Sure, blogging is a long-term commitment. You're hiring a professional blog marketing company to get out your corporate message in a carefully constructed manner… but with so many blogs out there, is anyone really listening? It takes time to build a blog presence, but if you include search engine optimization, your blog will become a search engine magnet, delivering a wealth of new contacts to you. Basically, you can't afford not to hire a blog marketing company that specializes in SEO!

There are other reasons too. With a blog, you'll position yourself as an expert and your company as the leader of your industry. Journalists and consumers will come across your quotes and assume you're knowledgeable and well positioned. It's good to keep the media regularly checking in on what you're doing.

Next, a blog marketing company can help you gather feedback and build customer relationships. You'll offer consumers valuable information they need and they can let you know their opinions on your latest ideas or products. Think of your blog as free research.

The most important reason to hire a blog marketing company is undoubtedly to build links and draw in more traffic. You may even offer calls-to-actions with coupons and special deals offered to blog subscribers only! If you have regular blog readers, you'll likely have regular paying customers coming back to your site for the information they need, as well as the products they need.

“Recent studies have shown that social networking sites like Myspace are less effective at getting a bands name and music out there,” said Mike Fratt, general manager for Homer’s Music and Gifts. “The latest buzz is through viral marketing and getting your name plugged in a blog. How often you appear on other people’s blogs will generate more interest.”

What is it about blog marketing that people love so much? Well, first of all, there’s something very edgy and “street” about getting the latest product info or news from a blog. Lately it seems that sites like Myspace or Digg are getting the word out to the masses before traditional newspapers and TV media. Round-the-clock junkies focused on a particular niche – whether it’s new gadgets, home cooking secrets, celebrity gossip, relationship advice or real estate finds – diligently report their findings in an informal tone that sounds more like a friend than a telemarketer.

Blog marketing isn’t like traditional advertising schemes, where your inbox is filled with junk, your mail box is overflowing with trash, your phone is blowing up with inarticulate callers and you’re bombarded by commercials during your favorite shows and annoying billboards on your way to work. Instead, blog marketing is a subtle, often humorous, always informative and to-the-point summary. Since we’re always so busy, it may be hard to find time for that 2,000 word magazine article or that hour news program, but a 200-word blog can be digested quicker than that turkey sandwich!

For your business, blog marketing is much more practical than it may seem. Some owners feel it’s too much time and work to upkeep, but many people hire someone to write blogs for them at something like $100/month, which as you know, is small potatoes for a marketing budget. You’ll be happy to know that search engines love fresh, updated content that’s full of keywords, links and relevancy. If people like your blog, they’ll keep coming back each day, pass your stories along to friends and buy your stuff. All these things will also improve your search engine ranking, in addition to leading to that much coveted word-of-mouth advertising and eventually direct sales. Blog marketing truly is the way of the future!

Effective blog marketing isn’t just about sales. In fact, we can take a lot from psychology, communication and behavioral studies as well. Persuasion is no less than an art — and one that must be perfected if you wish to convert leads to sales. There is a tremendous amount of wealth to tap in these disciplines, so a professional copywriter will be your ideal resource. If you’re still deciding on your budget, here are some persuasive blog marketing tips to get you started.
Repetition:
Remember when you were a kid and you’d pester your mom for hours to get your way? You learned back then that for as many times as it’d get you grounded, it worked some of the time. Now you understand that moderation is key and that you can repeat something but in different ways.
Cause and Effect:
People are more likely to agree with you if you give them a reason why they should do something or think a certain way. In essay writing, you deliver a thesis, but you also provide examples from real-life, literature, history or quotes from other individuals and facts from other studies to back up your point. Testimonials, name-dropping, facts and stats can help you in your blog marketing too!
Comparisons:
Metaphors, similes and analogies are great writerly tools in blog marketing. This can also help establish a bond with your readership because they begin to get the impression that you understand their wants, needs, concerns and lifestyles. Logical reasoning is one of the greatest persuasion tactics.
Storytelling:
The best sales tactics in blog marketing absorb your attention like a sponge. Draw your readers in with a story. Storytelling is one of the oldest human rituals and nothing beats a memorable character or event. CopyBlogger once mentioned “the greatest sales letter ever written,” which was a witty anecdote from the Wall Street Journal about two men who graduated together and followed almost identical career paths — although one became a manager and the other became the president of the same company. The letter wraps up by appealing to people saying, “The difference lies in what each person knows and how they make use of that knowledge” and adds that the Wall Street Journal gives readers knowledge they can use. Brilliant!

Some studies have indicated that baby boomers don't encounter blog marketing half as much as Gen Y-ers or Gen X-ers. However, those same studies also find that baby boomers respond to several things: price comparison sites, word-of-mouth campaigns, Internet security, news, health and wellness topics, reliable brand names and expert opinions. 

So how can a blog marketing company harness those trends to reach the big-spending baby boomer market? Some analysts say that targeting Gen-Y will trickle down to baby boomer parents who live within the household and shop for their kids on holidays and birthdays. In fact, households with at least one Gen-Y member is the third largest spending group, says Nielsen Research.

 

Another way to tailor your blog marketing to the baby boomers is to include price comparison charts into your blog or make product reviews the focal point of your blog. Try to appear as unbiased as possible and do your research – adding news tidbits. Provide a clear call-to-action by including links so online browsers can buy. 

Also remember that your blog marketing needs to be written in their language. Calling your writers "Bloggers" is a big turn-off to baby boomer browsers. Instead, try "Correspondents" to sell professionalism. Don't try to hit people over the head with your opinions: rather, respect their intelligence level and draw them in with facts, statistics and reliable information. 

Half of blog marketing executives say their main objective is to establish themselves as an expert in their field. Often exposure, throwing around titles and shopping articles on other sites can lend credibility to you and your business. If there's one thing baby boomers love, it's an expert. If there's another thing baby boomers love, it's a trustworthy brand. Over time, you can establish a relationship with these cautious shoppers and earn that trust. 

As a result of your blog marketing efforts, 93% of baby boomers tell friends or family about a product or service they've read about online.

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A recent study by SEOMOZ looked at some of the Internet's top blogs in hopes of finding out "what works" in the blog marketing world. After all, blog marketing holds the secret to high volume traffic, to sales conversions, to creating brand presence and maintaining a loyal customer base.

The first finding was that 66% of the top blogs were self-owned, meaning that big money isn't needed to maintain a well-read blog.

Next, it was discovered that 76% of the top blogs used one or two words (not including "the") for their blog title, which shows that keeping it simple is still essential with blog marketing.

Also, a whopping 86% of the top blogs can a ".com" ending, rather than a ".org" or ".net" – which shows that traditional conventions are ideal in blog marketing.

Fifty-seven percent of the top blogs focused generally on technology, but business, culture, politics, entertainment news, world news, movies, green topics, science fiction and fashion all took small sectors of the popularity pie. When the analysts dissected the technology pie, they were surprised to find that the top blogs focused on all different aspects, with no clear winning section. There's no magic bullet when it comes to blog marketing topics. We're all on a level playing field here.

Most blog marketing endeavors required more than one writer, catered to female audiences and 95% of the top blogs were from the United States!

If you'd like to get started with blog marketing, you can request more information from OptiTrex, as we have a pretty radical roster… and we can optimize your blogs with keyword-packed content too!

Blog marketing is like a dense forest where many people enter, but not many people re-emerge out the other end, triumphant and enlightened. The amount of useless garbage and poorly written smut on the Internet is just astounding! Nothing can be more frustrating when you’re trying to find basic information than having your time wasted (and lowering your IQ several points) from amateurish copy and just downright irritating.

First of all, if spelling and English weren’t “your thing” in school… no one wants to read your blog! The easiest way to kill your street cred and depreciate the value of your business is to post mangled grammar or misspellings on your pages. The second I see that, I’m gone… never to return. If you can’t spend five extra minutes proofreading, why should I spend five extra dollars on you? For the people who want to get in on this successful marketing strategy but can’t write to save their lives, there are blog marketing services offered by many an SEO company. Look them up.

Secondly, blog marketing is not like other marketing. If you think that regaling us with copious descriptions of your products written straight out of a sales brochure. We don’t want to hear about “satisfaction guarantees” or about some “revolutionary / late-breaking offer.” We don’t want to skim through long paragraphs of egomaniacal ramblings regarding something we neither want, nor need, clearly written by someone in the sales department. Blog marketing is about tone, establishing relationships with readers, providing witty insight or pertinent “expert insider” information, not about yammering on about life inside your bubble.

Thirdly, no one wants to read something they’ve read before. The temptation may be to rewrite the same article in different words one hundred times because it’s familiar, but you’ve got to read as much as humanly possible, splice news together, spruce up your copy with facts, quotes or statistics. One of my biggest pet peeves in blog marketing are these “common sense” statistics that I could’ve written in my sleep. Don’t just assault readers with your opinions or advice. The best blog marketing draws readers in with useful information, provides sources or bios to lend credibility and collects a random assortment of things they can’t find elsewhere.

You've been paying your blogger for months now, but you wonder "Are people reading this?" "Are people not only reading but also buying?" There are many ways to gauge your blog marketing success over time, but it should also be noted that it generally takes six months to a year to build a considerable following – and often you get back what you put in. For example, a site posting 1 blog/day won't get nearly as much traffic as a site with 20 blogs per day. One way to gauge traffic is to try posting more per month to see if the site visits go up as well.

Often checking the number of comments is a good way to gauge blog marketing success. You'll want to see that the ratio of comments increase along with the traffic. However, this can be deceiving because often times readers will peruse your content day after day, without taking the extra time to voice their opinions.

When looking at traffic, check out how many page views you have, how many unique visitors you have, who is a repeat viewer, how many subscribers you have and whether those viewers go on to look at your other pages after viewing your blog marketing copy. Also, how many new people are finding your site through the search engines?

It's also interesting to check out Yahoo back-links to see how many people are referencing your blog marketing. Technocrati can also help reveal how popular your content is among other bloggers.

At OptiTrex, we have many blog marketing analytics tools to tap so we can give you a clear appraisal and summary of how well your blog is doing. Additionally, we'll provide additional copywriting and search engine optimization services to help promote your new blog as well!

"The blog was the best business decision I've ever made," said Liz Stapleton, a certified electrologist at Face Reflections in Elk Grove Village. "When people come in, they say they found me on the Web." She said she gets 10 new clients for electrolysis every month from her blog. 

Each month, Stapleton posts at least one article addressing questions about hair removal. She tied four different domain names to her blog: BestChicaGoElectrolysis.com, BestChicagoHairRemoval.com, FaceReflectionsBlog.com and WebElectrologist.com. "We call it owning the space," says blog marketing company consultant Derrick Sorles. Adding one word to an existing domain name can work wonders with search engine promotion. 

Blog marketing strategist Liz Strauss says that her Successful-Blog.com site garners 250,000 page views a month. "Successful-Blog tends to bring in most of my clients," Strauss says, adding that LizStrauss.com and LettingMeBe.Blogspot.com don't do nearly as well. She said that brand name is like a "giant megaphone and email to the world" that "lets people know who you are." 

"The blog becomes a search engine magnet," Andy Sernovitz, blog marketing consultant and instructor at Northwestern University.  He adds that smaller firms can compete by using blogs to add to credibility and visibility. In some cases, public speaking engagements and print/TV media exposure occurs as a result of successful blogging. 

There are various takes on blog marketing, of course. Some feel that disseminating useful information is paramount, while others believe that their opinions coupled with their experience/expertise is enough to interest readers. Fusing information-with-opinion is another common approach. 

Despite your approach, blog marketing takes time. Bloggers at JetWhine and CloverView.Wordpress.com spend 10 hours / week (or 120 hours over 3 months) to develop content. Most executives choose to outsource this work to a blog marketing company so they can focus on their businesses.

Every marketer’s dream is to see several hundred leads pouring in from their blog, boosting site traffic 10% and creating thousands of dollars in sales. The numbers are in: blog marketing can be a very lucrative way to drive business.

Achieving this end result is much harder than it seems, mostly because it’s a tough balance to cultivate a casual relationship with your readership, all the while never losing sight of the prize at the end of the tunnel: the sale.
The most important thing is to know your readers and what they’re looking for. Use your blog marketing in conjunction with your search engine optimization. Embed the top keywords that people are looking for related to your products and services, craft witty titles and use the appropriate keyword density. Don’t skimp on research! It pays to hire an SEO company in this case.

Remember that readers are more in search of information they can use, rather than an instant purchase. (If you’re reading this blog marketing post, you likely fall into that category.) These advice-seeking readers want your generous help and expertise. They will probably try some of your suggestions on their own for a while — but in the end, when they have the desire and resources, they’ll be back.

Link to other people’s blogs. Usually you’ll get a community of regular readers who are also bloggers themselves. Linking is always a good blog marketing trick. Don’t be afraid to establish yourself as a “go-to” resource. Sometimes you’ll read something so good, it warrants a link, rather than you attempting to rewrite it. One of the most interesting blogs is Neatorama.com — which is, in essence, just a collection of interesting posts from other blogs. If the people like it, they will come back.

Promoting your blog via email is a good reminder to keep your blog marketing traffic pouring in. RSS feeds are useful too, but more people actually prefer email reminders in newsletter format. Place some of your recent post titles in the body of an email and you’ll get the traffic you desire. Social networking sites are an amazing resource as well — blogs and bulletin reminders will serve you, as long as you provide a teaser and a link to your blog.

For GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, Blog marketing can be a promotional tool to deliver brand messages – but it can also be a way of airing his name. After he made an offhand comment about global warming being "a total crock," Lutz used his blog (http://fastlane.gmblogs.com) to respond to concerns and criticisms that his company was not ethically responsible. 

According to the last blog marketing statistics, there were 277 known blogs allegedly authored by CEOs or high-level corporate executives. Of course, many of these blogs are in fact outsourced to a blog marketing company -- but regardless, corporate blogging is an effective way to boost a company's search engine ranking and meet public relations challenges head-on. Think of it as a way of directly connecting with consumers in a large focus group. 

Or sometimes blogs just showcase a bit of personality and win consumers over that way, say some corporate execs. For instance, Mark Greiner of Steelcase furniture shares his drawings on his blog. Grocer Jim Hiller talks about mushrooms, cheese, exotic plants and shopper experiences in his blog marketing. Hiller adds, "If you're not blogging, doing email blasts – contemporary things – you're seen as a dinosaur, and we can't afford to do that." 

A common pitfall of blog marketing is that many executives ambitiously begin the project but let it fall by the wayside because they haven't thought it through. First, they should ask themselves: What is my end goal? How can I calculate my blog's effectiveness? Do I have the time and the patience or the resources to undertake this effort and keep my blog regularly updated for at least six months? A blog marketing company consultant can help you devise a sensible plan to maximize your blog's efficiency.

Hey you! What are you doing, exactly? You heard that blog marketing is the next best thing since sliced bread, but you know writing is not your strongest suit!

Striking good looks? –Check!
Smooth talking sales techniques? -Check!
A whiz with the checkbook? –Check!

However, blog marketing may be something you had honestly never thought of before until a few of your friends mentioned you’d be crazy not to get in on this phenomenon. After all, it’s cheap, it’s easy and it provides the kind of fresh, desirable content that aimless Internet users are always searching for. So, at the end of that long dark tunnel, why shouldn’t they find you?

There are many places where you can find a professional blog marketing writer. Generally you’ll want to find someone with a penchant for tone, a trustworthy voice, a good vocabulary, a college degree in grammar and some expertise in either marketing, web design or possibly both. I promise, this won’t cost you an arm and a leg. A hundred bucks for piece of mind is a small price to pay for daily content that could increase your traffic ten-fold.

Before you hire a blog marketing professional, think about what kind of keywords you may want or need. Discussing your options with a search engine optimization expert is your best bet, and some of these SEO professionals even have ties with experienced writers that can package up all your needs onto one convenient bill! Honestly, what more could you ask for?

Just as you wouldn’t hire a plumber to build the exterior of your house, don’t try to patch together a bang-up blog. Web users are extremely savvy and they can spot a rookie a cyber-galaxy away. So it’s probably best that you leave the blog marketing to those who are totally passionate about it, freeing up all your spare time for bottom line sales.

Call them what you will -- the Millennials, Generation Y, Generation Next, the Echo Boomers or the Digital Generation – but the reality is that this disparate group has grown up in strange times. They watched the rise of computer and cell phone technology, they're riding the next eco-fanaticism wave, they've watched wars waged, they've seen their parents' companies lie to them, they were raised in times of consumerism and times of economic uncertainty. They've grown up as latchkey kids with both parents working and they've received participation trophies. Is it any surprise, then, that baby boomers and Gen X-ers accuse the next generation of being just a little bit self-centered, a little bit pampered and a little bit too independent for their own good? 

One of the best ways to reach this emerging group of 70 million consumers is through blog marketing, experts say. This group likes to be busy and multi-task: emailing on Facebook, Instant Messaging on MSN, downloading a movie on NetFlix, shopping on eBay and listening to LastFM – all at once! Additionally, Gen Y-ers like the informal tone of blogs. Remember that, like Gen X-ers, they grew up with an innate distrust for Big Government and Corporate America, so using a more subtle approach works with them. 

To appeal to Gen Y, your blog marketing company will need to pay special attention to web design and layout. (If there's one thing the Echo Boomers hate, it's conformity!) You can also add media options like web-games, videos and photos to your blogs to make things more interesting to this discerning consumer. 

Many people hire a blog marketing company to avoid trying to keep up with what Gen Y is thinking about. They're interested in things like "Family Guy" or "Simpsons" episodes, 1 in 4 will see a new movie the week it comes out, they like quizzes they can share with friends, they want addictive games, they like beer but also wine, they love new technology and eco-friendly products. 

When you're blog marketing, keep in mind that 50% of the consumers under age 24 made an online purchase last month (and 100% made an online purchase in the last six months). Additionally, households with one Gen Y member represent the third largest buying group, says the Nielsen Homescan Panel. Truly this group  of buyers hold the power of the purse! They're buying clothes, accessories, books, DVDs, games, electronic equipment, plane tickets, reservations, music downloads and event tickets. Try to cross-promote with some of these items, whenever possible.

When you’re getting started with blog marketing, understand that there are two types of people coming to your page: newcomers and repeat readers. Therefore, you must consider both audiences in your writing. The newcomers are scouring the Internet like crazy in search of information. They are easily bored and quick to move on if the layout, writing style, images and text don’t suit their preferences. (Luckily, we can look at blog marketing trends and statistics to ascertain what those preferences are!) Generally speaking, your new readers want a fresh layout that’s not going to hurt their eyes. (Sorry, no wild colored text or graffiti fonts… showcase your pizzazz in other ways!) They want quick, concise copy that directly answers their question and doesn’t deviate on long tangents. They want to scan your short posts and immediately get a sense of what’s going on, while certain catchy headlines grab their interest. Be sure to appeal to those “keyword scanners” too, by bolding, italicizing or changing the color on one or two keywords within your post. (Again, don’t go hog wild here, but a few subtle nuances will catch the eye and get readers invested.)

The repeat readers are a slightly different breed. You have their attention, but they’re looking for timely updates, information that builds on their existing knowledge and for you to throw these old dogs a bone for their loyalty. (Coupons or reader-only deals are a nice way to say “Thank you.”) When you’re blog marketing to repeat readers, you will want to make a few minor changes to keep things looking fresh and interesting, but not so much that it puts them off. Like anything, it can be a delicate balance so it’s a good idea to get a second opinion before you change up your blog marketing strategy entirely.

Don’t forget: There is one more audience you’re blog marketing to… the search engines! Keyword selection and frequency, ordering, meta-tags and other factors need to be well-researched before you get started, so you can make the most of your blog marketing initiative!