In the old days, live chats used to be the only way for businesses to
interact with their customers. But live chats are never easy to conduct
because you have to choose the best time for you and your customers to talk
as well as finding the best virtual environment for the discussion and the
best topic. Live chats also allow you to interact with only a limited number
of people at a time.
Blogging, however, changed the face of Internet marketing and made it
possible for businesses to develop a more personal relationship with its
customers. Live or not, blogging allows businesses to answer questions and
address concerns of their customers on a more intimate level. Blogging has
provided numerous benefits to Internet marketing, and each benefit allows
blogging to play a different role for businesses and customers.
The Connecting Blog
Communication is perhaps the most important role that blogs play for
businesses and customers. With blogs, even the highest officer of the company
would be able to interact with all their customers.
Blogs also allow customers an insiders glimpse to how the company works.
Through blogs, businesses are able to process how each department works
independently and in relation to other departments and how they are
ultimately able to produce products or services of excellent quality.
Basically, blogs enable businesses to emphasize their competitive advantages
over their competition.
Blogs also allow businesses to create a strong social presence. Rather than
depending mainly on sending the customary one-content-fits-all letter to
their customers during important events and holidays, businesses are able to
say, show, and do more than that with blogs. As blog hosting sites dont
charge account owners extra for long entries, businesses then have the
freedom to define and clarify their roles during these significant events.
Christmas, for instance, should be a time of giving and businesses must
therefore describe how theyve upheld their social responsibility by
providing much appreciated aid to deserving charities.
The Selling Blog
Blogs also serve as another marketplace for businesses. With blogs,
businesses are able to provide more marketing content to sell their products
and services. They can also implement other marketing strategies together
with their blogs to create and sustain interest in what theyre selling.
The Network-Building Blogs
When a business creates a blogging account, it will immediately have access
to different groups and kinds of people. Firstly, a blog is always a part of
a blogging community made up of other bloggers in your blog-hosting site.
These people can be your companys future suppliers, customers, or affiliates.
Secondly, you will have your readers who can definitely be anyone in the
world, but preferably one who belongs to your target market. Thirdly, your
blog, with the help of blog marketing tools like Technorati, will also belong
to an even larger blogging community that doesnt belong to any specific blog-
hosting site. All these can naturally help build the size and diversify your
contact network.
The Informative Blog
Information nowadays is the key to success, and blogs are often used by
businesses to disseminate information and promote their products and services
at the same time. Lets say that you have a home-based tutorial service for
kids. Tutorial service belongs to the broader industry of education. The next
thing you should do is subscribe to various news alerts in order to get the
latest news on education.
When you receive an interesting piece of news on education, post a portion or
summary of it but make sure to credit your source. Afterwards, provide your
opinion regarding this news. As much as possible, connect this information to
your business. End with a link to your main website!
The Entertaining Blog
This is something that businesses seldom do because it generally requires
skills that are beyond their expertise. But when a business is able to do
that then the success is certainly double of what youd expect from blog
marketing.
A blog thats able to play an entertaining role is one thats filled with
posts about the daily reflections and descriptions of work in the office and
yet, theyre written so humorously either good-natured or black would do
that its readers cant help but coming back for more.
These are just some of the roles that blogs play in internet marketing. In
the end, however, remember that your blog should only take on the role that
youre comfortable performing as a blog owner. Good luck!