Start a Blog for Your Company

Companies that blog have 55% more traffic than the ones that don't and they get 70% more prospects online. These days it is not hard to believe that 57% of the companies who blog, have gained more clients thanks to this tool.

It now sounds interesting to start a blog, right? But...why does it work? why have blogs become so important lately? and specially, how do you get started? This article will try to give an answer to all of these questions.

Marketing Strategies Have Changed

We must remember that the way we've been doing marketing has changed. We have evolved from mass marketing to relationship marketing and from relationship marketing to content marketing. Mass marketing focuses on products, relationship marketing is oriented to the market and content marketing focuses on the individual.

Why is it that this new content trend took so long to arrive? We have always understood that an educated customer can better recognize the value that our product or service provides and that this makes him to be more willing to pay more for it. So...

If we already knew, why have we not done it before?

Why haven't we produced all the content that we need in order to better educate our customers on our brand and have expert buyers? After all, they are the ones who should be able to able to recognize and understand our value facing our ruthless and deceptive competitors.

One of the many answers may be that before, with the costs of traditional advertising and with the short time that we had to share a message, educating and convincing our clients that our option was the best, seemed like an impossible task to achieve. It also turned the publicist into an artist and into a marketing guru.

As an example, with the 30 seconds that a TV commercial can offer, we only had enough time to transmit a single and basic idea:

• "There are some things that money can't buy, for everything else, there's Mastercard"
• "Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's Maybelline"
• "Beanz Meanz Heinz"

Time was so short that, if you were not sure about what to say during such a short period of time, your best option as to sing it, hence the famous jingles. Who does not remember:

• "The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup"
• "Libbys, libbys, libbys, on the label, label, label"
• "I'd like to teach the world to sing..."

Not to mention their cost! I remember that broadcasting it once during Prime Time (in Mexico) meant making an investment of $ 800,000 pesos (around 41, 800 dollars now, only back then!).

Maybe it was so effective because few competitors could invest these crazy amounts of money and there were only 6 TV channels (in Mexico). We had to send this message to large masses of people regardless of whether they were actually potential customers or not, hence the famous marketing spill over.

If we think about it, the characteristics of our TARGET GROUP were: anyone with two eyes and ears who watched TV during Prime Time.

What a big difference from now! These days, thanks to technology, I can know:

• The tastes and preferences of each specific client
• Where are these clients located
• When did they visit my site

What Has Changed?

That the media were segmented, multiplied or pulverized and an easier tool to use in order to find what we (as customers) need, was born: the internet. When we are in need of something, we no longer go to the store trying to find or come across something that could solve our problem. We Google it! We can find on-line how to buy it, how much is it, who sells it and why is it better then other similar products. Even have it sent to our own home!

Hence, we must generate good content for these smart buyers. Good content has backed the most successful media for years. Why? we all like to be entertained, taught and informed about something that we like or want and, of course, we all like it when these things are given to us. This is how you keep an audience interested.

We already knew all this, but it wasn't until now that having a voice that could reach many people at an affordable cost, without any restrictions of time or space (TV), became possible for an SME. Blogging gives all the small and medium-sized companies, this chance. We finally have David vs Goliath!

How do I Get Started?

You have to start by designing the content strategy that would better teach your customer about your brand. This will help him buy the service or product that you offer since the content that you will share with him, will turn him into an expert, one capable of recognizing the special value of your brand, when facing other products. We, at DataBranding, can guide you and help you so you find the best way to solve your particular need.

Imagine looking for information on how to buy a LED TV and coming across a blog that clearly explains the difference between plasma, LCD and LED TVs. We all know how hard it has become to buy a TV! You have as many options as Starbucks has coffees! HD or SD? How many inches? What about the different kind of Hertz there are? HD kind? 2D, 3D or 4D? (And they still dare to ask is you will use it as a smart tv...)

Only a brand that cares to explain in a simple and entertaining way what all these different terms mean, as well as why one kind of technology is better than the other, will close the deal.

The art of this marketing strategy is in really helping the client and not pushing him towards a buying decision from the very beginning; in establishing a dialogue with each of your clients and help them make that buying decision; in guiding him though the process until he is ready to buy.

It's like courting a woman: She will sure shut her door on your face if you ask her to marry you on the first date (plus, you will probably be diagnosed with dementia). A client will act the same way when visiting our website for the first time. You first have to establish a relationship, make it grow and gain your client's trust. This can be achieved by sharing relevant content with him.

So, if you want to start a blog for your company, you now know which is the fisrt step you need to take. If you still have question, feel free to contact DataBranding. We are experts in Digital Marketing strategies and are always glad to help.