogging, but it was a bit sketchy still in my mind. Would the search engines ever find me? Would people read the content? How would I ever get in the top 10 Google rankings from a lowly blog?

As it turned out this blog was born out of frustration trying to design the perfect web site. As a marketing guy I thought I had to have something slick that would convey my knowledge and expertise, but the rigidity of html made blogging look like the perfect answer.

And it worked. Instead of people judging me by the appearance of my web design they are simply coming to my blog, reading my posts and even generating revenue for me.

So why blog? Following are some of the key benefits (some of which I may have borrowed from other lists)

Search Engine Optimization
Blogs give you an increased presence on major search engines. The technology is a magnet for search engines like Yahoo! and Google. A well-written, routinely updated, keyword-oriented blog enhances your chances of high rankings on search engine return pages because most of them index sites based on content— the text on your site. The more times a certain word or phrase, or a combination thereof, is used on your Website, the more likely Google will index your site highly based on that word or phrase.

Communications
Blogs provide a way for you to speak directly, openly and honestly with your customer. Blogs enable you to stop talking at them and start talking to them. Because blog technology allows readers to leave comments on the blog, communications becomes a two-way street.

Brand Building
Blogs serve as another channel on which to promote your brand and company.

Competitive Differentiation
Because blogs give you the opportunity to tell your story over and over, they help set you apart from the competition.

Relational Marketing
Blogs allow you to build personal, long-lasting relationships with your customers that foster trust. One person put it this way: “A blog is a continual tour with a guide you get to know.”

Exploit the Niches
Blogs help you fill your particular industry niche.

Media & Public Relations
Blogs are excellent PR tools. The media calls you, not your competition. Blogs enable you to articulate your viewpoints, knowledge and expertise on matters pertaining to your industry.

Reputation Management
Blogs help you manage your online reputation.

Low Cost
Blogs are inexpensive to set up, operate and maintain. Ongoing marketing costs are minimal. They do require an investment of time in terms of blog posting, but it can pay big returns for the time spent.

Can blogs help your business grow? They can if you know how to use them.

If you want proof then type in any of the following search terms and see where this blog shows up:

• Client appreciation event
• halloween marketing ideas
• open house tips for realtors
• direct mail postcard restaurant

If you enjoyed this article and don’t want to miss the next one click here to get my marketing posts by email as soon as they are published. You will be prompted for an email address and you are set to go.

This Is a Marketing Blog - No Really!

I interrupt this (almost) daily source of marketing information to clarify one thing.

You are reading a blog dedicated to the world of marketing.

Why state the obvious? Because I am not sure it is as obvious as we bloggers might think. I get a lot of funny looks when I mention to my peers and clients that I have a marketing blog and suggest they visit it. I get the distinct feeling they are playing along, but wish they could ask what a blog really is.

(Photo courtesy of ©Michael Bretherton)

In an article in MediaPosts’ Marketing Daily (subscribe here), Adrienne W. Fawcett reports that 8 Of 10 Americans Know About Blogs; Half Visit Them Regularly.

The study was carried out by Synovate eNation, which conducted the online survey of 1,000 U.S. adults and they reported that “The segmentation on awareness and usage, and on people having their own blogs, is driven by age, with obviously younger people more active in blogging.” Nearly 90% of 25- to-34-year-olds know what a blog is, compared to 64.5% of those age 65-plus. Similarly, 78.4% of 18- to-24-year-olds report they have visited a blog, compared to just 44.7% of older Americans.”

As I am turning 50 years old in less than 56 hours I am a little sensitive to the fact that only 44.7% of “older Americans” have visited a blog. Assuming Canadians are the same, less than half of my peers are even bothering to visit my blog. From now on I am targeting younger clients.

How many blogs are out there? Technorati reports there are 99.9 million blogs.

Which sex surfs blogs more? Nearly 60% of guys surf a variety of blogs, compared to 50% of women.

Who is blogging? Eight percent of Americans have their own blog.

Which sex has more blogs? Nearly 20% of women versus 14% of men have blogs, eNation reports.

So the next time someone asks if you know what a blog is you can say yes and if you are asked if you have ever visited a blog you can also answer in the affirmative because you have just read this article.

Now email all of your friends, young and old and recommend www.themarketingguy.wordpress.com.

Thanks

Personal Branding Magazine

I don’t usually endorse publications, but Dan Schwabel of the Personal Branding Blog has started publishing an online magazine that I think deserves a look.

Personal Branding Magazine is about you, your brand and your professional career development. With a collection of some of the most talented thought leaders on the internet, this magazine exposes information that you can relate to and use in everyday life. Personal Branding is not only the future of recruitment, but a necessity in a world driven by social communities, both online and off.

Explore topics such as blogging, social networking, multimedia and advice on how to have a successful job search. Each issue will give you the tools and resources needed to differentiate yourself from the competition.

It is sold as an electronic periodical (PDF) with 4 issues per each year February - May - August - November and the best news is 100% of profit goes to charity (American Cancer Society).

The list of articles include :

5 Personal Branding Tips
How to Choose a Brandable Domain Name
Social Networking
Video Blogging
Special Report: Top Corporate Brands of 2007

The premier edition features articles from a stellar cast:

Dan Schawbel Publisher	Personal Branding Blog
Guy Kawasaki	Guykawasaki.com
Neil Patel	QuickSprout
Lyn Chamberlin	SkyePR
Michelle Dumas	DistinctiveWeb
Rick Mahn	Rickmahn.com
Chris Brogan	ChrisBrogan
Rob Cuesta	Branded Leader
Liz Pabon	Branding Maven
David Frazer	Bizz-Blogger.net
Charles Lau	Charleslau.com
Scott Bradley	Effective Networking

I Must Be Doing Something Right

For everyone wondering if blogging works, but are afraid to ask I can assure you that they do. Need proof? WordPress which is the host and software provider for this blog posts The Blogs of The Day that list blogs that have gained the most popularity recently and this blog is number 71. To put that into perspective there is an article in Business Week stating there are 15.5 million blogs so to be recognized as one that is gaining popularity is better than a poke in the eye with a pointed stick. It could also mean I have a huge family that visits it regularly, but I prefer to think it is proof.(Found this picture in the theater of mind)

Blogging Tips

I have become a huge fan of blogging in the past couple of months and while I consider myself a novice I am overwhelmed by the results I have achieved as measured by my rankings in Google. I am always thirsting for new ideas and Mack Collier wrote an article on the Marketing Profs blog called “Eight Easy Ways To Grow Your Blog” that is indispensable. You can also visit his blog for more ideas. I would also like to credit Jordan Behan of Tell Ten Friends for alerting me to this post.

Here is a an excerpt from the post, but to do it justice you should read the whole article and visit Mack’s blog for a few more. The photo is a re-enactment of me typing with two fingers and a thumb.

1 - Post regularly. Probably the easiest way to grow your blog’s readership is to make sure you post on a regular schedule going in.

2 - Develop a comment policy. Decide how you will handle comments, if you will post them automatically, or moderate them. And if you moderate them, you need to develop a plan for approving them as quickly as possible, and during non-business hours.

3 - Reply to comments. Listen to the feedback you are receiving from your readers. Readers want to know that you are paying attention to their comments, and by replying and acknowledging them, you are showing your readers that you appreciate their efforts.

4 - Showcase readers who make special contributions. Do everything you can to make sure that readers that frequently comment, or link to your blog, know that you appreciate them.

5 - Build your blogroll with your readers’ interests in mind. Remember your blog isn’t for you, it’s for your community.

6 - Offer unique content aimed at your blog’s target audience.

7 - Make your blog’s feed available for RSS subscribers. Feed readers such as Google Reader and Bloglines are becoming increasingly popular, so you should set up a FeedBurner account ASAP and get your feed out there.

8 - Offer email subscriptions to your blog’s content. FeedBurner offers this service as well. Offering email subscriptions gives these infrequent readers the ability to stay up to date on your postings.