Are you looking for more creative, cost effective and unique ways to market your products and services? Why not write a blog?
It’s all about the conversation
Recently someone left the following comment on my own blog, which I feel encapsulates what you can achieve with regular, consistent blogging:
Twitter is like a calling card. Facebook is like a phone call. Blogging is like a full-fledged conversation!
Sharon is right. Blogging is a powerful way of developing a relationship with your community, tribe or circle of friends. It’s about having a fully-fledged conversation with not only your current clients, but also your potential clients. These are the people, who up until now, may not have thought they needed to work with you, or buy from you.
What’s in it for you?
If you’ve decided to write a new blog – or to put more effort into your existing one – it’s important to be clear about your reasons. Are you blogging to build your credibility, to increase traffic to your site, to build a community, or to make more sales?
What’s in it for them?
Anyone who has been reading or writing blogs for a while will tell you that one of the keys points to remember is that your blogs need to add value to the reader.
Just as you would in the offline world, the secret is to focus on the benefits and results that you want your blog to provide your readers. That’s the way to start real conversations.
Think about your target audience and what they’re likely to want to read about. How can you use your expertise to provide them with relevant content while still fulfilling your own objectives?
Want more articles like this? Check out the content marketing section.
Find your purpose
By combining the answers to the questions above, you’ll be able to identify the mission or purpose of your blog.
For example, my own blog is committed to providing small business owners with ideas, strategies, tools and knowledge about how to market and grow their businesses. Some of the areas that I write about include the best ways to identify and target your ideal clients, how to attract more clients through your specific messages and offers, and what you need to do on a personal level to develop your successful business.
In the next article in this two-part series, I’ll give you some tips for creating effective blog content.
In the meantime, have fun thinking about the purpose and objectives of your own blog, and feel free to share them below, along with any tips you have to offer those new to the blogosphere.
