Blogging is one of those areas where there seems to be a lot of confusion about how to best utilize them in marketing. I think a lot of people see blogging as a more personal endeavor rather then a business tool. I have been blogging since 2004 for both pleasure and business. The medium has grown over the last six years and has become an effective marketing tool.
I initially started for fun and just to see what it was about. I would blog about anything that came to mind. There was no real purpose for it and I don’t think many people read it. I then discovered that you should blog about things you are passionate about. I’m not saying you should blog about what ever, but for business you need to really find your passion and then start blogging. Once you do you start building a community and start getting interaction from readers. This includes emails, commenting and sharing links.
Myth: With Twiter and Facebook, blogs will be going away
I have seen studies saying that blog reading has gone up over the last few years. But even with out those studies it makes sense that blogs will grow. There are only so many things you can put on Facebook and Twitter. Twitter limits you to 140 characters, where as Facebook has become the place to information quick. How many of you have actually sat and read an anything over a paragraph on Facebook? I haven’t and I doubt many have. Blogging allows you to develop and explain your ideas. I don’t see that going away. It is changing with services such as Tumblr but won’t completely go away.
Myth: Comments show how much interaction the blog has with readers
Forrester did a study recently and found only 33% of people actually comment on a blog. Most people will read but not really participate. This is one of the first myths about blogging. If a blog has a lot of readers it will have a lot of comments. This is not always the case. Many people will read the post and comment to friends or colleagues rather then post on the blog. I have found more will share on Twitter and Facebook, then comment.
Myth: You have to find the most popular blog in the industry
I think this is the biggest myth about finding a blog. Its not finding the biggest numbers it’s finding the right match. The biggest blogger may not reach the target audience you need. Its important for you to look around in the blogosphere and see whom else is blogging about your topic. Then start reading the blogs and see who would be a great fit. This is important as well because you may not get on the biggest blog if you aren’t a big brand. Many big bloggers will read your email and talk to you but may not post until they know you better. Smaller bloggers are willing to post about new companies, products and events.
Myth: Bloggers are objective
Blogging is not journalism. It’s a person or several people’s opinions on a topic. They don’t have the restrictions of journalist. They do and are not afraid to share their opinions on your brand or company. It’s important to build a relationship with the blogger(s). The prime example of this is if you have friend who constantly asked you for something you eventually stop answering their calls or emails. The same goes when blogging. I have had companies who always were about them and wanted publicity now. Those ranked lower on my list. Where as brands who reached out to me to tell me things in the industry or just see how I’m doing got a lot more from me and the blog.
These are just some myths I have found when dealing with blogs. I do plan on writing how to pick a blog to work with and then how to build a blog community. Both of these are two topics I have seen little of in other blogs.