We’ve been talking about blogs a lot recently, and with good cause. They’re a great way to build community around your business, and develop a sense of loyalty among your clients and potential buyers.
So why aren’t you writing one?
Unless you’re doing something else to reach out to your clients regularly, you really don’t have much of an excuse anymore. They’re inexpensive, easy to maintain, and they ensure that you touch your clients often. Is there another marketing effort that offers all that? (hint: no.)
A good blogger writes to add value to her readers lives. As a by-product, she adds value to her own life as well. Every insight, idea or inspiration you give away for free builds trust. If your readers turn your ideas into valuable business, it build more trust. So when that reader needs the kind of services you offer, they won’t need to think about who they’re going to call first. They’re going to call you.
Time and Talent
If you don’t have the time to write a weekly blog, or you simply don’t feel comfortable with your own writing, you can always hire someone to ‘ghostwrite’ a blog for you. In this arrangement, you have a writer committed to a schedule of blog entries who does all the writing and posting work for you.
It seems inauthentic at first glance, but the core is still there. You’re still using your blog as a medium to add value to your clients lives. And ultimately, you should be involved with generating the ideas for entries. Your expertise is worthwhile, and that’s what people want to hear.
Marketing Yourself through Blog Comments
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009Marketing Yourself Through Testimonials
Ever hear that phrase “You attract more bees with honey than with vinegar”? Let’s overlook the flaws in that metaphor for a moment (bees are attracted to pollen. They make the honey) and consider the message.
To me, it’s about being a nice guy, giving honest compliments to people when they accomplish something. Not being shy about your positive opinions of other people. In the parlance of our times – “Spread the love”
Where to Spread it?
On today’s Internet, there’s a blog for just about anything. The best ones have a specific niche they serve with lots of new content each week.
Those sharp niches can be very powerful. They tend to be very loyal, and they tend to place a lot of trust in what the writer tells them.
Imagine if you could get the writer to write about you?
You Can.
But you’ve gotta do it the right way.
People can read authenticity. They can tell when someone’s feeding them a line, and they can tell when someone’s being honest with them.
The best way to get noticed by a blogger is to give them an honest compliment in the form of a blog comment.
For Example
I recently discovered a blogger who speaks my language so, so clearly. When I first found it, I spent a couple hours there. Just reading her stuff.
I couldn’t help but send her a compliment. And she wrote back! Out of all the people she has reading and commenting on her stuff, she took the time to drop me a quick note.
How this works for you
When you leave a comment on a blog, there’s usually a spot to add a link to your website. Oftentimes your name becomes a clickable link. And if your stuff is in line with that bloggers’ stuff, they’ll remember. And voilá! You’ve started a relationship.
The journey of a thousand miles…well you know the rest.
Tags: authenticity, blogs, comments, niches
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