BUILD YOUR BRAND WITH BLOGS
The Internet provides tons of ways to spread and build your brand, but the topic of this book is how to create buzz using blogs. So how can blogs be used to create or facilitate buzz? I’m glad you asked. Blogs represent a critically important Internet trend today. They are reinvent¬ing the way consumers and other influencers express themselves, as well as the way companies and consumers communicate with one another. They have the power to facilitate the spread of a message faster than any other form of Internet communication.
You can use the blogosphere in two ways to generate or spread buzz:
� Create a blog for a brand, company, product, service, event, or new initiative. By posting useful information frequently and letting your target audience know the blog is there, you can generate readership.
� Look for blogs or bloggers that might be interested in your products and services. With the right approach, you may be able to offer bloggers free trials or demo products that turn into postings and conversations in the blogosphere.
Blogs have innate qualities that make them indigenous buzz-marketing tools:
� Blog activity is measurable and quantifiable. Blog postings leave a digital information “trail” that exponentially extends the reach of a given message.
� Through the use of built-in comment technology, blogs encourage con-versation between blogger and reader. Very often a conversation that begins on a blog is continued in comments, on other blogs, and via e-mail.
� They are excellent tools for obtaining feedback. For example, if you want to gauge consumer confidence in a particular product, you can ask your customers via a blog post. You can be sure to get honest and candid responses; no bones about it!
� Thanks to a companion technology called RSS, blog postings can be spread more instantaneously. RSS syndicates blog postings to other Web sites and newsreader software.
� Blogs are search engine magnets. The leading search engine, Google, loves them. The net result is higher rankings in search returns. From an ROI (Return on Investment) perspective, they help the marketer tap into a potentially lucrative pool of traffic.
� Blogs are a grass-roots medium that allows direct contact with the consumer.
� The “personal” feel of blogs tends to create trust among readers, which leads to a loyal niche following. The blogger becomes the virtual center of influence and thought-leader. According to Intelliseek CEO Pete Blackshaw, “Blogs are tailor-made for ‘influencers’ and serve as pace-set¬ting devices to other influencers.”