Dude, Blog Your Business!

I am a big fan of socialmedian – I have found no end of useful stuff since I signed up to it, and this is probably one of the best articles I have come across for businesses wanting to find out where they should be participating in the myriad world of social networking - How-To: Search the Social Web – Ultimate Toolkit, by Robin Broitman.

In order for a business to start that all-important conversation with their customers they first have to know where those customers are conversing. There is no point spending hours and hours on your Facebook account if all your ‘buyer personas‘ are conversing on MySpace.  So, how do you find out where that conversation is taking place?  Well, there are three basic ways:

1. If you want to do it yourself for free using tool like Google Alerts, following the guidelines in Robin’s article above,
    
2. If you want to do it yourself and you don’t mind spending some money, then use a tool like Radian6 - it is probably THE most comprehensive tool on the market at the moment and has a very extensive set of features that allow you to manage the data that you retrieve so you can make best use of it,
    
3. Or, if you don’t want the hassle of learning how to use and implement a strategy using something like Radian6 then we are more than happy to do it for you!

The third option may certainly be the more expensive of the options but, for those companies of a certain size, having a team with the expertise to not only extract this kind of information but to create the kind of compelling content that will attract those buyer personas to see you as a solution to their particular need – and in a measureable way – is more than worth it.

It is increasingly apparent that the two things that companies want most when considering a social media strategy is:

1. Knowing where they should be participating  
2. Being able to measure the results of that participation (ROI)

That  is why in the past few weeks we have been moving ourselves to a situation in which we can provide those solutions.  Watch this space for more news very soon.

 
Picture from bloggingfornoobs

One thing I hear time and again from experienced bloggers is that they all learned from their mistakes.  The advice they give to new bloggers is that you shouldn’t worry too much about getting everything perfect before posting on your blog, or even starting a blog.  The best think is to just get in there and do it.

A great way to get the feel of blogging before committing yourself to your own blog is to comment on other people’s blogs.  This will give you some valuable experience and will give you the chance to see whether you like it or not.  Blogging is something you have to do on a regular basis so you want to know before you start whether or not it is for you.

Just remember, even the expert bloggers didn’t always get it right when they started.  I saw this post on Social Median today and thought it worth sharing with you – “15 Things I Wish I Had Known When I Started My First Blog” by Neil Patel.  Neil talks about some of the major things that you need to know about blogging, including the importance of picking a niche, being passionate, blogger ‘burnout’, having a unique design, responding to commentators, picking the right platform and so on.

If you are a business or non-profit contemplating a move into blogs and social media then this article will give you some valuable insights into what you are getting yourself into! And hopefully, steering you away from some early blogging mistakes. Enjoy.

I came across a useful blog post on socialtrenz.com which highlighted a recent survey into the the reasons why companies haven’t yet adopted social media in their marketing strategies. The top reason was ‘lack of knowledge’. This is certainly what we are finding out in the field. However much you tell a group about the benefits of blogging and social media as a marketing tool it is not until we get into a one-to-one situation, where we can both sit down in front of a computer that business owners really understand what it is we are offering.

Some businesses have a vague notion that social media is something they should be doing but don’t know what it is, others have more awareness but don’t realise the intricacies of how to get the most out of social media.

The socialtrenz.com study is “the third in a special six-part research preview series from MarketingSherpa’s 2009 study, Social Media Marketing and PR – Benchmarks and best practices for harnessing the power of the social marketplace“. The book is due out this month and, I would suggest, should be appearing among the marketing books on the bookshelf of any company marketing executives that wish to be in their job in 2010!

And don’t forget, we are here and can get you up and running very quickly – all you have to do is give us a call!

I actually won something! Woohoo! I have just received a copy of ‘Radically Transparent – Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online by Andy Beal and Dr. Judy Strauss, which I won in a draw for people who commented on a particular blog post, of all things. It looks a good book – all about building, managing, monitoring and, if necessary, repairing your online reputation. Now, I haven’t actually read it yet, but I wanted to share with you their outline of Chapter 9 which is on the power of blogging, because it is very pertinent to all you companies and non-profits out there who may be contemplating setting up your own blog. I quote:

“Building and launching a blog can add a lot of value to you and your business but is not something that should be done halfheartedly. The software you select, the style of blog you use, and the way you engage your readers all play an important role in determining your success or failure in the blogosphere. Understanding what your stakeholders expect from you an how to reach them with an authentic, radically transparent voice will ensure your blog is a positive reflection on your reputation”.

That, my friends, is why it is worth paying the money!