Marketing Your Product or Service on a Blog

• By Karen Braun

As an experiment, I asked a few people involved in marketing a product or service if they have set up a blog to help market their business. My sample ran from aides to a US Congressman, curriculum providers, to mothers with home businesses. Many didn’t even know what I was talking about. The few that recognized the term usually just shrugged and said they already had a web site so they didn’t need one. Only a smart few had a blog going and understood the power behind it for reaching new markets with their business.

"Blogging," the new media of the new millennium is quickly going becoming a new marketing medium as well. Robert Lutz, the Vice-chairman of General Motors, blogs at Fastlane Blog. Isn’t it time your business started one?

Why Blog?

A business website is static and not updated very frequently. Businesses often rely on other means of advertising to get potential customers to their website. But these efforts are costly and it is uncertain whether the advertising is reaching the right consumers. Moreover, even the best advertisements are quickly forgotten and few are interactive.

But how would you like to be able to attract potential customers to a location that will expose them to what you have to offer at minimal cost to you? Or be able to interact with your customer base immediately as new products are introduced or identify potential problems before they become major headaches? That’s what a blog can do.

A blog is interactive and dynamic. The popular ones change many times a day. A blog functions as a 24/7 salesman for your business. It is a personal conversation between you, your customers, and your potential market. Once you engage them at your blog site, you can direct them to your products and services on your web site or make the sale right there on your blog.

So what are some of the things you can do to help market your business on a blog?

Thoroughly research what a blog is. The book "Blog" by Hugh Hewitt, is a great place to start. Mr. Hewitt clearly explains why a blog is important to your industry, profession, or business. He lays out the history of blogging and the potential it carries to change the way goods and services are marketed on the Internet.

• Learn how to blog from the pros.
  Read at least 100 different blogs on a variety of topics. Blogging is not difficult but there are some things to learn from those that have been doing it for a while. Here are two bloggers who blog about blogging. http://www.whatsnextblog.com/ by blog consultant B.L. Ochman. She is also the author of the book What Can Your Company Do With A Blog. Also click over to Debbie Wells. Her blog has a lot of tips for the small business blogger. And for fun check out some others who blog on a variety of topics. Start with these and then follow their links to other sites: Instapundit (the most popular blogger) and StarbucksGossip. And here’s an interesting blog of a successful tailor who blogs in England http://www.englishcut.com/.
   
• Blogging can be fun but it’s also work.
  Commit the time necessary to do it effectively. Don’t assume you’ll be able to just do this in a few spare minutes. Schedule a time to write for the blog. If you’re serious about using blogs as a marketing tool and don’t have the time to commit to the task, find someone who will do it for you. Make sure they are familiar with blogging, your industry, and writing well.
   
• If you are well known, start a blog quietly.
  If you already have an audience from other sources such as public speaking or published books, then get your blog up and running before announcing your site to the world. Quietly develop your site and get it looking the way you want. Then let others know you’re out there. This will save you needless embarrassment when you make a silly mistake and also provides the quality and credibility that your reputation deserves.
   
• Decide the purpose of your blog.
  Blogging requires a commitment of time. But if you understand the purpose of your blog you will not get distracted in the hype of blogging. Will it be strictly business or will you occasionally mention personal issues? What topics will you post about and what topics are strictly off limits?
   
• Decide on a blog name.
  Your blog will become part of your branding. A well-chosen blog name will draw people to your site and help them remember you for the future. Don’t ignore the URL address. Make the URL memorable and readable.
   
• Decide the content of your blog.
  Your blog is a 24/7 salesman for your company. Corporate blog consultant B.L. Ochman told me, "If you wouldn’t want to read it on the front page of the paper, then don’t put it on your blog either." Will your blog allow comments? What about links to competitor’s sites? Decide how you will manage the links to other sites that might interest your readers. All of these questions should be looked into (and these will lead to more questions!) before you launch your site.
   
• Decide the features of your blog.
  How it looks is as important as what it says. Most have a standard two- or three-column format with text contained in the center. Other features can be helpful but they can also clutter and distract from the main text. Colors also play an important part in how your blog is perceived. Take some time to visit different blogs and note what you like and don’t like in their formats. If you desire help in your blog design, enterprising homeschoolers Jake Smith and Alex King at Still Thinking will help get your blog online and in style. See Virtue Magazine for a sample of their work.
  
  If people like what you have to say they'll probably like what you sell.
  Content is critical. Write concisely about what interests you about your business, and make it timely and relevant to your readers. Write short posts. Break up larger posts into a series. If you find an interesting article, link to it and add your commentary. If you read something on another blog that is helpful to readers who use your product or service let them know about it. Make sure you link to the other blog. Blogging is an ongoing conversation between you and your readers. Your thoughts are important to them and that’s why they return day after day.
   
• Become a trusted advisor to your business.
  Your blog should be a reference point for those seeking advice and opinions in your field. For example, if you market a spelling and phonics program, include posts on teaching children with learning disabilities. Or begin a suggested reading list for children at different ages. The information will develop credibility with and loyalty from your readers, something every business can use.
   
• Update daily.
  The most successful blogs and bloggers update daily. This keeps interest high and people coming back to see what’s new. Make the entries meaningful and memorable. If that seems difficult to maintain, then consider team blogging or occasionally using a guest blogger to fill in. Blogs are designed to be interactive. If you don’t show up, don’t expect your readers to either.
   
• Develop an email list of your readers.
  This can be done through contests, giveaways, or a subscription to your blog. If you market a math curriculum, offer a math test in PDF where they have to email you to get the file. The names you generate will be valuable when something big happens in your business. Don’t abuse the email privilege. Send them out only at the most important times for very specific reasons. Otherwise, it just becomes spam and readers will tune them out. And they’ll probably tune your blog out as well.
   
• Links.
  Links are the lifeline of blogging. Inbound links (those who reference you) and outbound links (those that you reference) are extremely important. If you read something on a blog or website, link to them on your blog with commentary if necessary. The blogger will be flattered at your attention and you will have reached a few more readers for your site. The other site might link to you and that’s how connections are made in the blogosphere. Furthermore, the more people link to you, the higher you rise in the search engines. To find out who’s talking about you, Technorati provides useful tools and real time stats on what bloggers are saying. Using the trackback feature is also a handy way to let others know you’re there.
   
• Google it.
  Search all unknown words and statistics so the reader doesn’t have to. If you mention something that might be unfamiliar to your reader, provide a link to give them background information. If you quote the New York Times, link to the actual article. All statistics and data should have a link to support your assertions. If you tell me that there are 31.6 Million Hosted Blogs, Growing To 53.4 Million By Year End, provide the link so that I can verify it (example). And learn how to hyperlink the text so that it is readable and clickable at the same time.
   
• Don't just push your product.
  Just like a telemarketer at dinner, readers will learn to tune you out. Your posts should be educational, informative, and related to your business but people don’t like to be constantly hit over the head with a sales pitch. You’ll lose readers, not gain them.
   
• Keep current on the news in your industry.
  If there is something new in your industry don’t let your readers find out about it somewhere else. You should be blogging about it. If you are linked to a service such as Technorati when others look for an opinion on that issue or subject your site will be available for review. Subscribe to Google news alerts. They are a great way to have the news delivered right to your inbox.
   
• Enlist the help of fellow bloggers.
  Send your product to other bloggers and ask them to review them. (If you don’t want the hassle of finding qualified bloggers, Stacy Harp at Mind and Media can do the work for you.) Fellow bloggers will love the attention and their readers will become aware of you, your business, and possibly become readers of your blog and hopefully future customers.
   
• Be willing to pay for blog ads.
  Be willing to pay for a blog ad on other blog’s sites to promote your products. Consider blog ads as part of your advertising budget. Most bloggers write as a hobby, but if they can get paid a little and you reach a targeted group of potential customers, the cost is well worth it. Make sure that the bloggers have site traffic and that their readers would be interested in your business.
   
• Photo-blog your products.
  Share photos on your site of others using your product especially with their children in them. When Hugh Hewitt’s book was published he had held a contest on his blog for the most creative photograph with his book in the photo. Bloggers loved it. He would show the photos on his blog with the link to the blogger’s site. This was a win-win marketing idea. Hugh got free exposure for his book and the blogger’s traffic increased on their sites as well.
   
• Read other blogs.
  People won't just come to you, you must go to them. Let others know you think what they are writing about is important. This creates a community of conversations that benefits everyone. Make sure your comments on other posts are gracious and helpful, not just a sales pitch. Also, avoid comment controversies. "Flaming" another blogger usually burns the one holding the match.
   
• Know your competitors.
  Don’t be threatened by competition from others who market the same product you do and also blog. Use it to your advantage. Visit their blog and find out what features people like about their product and what they don’t like. Use this to develop your products and make them better.
   
• Correct errors and problems quickly.
  Don’t panic if you receive negative feedback. Your credibility and reputation will improve if you handle things swiftly and transparently. If you become aware of a problem either with your product or service correct your errors publicly. This makes you appear human and honest. Here’s how corporate blog consultant Fredrik Wackå counseled someone worried about negative feedback:

"From my experience, it's much less dangerous to be open than most of us think. Is it the end of the world if an unhappy client comments on your blog? Well, it depends on how you deal with that point of view. Handled seriously you strengthen your credibility." (source)

We all make mistakes. Correct them and move on.

• Investigate other blogging tools.
  Audio blogging and mobile blogging "moblogging" are becoming more popular with bloggers. These innovative ideas may help your readers share photos, testimonials, and connect with you and your business.
   
• Understand how RSS site feeds are used.
  RSS site feeds are a tool bloggers use to read many blogs quickly. Bloglines is a service that provides this capability. Many news services such as Yahoo news also let users get blogs linked directly to their home page. There are many readers who will know what you’re saying without ever coming to your site. Make sure your post headlines are clear so that people know quickly what the post is about.

New advances in technology and the creativity of the bloggers are making the blogosphere an exciting place to market your business. So it’s time to get blogging and if you have a homeschool-related business http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ would be a great place to start.

If you have any more suggestions or ideas please let us know. We’ll add them to the list.
 

• About the author:

Karen Braun, also known as "Spunky" at SpunkyHomeschool, is the unequivocal "Queen of Blogs" at HomeschoolBlogger.com, according to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine publisher, Gena Suarez Her busy blog is as varied as her lifestyle, which includes her family hobby of Civil War reenacting. She and her husband also run a family business called Liberty Family Resources. A busy mom of six, she notes that when it’s all said and done, she will have homeschooled a total of 40 years! "Some may consider that a desert," she notes, "but for me it is the Promised Land." You can find her interesting, informative, and inspirational blog at SpunkyHomeschool.