The use of blog marketing for business
I was having a discussion with my mentor about my upcoming plans for my workshops and blogs, and frankly, I came to realise again (not that I haven’t realised it before) that this whole world is about marketing and sales. Business is about marketing and sales. Period.
It is unfortunate but true, that a lot of companies are build around creating wonderful products… and indeed the products are as wonderful and as effective and groundbreaking as they can be, but the company lacks a sales strategy. In fact, I would be dare enough to admit that my previous two companies (one on software applications development and another on adventure training) are two classic examples.
But I’ve learned (I hope)… and I’d better.
The primary activity of a business has to be sales and marketing. In fact, if you think about it, sales is the only activity in every business that really brings in the money for the business! If there is no sales, there is no incoming cashflow.
Sales and Marketing
Many starters in business confuse sales and marketing. I, for one, after spending years bumming around, still cannot draw a line between sales and marketing - but I think there is no definite line, anyway.What I see marketing as is the “outreach” program - building awareness and credibility, getting the word known. Marketing to me seems to be focused in coverting a total stranger into a prospect. Sales is the process where we convert a prospects into customers.
Where does blog marketing tie in?
So the ultimate question now is, with what I am doing - Blog Marketing and Corporate Blogging - where does it really fit in?
We all know so well that things do not sell well on blogs. If you are going to pitch your products, chances are you are not going to get many readers coming back. People love blogs because blogs are written the way we bloggers talk, and hey, we don’t talk “sales talk” when we chat with our parents, friends and kids right?
I feel blog marketing excels in the area of awareness creation and credibility. First and foremost, awareness creation and publicity. I think blogs are the ultimate search engine targeting tool! Search engines love text, and blogging regularly is really feeding the search spiders with their favourite food! The more often you place food there, the more often they will come back, to “eat” it. Blogs get listed well on search engines because of that - and that creates awareness. When people search their keywords online, they get directed to a blog.
Secondly, credibility and authority. Blogs need to be personal and conversational in style in order to achieve this. I would guess at least half (or more) of the blogs online are either duplicated content, or articles written by a ghostwriter. These blogs don’t do anything for credibility and authority.
When people surf on to a blog, it might not be obvious, but we all have a personality that we show in our posts. You know that I love my similies and especially my “mrgreen” smiley 
.
At least, I know, Liz has a very graceful way of putting her words, Easton has a so enthusiastic and funny prose, Darren updates once in a while but with so very insightful contents, and Tony loves his pictures. I’m so glued to your blogs because of your writing style - its as if I am talking to you everyday. Even though we’ve not met in person or even heard your voice, I can sense that its you behind the computer typing the post, personally.
If one day you’d to leave your blogs to be updated by someone else, that feeling would be lost. I feel I know you - and I know you know your stuff. Now, how’s that for credibility?
I once attended a sales training session, and what they taught was that the most fundamental and first objective of every sales process comes from one thing. Building trust. And trust is built so much more easily when you are already known for your crediblity. Think about it - would you trust Bill Gates to give you a better piece of software, or a man you have met on the street that claims to have “20 years of experience”?
Blogs might not help directly in closing the customer and securing a deal, but it does a whole lot, to build that foundation level of trust. If you are thinking of putting stuff for sale online, consider building a blog without listing the items for sale first. After you have a regular stream of readers, you can recommend (but don’t go overboard with it) your products.
Tags: blog-marketing, blogging-strategy, building-relationships, business-blogging, darren-mclaughlin, easton-ellsworth, liz-strauss, successful-blog, tony-d-clark
If you enjoyed this post, Sign up for the free Blog Marketing eCourse.
Tan Kian Ann is blog marketer based in Singapore. He now works with individuals and small businesses reach out to the world using blogs. 
February 15th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Visit John
Hi Kian Ann,
Since like you have not been blogging for 1 days plus. It is unlike you.
Marketing and sale indeed is the core for any buiness regardless online or offline. With marketing your business, I would say there would not be any business. What is the different between 2 people selling the same product where 1 earn $10000 and the other just $2000. The difference is one know how to market the product.
Of course marketing is something we need to study and improve each day.
Wish you an early chinese new year.
Talk to you soon!
John
http://www.JohnTanBlog.com
February 15th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Visit Kian Ann
Hey there John,
Yeah, weird things happening lately - so I’m playing catching with my blogging schedule. Heh. But its good not that I’ve got my computer reformatted, its working so much faster now.
February 15th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Visit John
Great to hear that your computer faster now. Weird things do happen at time so it is good that we do backup often.
John Tan
http://www.JohnTanBlog.com
February 15th, 2007 at 9:35 pm
Visit Walter
Blogging is certainly a very interesting new addition to the marketing mix, and I agree that it does more in establishing one’s forte as opposed to creating direct sales. For consultants and trainers like yourself (and maybe me in future… ha), it establishes oneself as a thought leader in a particular field.
I find that with every post that I put up, I should write something that is useful not only for people in my field, but amateurs and outsiders. Blogging provides good practice for those who write tonnes in their daily jobs (like me as a marketing and comms director), while allowing some freedom of expression which stretches and exercises the right (creative) brain.
It is also good to be focused on a specific area while still being entertaining and interesting enough to attract mainstream outsiders. When I first started cooler insights, I wanted to write more for a marketing related audience. However, I found interestingly enough that the majority of my readers were actually from other fields. What’s wonderful though is that most are fairly active in commenting, which makes it much more fun don’t you think?
February 15th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
Visit Kian Ann
Thanks John! heh! You know what? I lost my data twice in a single day! Gosh. Don’t know what is happening to my computer.
I *just* reformatted again - one hour ago. Man.
What luck.
Anyway, hopefully its all over.
I’m back blogging again 
February 15th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
Visit Kian Ann
Yes Walter! Its really wonderful to have a regular readership! Its fun! Its as if we’ve been friends for a loooong time!
What you said is also very true, while many of us want to share advanced techniques, it is essential to know that many readers are non-tech savvy, or are new to the topic.
Some friends I spoke to, for example, commented that my blog (this one!) is way too technical for them to understand.
February 15th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
Visit Easton Ellsworth
Well put, Kian Ann, and nice conversation you’ve started here. It’s good to keep in mind that a business blog doesn’t have to be geared to getting people to buy something. However, I’ve seen some great corporate blogs that sell items directly through the blog posts or via ads. It all depends on a variety of factors, perhaps especially the nature of the company and the nature of the blog audience. You’ve gotta have a clear purpose for your blog - that will make it easier to measure its success in terms of marketing your brand or products.
February 15th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
Visit Kian Ann
Thanks Easton - great input! Yes, I think as with every website that is set up, ultimately, an objective or purpose must be defined.
I used to do web design for people (years back!), and actually come to think of it, most of the websites I did didn’t have a clear purpose. It was set up “for the sake of setting it up”, and some even got me to suggest the sections and the content of the site!
February 16th, 2007 at 5:18 am
Visit Tony D. Clark
Kian Ann - As far as the difference between marketing and selling, the separation can be ultra-thin.
One thing I’ve learned from being a solo entrepreneur for so many years is that you can go from marketing to selling in a heartbeat. When you ARE your business, everything is marketing, and a lot of times, it turns into selling without even noticing it.
Networking is a good example of when this can happen. One minute you’re talking about how what you do can help with an issue a person just described. The next you’re closing and talking about emailing contracts. Marketing to selling in 2.4 seconds
February 16th, 2007 at 6:24 am
Visit Darren McLaughlin
Customer Service is marketing also, don’t forget. Repeat buyers are where the real profit is.
Thanks for the kind words in you post.
February 16th, 2007 at 7:57 am
Visit Kian Ann
Thanks Tony! Its so great to have the insights of an experienced entrepreneur!
I’m still learning hard! Heh! 
I’ve also realised how extremely important networking is - and it doesn’t matter if you are networking online or offline. Things are so much, so much easier if you know the right people.
February 16th, 2007 at 8:00 am
Visit Kian Ann
Darren,
That’s so true. Many Internet marketers actually collect email addresses so that they can follow up with the same prospect again and again with every new product or affiliate product that they want to sell.
Some companies also pay so much upfront just to get a lead - the cost of acquisition is so much higher than the cost of getting an existing customer to purchase another item
February 16th, 2007 at 11:01 am
Visit Nelson Tan
I’ve just completed a 4-part series of blog posts connecting SEO, blogging and Internet Marketing thinking, starting right here
Kian Ann will have to surrender and admit that “the $$$ is STILL in the list!” As such, an opt-in page instead of a blog stays at the forefront of my domain.
Jim Edwards explain how to combine mini-sites and blogs for a 1-2 punch in marketing. Segment “Top Trend 3″ in this video
February 16th, 2007 at 11:22 am
Visit Kian Ann
Nelson,
Yeah, I’d admit that the money is in the list - it is still the predominant method used by many to follow up with their prospects.
February 16th, 2007 at 11:26 am
Visit Nelson Tan
Now I know “how much” you are earning online now…naknaknak
February 16th, 2007 at 11:42 am
Visit Kian Ann
Nelson, I still think of myself as an “extreme amature” when it comes to making money online. I’m the typical techie who is comfortable with all the coding, but when it comes to marketing, I’ve still a long way to go man!