Blogs offer a unique and cost effective way to get into your customer's head. Through blogs, niche customers offer uncensored, unsolicited, blatantly honest comments about a company, their products, and their services. Social media marketing is not just another selling platform to display high-pressure banner ads and pop-ups. Social media marketing, such as blogs, offer a way to connect with your customers on a much more intimate level than ever before.
resource: The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott
Connect with me on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter
- First, understand blogs. Who is writing them, who is commenting, what is the general tone of the blogs? Also take into consideration who the perceived expert is, who supplies the answers or solutions - you will want to connect with this blogger. You also need to understand the role of blogs to your social media marketing strategy, which is where the research comes in.
- Do your research. Search for blogs that are already established about your industry, company, products, and services. What is being said? Search for blogs that are specifically written about your competitors - what is being shared?
- Become involved. You need to take an active role in the blogs that are centered around your niche. Again, this is not a selling platform; this is a place for you to offer information content to your niche. Offering information content to subscribers will increase your reputation, earning trust and credibility. This gives you a unique opportunity to communicate directly with your customers in an environment where they feel comfortable.
- Monitor blogs. Check out Technorati, this website shows the activity of the highest trending blogs. This will also be very helpful in keeping an eye on blogs about your company and your competitors. Simply search for your company name or industry, and begin monitoring! Monitoring blogs will give you insight to customer complaints or compliments of your product or service; it will perhaps give you a running start for necessary product enhancements.
- Avoid unnecessary public relations crisis! Blogs offer a unique opportunity for public relations and marketing professionals to control and prevent a crisis. You now have an insider view of what exactly your customers are thinking and saying, and because of your involvement and information content sharing, you are seen as the go-to expert of the blog; you are at a perfect position for public relations. Companies that do not take advantage of being activley involved in blogs heighten the risk for a crisis.
resource: The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott
Connect with me on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter
RSS Feed