Blogs And Sales: A Natural Business
As you can surmise, one of the principal reasons why businesses
find blogs effective as business tools is they help generate or
increase sales. While there is no quantitative amount with
regards to the exact monetary significance of blogging on
sales, there are evidences of some sort of return on
investment. Increase in sales can be and often is one of the
indirect effects of successful blogging.
Blogs - Good for Business
Imagine sitting in front of your computer with millions of
people (shareholders, business partners, competitors, employees
and the media) conversing about business and the like. Now
imagine if you can use all the information you learned to
establish what product or service your customers want, why they
want it, how they want it and how much they are willing to pay
for it. This is precisely what a blog is all about and much
more. Definitely, blogs are good for businesses.
A blog or a weblog is an interactive website that maintains an
ongoing chronicle of information. It is a regularly updated
website featuring links to other articles or other websites.
Generally, a blog tends to have a main content area with
articles called posts or entries listed in reverse
chronological order with the latest on top. Typically, these
articles are organized in categories. There is also an archive
of articles based on dates. A blogroll, a list of links to
other related sites is another feature of a blog.
A blog may contain one or more feeds. Most blogs publish feeds
(RSS, RDF, Atom). A feed is a machine-readable content that is
updated periodically. A feed reader displays the new post and a
link to it. Most blogs also have a feature that allows visitors
to leave comments. With a blog, you publish fresh content and
your readers can add their own comments with links to their own
blogs. Easy to use blogging tools are available, often for free.
A basic blogging tool provides an interface where you can work
in an easy and intuitive manner while it takes care of the rest
of the logistics involved in making your blog presentable and
available for the public.
Blogging, authoring or maintaining a blog, is one of the
rapidly increasing growth areas of the Internet. According to
popular search engine Technorati, there are roughly more than
40 million blogs on the Internet today and more blogs are
appearing at the rate of 75,000 a day. This is mainly due to
the numerous benefits of blogging for business.
A blog has a powerful marketing capability to grow your
business, be it small or big. You can now have a commanding
presence on the Web, not one based on size, capital, or
resources but one based on quality of content, targeted
audience and useful products and services. With blogs as
equalizers, the blogosphere has become a truly exciting playing
field for all businesses.
A blog is a constant source of valuable and up-to-date
information. Setting up a blog allows you to showcase your
expertise and establish yourself as a thought leader in your
industry. A blog can be your vehicle for product or service
updates, company news and any other information you want to
relay to your targeted audience. A blog must contain relevant
information, not just sales pitches; otherwise readers are much
less likely to return. As with any part of a business marketing
plan, a blog must contain information that appeals to its
targeted audience.
A blog is an effective method to communicate with clients and
prospects. It allows you to openly and regularly converse with
them increasing credibility, creating trust and forming
relationships with them early on. A blog with its
conversational style is ideal for developing good customer
relationships. Readers will feel comfortable with you long
before they call you to make a purchase or avail of your
service.
A blog is a great tool to get feedback from readers. Your
readers can leave comments or make inquiries. A blog is a great
way to find out what readers are thinking and in the process
provides you with ideas or how to better serve them thus
improving your business. Forming business decisions based on
reader feedbacks can be one of the smartest business moves you
can ever make.
Nevertheless, to be effective, a blog has to be updated
frequently. Readers do not visit blogs that do not feature
fresh content regularly. Keeping readers in the know with
periodic posts about your business creates buzz and publicity.
There is work involved in creating a blog. It takes time and
commitment to write interesting and informative blog posts. But
it may prove to be well-spent especially if it helps generate
sales.
Blogs and Sales - In Tandem
Sales require personal interaction. A blog is one such place
where communication thru conversations thrives and
relationships are fostered. When you give your readers
significant information they can use through your blog
consistently, they will be satisfied. They will then return for
more fresh content on a regular basis. Overtime, you will be
able to build a loyal following. Readers will see you as an
expert in your particular niche. Your readers will come to
trust you and a relationship is developed. Your readers will
perceive that it is less of a risk to buy from you or avail of
your service. If you can blog efficiently about your subject,
they tend to believe that your product or service will be worth
it.
By blogging, you are sending the message that there is someone
listening, someone you can approach as can be gleamed from
answered comments and fresh updates. This will make your
readers feel more secure and will take this into consideration
as they form a purchasing decision. Blogging is inherently an
ongoing conversation that in the long run builds trust and
loyalty and breeds familiarity. When they become satisfied
customers, they will come to you for more information and if
given the choice will want to buy from you. This strengthens
the relationship between you and your customers and they may
also send other sales lead your way. The cycle goes on.
Moreover, a blog is a remarkably effective way to get high
search engine ranking. In other words, blogs can bring in more
readers - more prospective buyers.
A much publicized example that highlights the natural
relationship between blogs and sales is the Stormhoek case.
Blogging doubled South African wine producer Stormhoeks's sales
in less than twelve months. Aware of the vast numbers of people
who blog and read posts, Stormhoek decided to capitalize on
this by offering bloggers free bottles of the Stormhoek Shiraz
2004 and Sauvignon Blanc 2005 to try and comment on. Sales went
up from 50,000 cases to 100,000 cases. The wine became popular
and earned it listings in prestigious wine connoisseur clubs.
What is more, Stormhoek gets feedbacks and suggestions ranging
from bottle color to label design.
Blogging is marketing to people in a less obtrusive and
offensive manner, more like a freewheeling conversation
compared to an irritating sales pitch. It truly is a good way
to increase sales, albeit indirectly.
About The Author: http://www.theinternetone.net
find blogs effective as business tools is they help generate or
increase sales. While there is no quantitative amount with
regards to the exact monetary significance of blogging on
sales, there are evidences of some sort of return on
investment. Increase in sales can be and often is one of the
indirect effects of successful blogging.
Blogs - Good for Business
Imagine sitting in front of your computer with millions of
people (shareholders, business partners, competitors, employees
and the media) conversing about business and the like. Now
imagine if you can use all the information you learned to
establish what product or service your customers want, why they
want it, how they want it and how much they are willing to pay
for it. This is precisely what a blog is all about and much
more. Definitely, blogs are good for businesses.
A blog or a weblog is an interactive website that maintains an
ongoing chronicle of information. It is a regularly updated
website featuring links to other articles or other websites.
Generally, a blog tends to have a main content area with
articles called posts or entries listed in reverse
chronological order with the latest on top. Typically, these
articles are organized in categories. There is also an archive
of articles based on dates. A blogroll, a list of links to
other related sites is another feature of a blog.
A blog may contain one or more feeds. Most blogs publish feeds
(RSS, RDF, Atom). A feed is a machine-readable content that is
updated periodically. A feed reader displays the new post and a
link to it. Most blogs also have a feature that allows visitors
to leave comments. With a blog, you publish fresh content and
your readers can add their own comments with links to their own
blogs. Easy to use blogging tools are available, often for free.
A basic blogging tool provides an interface where you can work
in an easy and intuitive manner while it takes care of the rest
of the logistics involved in making your blog presentable and
available for the public.
Blogging, authoring or maintaining a blog, is one of the
rapidly increasing growth areas of the Internet. According to
popular search engine Technorati, there are roughly more than
40 million blogs on the Internet today and more blogs are
appearing at the rate of 75,000 a day. This is mainly due to
the numerous benefits of blogging for business.
A blog has a powerful marketing capability to grow your
business, be it small or big. You can now have a commanding
presence on the Web, not one based on size, capital, or
resources but one based on quality of content, targeted
audience and useful products and services. With blogs as
equalizers, the blogosphere has become a truly exciting playing
field for all businesses.
A blog is a constant source of valuable and up-to-date
information. Setting up a blog allows you to showcase your
expertise and establish yourself as a thought leader in your
industry. A blog can be your vehicle for product or service
updates, company news and any other information you want to
relay to your targeted audience. A blog must contain relevant
information, not just sales pitches; otherwise readers are much
less likely to return. As with any part of a business marketing
plan, a blog must contain information that appeals to its
targeted audience.
A blog is an effective method to communicate with clients and
prospects. It allows you to openly and regularly converse with
them increasing credibility, creating trust and forming
relationships with them early on. A blog with its
conversational style is ideal for developing good customer
relationships. Readers will feel comfortable with you long
before they call you to make a purchase or avail of your
service.
A blog is a great tool to get feedback from readers. Your
readers can leave comments or make inquiries. A blog is a great
way to find out what readers are thinking and in the process
provides you with ideas or how to better serve them thus
improving your business. Forming business decisions based on
reader feedbacks can be one of the smartest business moves you
can ever make.
Nevertheless, to be effective, a blog has to be updated
frequently. Readers do not visit blogs that do not feature
fresh content regularly. Keeping readers in the know with
periodic posts about your business creates buzz and publicity.
There is work involved in creating a blog. It takes time and
commitment to write interesting and informative blog posts. But
it may prove to be well-spent especially if it helps generate
sales.
Blogs and Sales - In Tandem
Sales require personal interaction. A blog is one such place
where communication thru conversations thrives and
relationships are fostered. When you give your readers
significant information they can use through your blog
consistently, they will be satisfied. They will then return for
more fresh content on a regular basis. Overtime, you will be
able to build a loyal following. Readers will see you as an
expert in your particular niche. Your readers will come to
trust you and a relationship is developed. Your readers will
perceive that it is less of a risk to buy from you or avail of
your service. If you can blog efficiently about your subject,
they tend to believe that your product or service will be worth
it.
By blogging, you are sending the message that there is someone
listening, someone you can approach as can be gleamed from
answered comments and fresh updates. This will make your
readers feel more secure and will take this into consideration
as they form a purchasing decision. Blogging is inherently an
ongoing conversation that in the long run builds trust and
loyalty and breeds familiarity. When they become satisfied
customers, they will come to you for more information and if
given the choice will want to buy from you. This strengthens
the relationship between you and your customers and they may
also send other sales lead your way. The cycle goes on.
Moreover, a blog is a remarkably effective way to get high
search engine ranking. In other words, blogs can bring in more
readers - more prospective buyers.
A much publicized example that highlights the natural
relationship between blogs and sales is the Stormhoek case.
Blogging doubled South African wine producer Stormhoeks's sales
in less than twelve months. Aware of the vast numbers of people
who blog and read posts, Stormhoek decided to capitalize on
this by offering bloggers free bottles of the Stormhoek Shiraz
2004 and Sauvignon Blanc 2005 to try and comment on. Sales went
up from 50,000 cases to 100,000 cases. The wine became popular
and earned it listings in prestigious wine connoisseur clubs.
What is more, Stormhoek gets feedbacks and suggestions ranging
from bottle color to label design.
Blogging is marketing to people in a less obtrusive and
offensive manner, more like a freewheeling conversation
compared to an irritating sales pitch. It truly is a good way
to increase sales, albeit indirectly.
About The Author: http://www.theinternetone.net
posted by Peter Smith at 9:21 AM
0 comments
