I did my final presentation for Advertising 492 on Blogging for Business. As the internet continues to evolve, virtual business is becoming the means of communication to keep in contact with customers and grow as a company.
14. “ Trust is the foundation of total quality, and trust is made up of both character (what a person is) and competence (what a person does).” – Stephen Covey
15. “ Our Advice: Catch up … or catch you later.” – Business Week
Notas do Editor
My name is Amanda Pranke and my goal for my final presentation in the New Media Driver’s License Course is to stress how important it is for businesses to utilize blogs. With the expansion of the internet and access to blogs, companies can finally be recognized, while providing customers with valuable information to help solve their current and future problems. Times are changing, and for businesses to succeed in an ever changing market place one has to keep up with the times and utilize the necessary tools to help their company develop.
Blogging have become a means of communication between businesses and their consumers. These blogs are able to keep consumers updated about new products, existing products, promotions and other business information to ensure a connection between the business and its consumers.
Blogging is a cheaper alternative to having a web page designed for your business. Not only does blogging save you money, but it also is easily accessible to make adjustments. If changes need to be made, one can easily update the blog themselves rather than waiting to get in contact with a web designer for minute changes
As of April 2008 there were 112 million blogs and 175,000 new blogs were being created each day. Since then, the number is increasing and does not plan to halt any time soon.
You may only be ONE person, but your ONE blog connects to millions of people. Therefore, YOU creating a BLOG can create NUMEROUS CUSTOMERS for your company. In many cases, a blog is like a spider web because there is no saying on how large one can get, just as there is no saying on how many connections you can make with new and existing customers by creating a blog.
What will make your brand stand out from the others that are selling similar products? Blogs can help businesses and other organizations create strong brand names that concentrate on building trust with their consumers. In many cases, a brand can be summed up in one or two words. For instance, Toyota is known for “reliability”, Mercedes is known for “engineering,” Figuring out what word or phrase can sum up your brand will help you gain brand recognition.
When creating a blog, it is important to add tags to your posts because it helps narrow the search for customers seeking specific products and/or services. Most American’s do not have the time in their busy days to search through tons and tons company websites. Adding the tags to your blog can directly connect your page to customers with a specific need in mind.
It is important to ask customers questions about their satisfaction with their products and/or services. A good salesperson will ask questions on how he can improve his business no matter how well ones company is doing. In the world of business, there is always room for improvement.
The feedback loop is key in the business market between the company and its customers. Sending and receiving messages to one another and responding with feedback regarding what the company is doing well on, how they can improve and what they should eliminate from their business tactics will aid in building a successful company.
90 percent of the Fortune 500’s blogs have an accessible comments feature. These companies realize how important the feedback from customers is and that they are dependent on those comments to keep growing. How do you think companies such as Microsoft and Procter & Gamble became so successful?
If your company is striving to be the next “product of the year” or “world’s best product,” I advise you to think of a new strategy. Customers are sick and tired of hearing this jargon and if learned not to believe it!
Instead, companies should be focusing on building relationships with their customers and helping them solve their problems directly. It’s not about what your product does…it’s about what your product can do for your customer’s to satisfy their needs.
Each business should, therefore, identify unique personas with personalized names for each target market they are trying to reach. This technique essentially targets each segment specifically to meet their desired needs rather than reaching those who have no desire or interest in your product or service. Customer’s will be happy about the personal customer service and you will benefit by saving money by not targeting those who do not pertain to your market of choice.
Trust is one of the main factors in building a relationship with your customers. If you provide them with the service they desire they will trust that you and your company won’t let them down and they will continue doing business with you.
As time evolves, it is becoming more and more important to keep up with trends and changes in the business world in order to compete in the market place. The current big change is the addition of blogging for business. Use your blog to stay connected internally with employees and externally with customers and watch your company continually grow. So catch up now, or catch ya later!