Someone asked me today about the relevance of having a blog for her business, so I thought this would be the perfect time to take the opportunity to share the importance and benefits of blogging.
For starters, "Why do I need a blog?" The answer to this is multi-level and really doesn't have a short answer, but I will do my best to cut right to the point. A blog is important for many reasons:
Staying Connected and Maintaining a Relationship with Your Clients
Your blog is a way for you to both connect and to stay connected with your target clientele base.
Writing a blog on a regular basis, even if it is only once or twice a week shows your clients that you care enough to keep in touch with them.
By continually blogging about things that your client wants to know about, you are both informing them and giving them a reason to keep coming back. This could seal the deal with potential clients who are not yet sure whether or not they want to use your services or to buy your products.
Contests and Giveaways
Your blog is the perfect forum to stage various contests and giveaways, so take advantage of it! Every woman loves contests and they especially love it if they are getting something for free. From time to time if you host contests, it will drive more and more traffic to your site as people hear about the prizes that were won by their friends.
Educate, Don't "Hard Sell" Your Product/Services
Blogs are so valuable because you alone can educate about your products/services as no one else can. However, don't just use your blog as the opportunity to sell yourself or your products. Consumers don't like pushy saleswomen. They want to learn about products and then to make an educated decision about them. If every time they come to your blog the feel that you are simply advertising a service, they will catch on and move on.
Use your blog as a forum to open your reader's eyes to new products, ideas, and services that they may not otherwise have heard about, not just your own! No matter how great the product is that you are selling, you can only talk about that product for so long before they get bored. By constantly changing up your blog you will give readers a reason to keep coming back and a reason to share your blog with other.
Making the Most of Your Blog
I will use fellow Dandelion Network Mandy of Divine Designs by Mandy since she will have her new website up and running soon (hooray!)
What are some ways that Mandy could have a successful blog?
The easy answer is that Mandy could use her blog as a place to showcase her latest work. But there is simply so much more to it than that! Most of Mandy's readers will more than likely be bridal clientele, so Mandy of course will need to cater to that market.
That leads to the question, "How can Mandy effectively market and not "sell" her products?" How can she do this? By helping the brides along the way with all of their wedding planning! From talking about other great vendors that brides should know about, to dishing on all of the latest and greatest wedding trends, Mandy should seize the opportunity to help brides through the stressful planning of their wedding. By doing this Mandy will build trust with her clients, she will give them a reason to come back on a regular basis, and if her tips are useful, they will tell their friends and family which will only increase her client base.
The second part, is that Mandy could use a blog to her advantage is that she can take these already established relationships with her brides and their families and turn them into long term relationships. She can show samples of how to arrange silk flowers, how to plant a beautiful flower garden, how to arrange bouquets in a vase, and so on. By not just the brides, but also their friends and families, a reason to come back after the wedding, they will be more likely to remain clients for the long haul. Everyone needs flowers at some point, so why shouldn't Mandy show them that they can keep coming back to her long after the wedding is over!
How to Get Your Own Blog Started
Getting started it easy! Simply Google "Free Blogs" and ample choices will appear! Two of my favorites are Word Press and Blogspot. They are both great because they are completely free and no commitment at all. This is great especially for those first starting a business who don't have a lot of expendable income. For Blogspot, all you have to do is set up a Gmail account and start your Blogspot blog!
Wordpress is also free; however, with Wordpress you can eventually turn it into a professional blog with the help of sites such as ProPhoto. ProPhoto templates can turn your free WordPress blog into a professional work of art for less than $200! That is the company that the Dandelion Network will be using by the spring of 2010.
I hope that this gives you all something to think about and that it helps guide you in deciding when or if to take the leap into taking on a blog. Please give me feedback and let me know if you have any questions!
Happy Blogging,
Sarah
Founder - The Dandelion Network
No comments:
Post a Comment