Internet Marketing - Matt Bailey [210]
Bloggers track sites that link to their articles and read what others say. Many are very active in keeping up on who is reading and linking to them. If you want to get their attention, be sure to begin the conversation by making a comment or two on their blog. Blogger etiquette at this point is that you simply leave a comment that adds to the discussion; please do not use this as an opportunity to link to your own article. At this point, you are trying to build a relationship and not advertise your own blog.
You will get the attention of other bloggers by commenting and linking to their articles. As that happens, take the next step and initiate an email conversation with them. Be sure to be respectful of their time, and be polite. You are marketing yourself, and in doing so the attention is on those bloggers and not you. Do not use these opportunities to talk about you and your blog unless you are asked. This is part of simply developing a relationship; it takes time, and you have to establish your credibility.
This is how I developed my relationship with Avinash Kaushik, who wrote the foreword to this book. He wrote a post on his blog that inspired me to write a post on mine. I commented on his blog, and he followed the link, read my article, and commented on my blog. Over the next few months, it moved into an email conversation and discussion about analytics and additional issues. Eventually, when I was in the Bay Area speaking at a conference, Avinash invited me to come visit his offices (back when he was at Intuit). We spent a few hours visiting and talking, and we developed a friendship that has lasted years as a result.
Your motivation has to be that of developing relationships, educating, and investing. Your passion about your company and your industry will show in your content. There is no quick payoff of links, recognition, or advantage. People can pick up on those motivations very quickly, and you will not get the response you desire if those are your first intentions. Approaching bloggers is like building a new friendship, and the relationships you develop will pay off secondarily in links, attention, and visitors.
Thursday: Avoid Blog Design Pitfalls
As powerful as blogs are in creating more business opportunities, there are significant areas that are overlooked in the development and execution of designing and developing a business blog. These issues are consistent enough that they inhibit the ability of the blog to properly monetize the business by preventing sales and leads beyond the initial visits. Just as I’ve discussed with regard to a standard website, such blog problems can easily be remedied by making a few small changes that will immediately enhance the business value of your blog.
Unstated Purpose and Benefits
Related to the lack of conversion points is the lack of a clear business focus behind the blog. While so much emphasis is usually placed on a business website’s home page and the messaging on the home page, very little seems to be placed on the blog. Considering that more visitors may see the home page of the blog more than the actual website, the home page should provide a thoughtful reevaluation of the marketing on the blog.
Just by looking at the blog, can you tell the purpose of the blog or the business behind the blog? What is the benefit statement? How can the blog help your business beyond providing articles and information on a regular information?
These questions should provide an understanding of the need to have an established purpose for the blog. Too many businesses jumped at building a blog on their websites because they heard it would