Comments on: Can Blogging Work as a Marketing Tool?

By: tamirirashe zhou

tamirirashe zhou — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:11:26 +0000

It is really true to say that blogging can be used as a marketing tool.There are many reasons why blogging is such a powerful marketing platform.For starters it gives you an interactive arena of talking with your potential customers.Just like a website,a blog can generate income and it maximizes your chances of being found by search engines.When optimized well,its possible for your blog to have multiple references to it on a page of search results for certain keywords.
A blog is an easy way to quickly disseminate your marketing information to a wider readership.You can also segment this information thereby segmenting your readers.
Moreso,it all boils down to building a community of readers.If the community is solid your marketing efforts will definately thrive and business will definately follow.If you neglect the community,they simply respond by choosing other blogs.So i trully agree that your blog is your marketing tool,and possibly the best.

By: Trudy (South Africa)

Trudy (South Africa) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:40:35 +0000

I really enjoyed reading this. Not only was it insightful, it had honesty and passion. The comments are so relevant, making this all so worth the time it took to read and learn from it.
Thanks a mil Lewis and all who posted comments

By: safari expert

safari expert — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:05:35 +0000

Well this is very interesting and rather new to me. I recently started a blog for our safari company at http://wildwingssafaris.blogspot.com but I do not yet see or understand the full marketing potential. Is it about creating a loyal following of readers who keep returning to your blog, or is there a way to generate links to our company website http://www.wild-wings.co.za in order to generate traffic? As Lewis said, it's about sales at the end of the day, and these happen on our website, not on our blog. If the idea is to make the blog popular in order to stimulate sales on the website, why not just spend time making the website itself more popular? Perhaps I should have started the blog on our website rather than on blogspot. There is a lot of talk about using blogging as a marketing tool and as an seo tool, but I don't think I understand the full picture yet. Thanks anyway for an interesting article.

By: vandana ahuja

vandana ahuja — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 05:56:07 +0000

Blogging is ofcourse an excellent marketing tool. A large no. of Corporate Blogs are being set up by companies to-
1.Build Product Brands.
2.Create a customer-centric approach for the company.
3.To give people a contact point by attaching a face or name they can interact with, hence catering to the concept of relationship building.
4.Create a buzz about New product/project launches.
5.Act as a source of consumer redressal.
6.Act as a source of viral marketing. Its a place where people chat about the company and the products and if they talk well, well you’ve got a word of mouth campaign already started.
7.Create communities for communication, collaboration,customer-interaction.
8.Image building purposes by showcasing any good work done by the company.
9.Showcase any achievements by the company and any recent successes…

By: Lewis Green

Lewis Green — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 19:58:53 +0000

Good point William. Our blogs are at the very least good credentials and great selling tools when we are competing for work.

By: William Anderson

William Anderson — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 13:22:13 +0000

I do believe blogging is a marketing tool, and a smart one at that. It seems to convey a number of ideas to a potential client: writing style, thought process, currency, etc.
Like David Reich noted above, I can’t attribute any one client win to the blog, but I do know the clients I did pick up felt more comfortable that I was the right candidtate after spending time on my blog.

By: Lewis Green

Lewis Green — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 13:24:05 +0000

Zal,
You might but I am guessing you will just piss a bunch of bloggers off for spamming us.

By: Zal Phiroz

Zal Phiroz — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 04:45:59 +0000

Interesting question. If blogging does work in the Marketing spectrum, then I should get alot of hits on my current eBay auction as a result of this posting.
Auction number: 320124337134
Direct link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320124337134

By: Lewis Green

Lewis Green — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 17:58:39 +0000

John and Mack,
Thanks so much for your insights.

By: johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy)

johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy) — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 17:38:10 +0000

Years ago I heard Rick Bruner, now of DoubleClick, say, “B.L.O.G. stands for Better Listings On Google.”
SO TRUE.
And since we partly live in a “you are your Google search results” world, a blog is a great tool to build awareness leading to preference for any company, any product, and any person.

By: Mack Collier

Mack Collier — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 16:23:17 +0000

“Even comments can be marketing tools. I have often linked through to someone’s site after reading a comment they made to see what else they have to say.”
Great point Nancy that many of us either overlook, or forget. An insightful and intelligent comment left on a blog post can drive as much or more traffic to your blog, as can a link from that blog to yours.

By: Lewis Green

Lewis Green — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 16:00:59 +0000

Ted,
I agree with you but it takes some courage to admit this before the blogosphere, as it may seem self-serving. But then isn’t one of the foremost purposes of marketing to serve business and revenue needs.
I launched my blog to serve as a marketing and branding tool to build both my business and my personal brand. That said, I appreciate blogs whose purposes are different and I enjoy reading them. Furthermore, although the primary purpose of my blog is business growth, my secondary purpose is to share with others freely and to learn from them, as well.
In addition to offering business content, I also use my blog to entertain my readers with rock and roll history and music in addition to pieces like today’s post about rinventing Paris Hilton’s brand image.
At the end of the day, however, I won’t be able to provide great or frequent blog content if it doesn’t result in business. I owe it to my family, myself, my readers and my business to provide useful marketing content that helps grow my business as well as my readers’ businesses. That’s why my blog is filed under the category of a marketing/business blog instead of some other category.
Finally, before launching my blog I created measurable goals based on 1) readership, 2) new friendships, and 3) new business. Even if I do not achieve numbers one or three (although I am), I am blessed by my new friendships and would not trade any of them for more business.
Nancy,
I think that commenting is a way to grow your brand recognition and to drive people to your blog. It is a strategy that many of us use.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 15:08:32 +0000

Lewis,
Reading a blog is a good insight into someone’s ideas. And the good blogs sell the writer and often the readers as well.
Even comments can be marketing tools. I have often linked through to someone’s site after reading a comment they made to see what else they have to say.
I hope comments/insights I have shared have prompted others to take a look at my site as well.
Mike,
Blogs are converstations. And isn’t that what good marketing does — promotes dialogue?

By: Ted Mininni

Ted Mininni — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 15:05:26 +0000

Lewis,
“The primary purpose of a business is sales. And every marketing tool should support that purpose.”
Exactly. Blogging, just as every other marketing endeavor, must and should support our sales efforts. Otherwise, our companies wouldn’t be in business. If you have ROI information to support that blogging has brought business to your consultancy, Lewis, then it means you have used this tool effectively. Not every marketer does. Much discussion has appeared on The Daily Fix about poorly orchestrated corporate blogs, for example. A direct, plain spoken approach and letting business people know where you stand enables them to decide whether you and your services are a “fit” for them or not. And I’m all for pre-qualifying business–it substantially cuts down on wasting everybody’s time. That’s a significant factor today.

By: Lewis Green

Lewis Green — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 15:00:12 +0000

Interesting take Jim. I see my web site as my resume, with my blog supporting and linked to my web site.

By: Jim Kukral

Jim Kukral — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 14:32:56 +0000

Your blog is your resume. I’ve been blogging since 2001 at jimkukral.com. I haven’t built a real resume since 3-years before that, and never will.

By: Lewis Green

Lewis Green — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 13:00:57 +0000

Mack and David,
Excellent point about driving success (numbers really) at our own blogs. If we can do it, we likely can helps others achieve success as well.
Mike,
There is lots good to say about conversation stations, which are driven by good content. The key to the conversation for the business blogger is to listen and to be proactive when we hear something useful and on target.

By: David Reich

David Reich — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 12:06:02 +0000

My clients are starting to ask me about blogs. If I hadn’t been involved in blogging myself, my advice would lack a certain amount of credibility.
I haven’t yet picked up any business that I can attribute directly to my blog, but it has been a plus I can talk about to clients and prospects alike. The reaction so far has been universally positive.

By: Mike Sansone

Mike Sansone — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 10:14:31 +0000

In a different season, I used to say Content builds Community leading to Commerce. Now the Content is the Conversation. And blogs are Conversation Stations.

By: Mack Collier

Mack Collier — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 10:08:05 +0000

“Here is my challenge to you: If you believe that blogging is an effective marketing tool, pretend that we are potential customers and clients and give us your best pitch.”
http://www.theviralgarden.com
That’s my best pitch, if I can grow my own blog into being a successful marketing tool for myself, I can do it for you. Blogging isn’t rocket science, the same rules that led to growth for my ‘personal’ blog, will work for any business blog. If I were a company and were considering hiring a marketing consultant to help me join the blogosphere, the first thing I would want to see, is their blog. Are they following their own advice? How has it worked for them?
That’s why when I talk to companies about growing a successful blog, I know the advice that I am giving them works, because it’s the same advice I followed to grow my own blog. I’m sure your new clients saw your blog Lewis, and realized that you knew what you were talking about.