Marketing with a Business Blog: Old School Marketers Take Heed

Not every business is keen to start a blog. In fact, some old school marketers carry some rather negative impressions of blogs. The biggest of these misconceptions is that blogs are online personal journals. Those that believe this clearly haven't been reading blogs or spending much time researching their competitors' blogs.

Here's a great post by colleague Wayne Hurlbert. Wayne was one of our expert bloggers interviewed in our Build a Better Blog ebook, which is having it's 1st year anniversary this week.

Here are some of the reasons that blogs make sense for businesses, as outlined in Wayne's blog post:

Business blogs: Old school marketers take note
April 4, 2006
by Wayne Hurlbert

1. If you are developing new products, a blog is an idea way to develop a pre-launch buzz. When the new product is discussed by its potential early adopters, it's likely to be treated as already "owned" by them. The sale to those all important trend setters is already made.
2. As a communications vehicle, blogs are almost unmatched. A business gains a human face with the addition of a business blog to the website, or as a free standing linked site in its own right. The daily writing of posts, and talking to your potential customers and clients, gives you and your business a friendly and approachable image.
3. The fact that blogs allow for interaction between the writer and the readers, through comments, provides for instant and honest feedback. If for no other reason than to avoid a potential product or service disaster, the line of communications should remain wide open.
4. Talking to your customers creates long term business relationships that can last for a lifetime. Those lifetime customers can also become your greatest brand evangelists, who will spread the positive word of mouth, on your company's behalf.
5. Media relations are much easier with a blog component to your website. Journalists can check the blog for business, personnel, and product news in an instant. With that ease of story creation, your company is much more likely to receive media coverage, than a non-blogging organization.

There are far more reasons for adding a business blog, than there are for ignoring their value. If a business is truly serious about marketing their product or service, then adding a business blog should be at the top of the list.

Thanks, Wayne for these reminders.