Article
Understanding Blogs and How They Can Help Your Online BusinessMikal Lisonbee
To the average online shopper, you're just another small retailer trying to earn a buck on the Internet. If you sell on eBay, all a buyer knows about you is right there in your product listing and perhaps your seller rating, and that isn't much. If you operate an eCommerce-enabled website, maybe you have an "About" page that says a little something about you and your company. At the end of the day, though, that isn't much, either! Sound brutal? It is. But so is the retail business. In the global marketplace, anyone can attempt to sell anything. To succeed, you have to prove why you're special, and one of the best ways to do that is to publish a blog. A blog is an online soapbox of sorts—a stage upon which you can demonstrate your passion and knowledge for your product line, individual products, and commitment to your customers. It's a virtual community that encourages visitors to interact and talk back. It's a marketing tool that gives you a daily opportunity to earn credibility and trust—the two most valuable assets that money can't buy. Technically speaking, a blog is an easily, instantly, and frequently updated website—created and maintained by using free and easy-to-use software designed for people who don't want to learn how to design a website or use HTML. In Part I of this article, we show you how blogging can help grow your online business. Essentially, our point is this: If you design a blog that attracts readers and earn their loyalty (thanks to your fount of knowledge, charming wit, or stellar writing skills), you should be able to capitalize on the intrigue and convert these viewers into paying customers. With minimal efforts, your customer base can literally multiply. In Part II, you gather strategies and tips to take full advantage of your blog and maximize its potential for supporting the sale of your products and building an active community of loyal customers. Establish your credibility as an expert in consumers' eyes Clearly, if you have enough to say about a topic that you can fill pages about it, you know much more than a thing or two about that topic. Odds are you've done your homework and have gone above and beyond—after all, what passionate person is satisfied with just the need-to-know info about the object of his affection? By exploring and explaining various aspects of a hobby or item and sharing your two cents for thought or discussion, you gain credibility with others as an authority in that field. Anyone with a degree in Business Administration will recognize this concept as thought leadership. But we know you don't need a business degree to run a successful business—what you really need to know is how to actually achieve this kind of success-building leadership. The key: Know as much as you can about your products, and spread the word like wildfire. Encourage others to participate in the dialogue, and they'll eagerly jump on board your blog. Of course, professional presentation and verbal skill is essential to garnering this kind of respect. By continually investigating your topic and sharing your knowledge with others, in addition to adding your own commentary, you can establish a reputation with consumers as the guru that you are. And who better to buy from than a guru! Note: Be aware that you can easily create a poor reputation if you don't maintain professionalism in your blog. So, be sure to decide first how you want to present yourself and then consistently follow through with that vision. This is not to say that you should write in a way that readers need a dictionary on hand to decipher your guru-speak. See Part II of this article for tips on setting and maintaining the right tenor. Enhance visibility and widen your customer base In everyday life you have numerous ways of communicating about your interests: face to face, on the phone, via e-mail, and so on. You're limited, though, to those people near you or those you manage to meet. Blogging, however, expands your influence; it's essentially your own public monologue that buyers can find and respond to as they wish. With a blog, your potential audience is virtually limitless. In addition, not everyone who's interested in a particular product or topic is seeking to shop—Cyberspace has window shoppers, too. Your eBay account or online store, then, may be unlikely to reach that audience, but a blog offers a way to attract surfers who may not otherwise see your products. Engage them, direct them to your store, and watch as your sales increase. Blogs have a number of ways to rise among the infinite sea of Web pages, the most common being via search engines. As long as you establish your privacy settings as completely public, a search engine will pull up your blog among other results when it locates a requested keyword. See Part II of this article for more strategies on boosting your blog's visibility. Establish an emotional connection with your readers More often than not, common interests attract. A connection is made, a lasting friendship is born, and the story continues. Nowadays, people are taking advantage of the wide expanse of the Internet as a prime locale for building relationships. It encourages interaction simply by virtue of the mandatory mouse-click. Click, read, connect, engage. Suppose, for example, you blog about your passion for low-brow art (which you also happen to sell). Other lovers of low-brow art are likely to find you, look around your blog, jump in on the discussions, and take a look at the items you're selling on eBay or another eCommerce-enabled site that you conspicuously link out to. They'll see what you're all about, and if they like it, they'll come back for more. Blog readers don't fool around when it comes to blogs they enjoy; they quickly become regulars, akin to the cohorts at Cheers. Passion meets passion, and sparks fly. The result: a growing relationship based on an emotional connection, initiated thanks to your enthusiasm for the thing you love and sell. Boost enthusiasm for your products When you write a blog that relates to your online business, not only does it create a common place for you to connect with readers, but it also builds enthusiasm for your products. The saying "Enthusiasm is contagious" is an age-old adage that still holds some truth. Consider for a moment school pep rallies, pre-game tailgating, reality television, political rallies, and religious gatherings. The same holds true for anything you and others value. Put yourself in the Web surfer's sandals: Suppose you've taken a liking to model cars. You happen upon a fellow model-car-devotee's blog and are introduced to cars you've never seen and aspects of model-car collecting that you've never considered. Gradually, you're drawn in as you survey the glory of the model car, and thanks to the efficiency of Web browsers, you're able to easily bookmark your new favorite page. Your initial reaction to the site was likely one of excitement, and as you continue to revisit the blog, your gusto grows, sparked by one person's passion for your common love. Sooner or later, you recognize a deep need to act on your quickly escalating hobby. So, you put your money where your heart is, and voila! The blog aficionado has just earned your business, which likely won't be a one-time investment, thanks to the fervor welling up within you (and the goose pimples you got when you clicked "Confirm purchase"). Now that you're aware of blogging's many potential benefits, hopefully you're a little closer to taking the leap and creating one of your own. In Part II of this article, you discover a host of strategies and tips for maximizing the effectiveness of this powerful online marketing tool. |
Print
RSS
Feedback
Submit Article
 Add comment
(Comments: 0) |
