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06.11.07
Interview On Blogging For Business
 By
Dave Taylor
I was recently interviewed by a journalist writing on deadline for MyMidwest Magazine, the inflight publication of Midwest Airlines.
Unfortunately, with my losing a week to strep throat, I sent in my answers just a few hours after she'd filed the story. Nonetheless, I imagine that it's interesting reading and present her original questions and my answers here.
How can blogging help businesses?
In essence, blogging makes you famous to your customer community. If you are willing to share your experience, expertise and insight into your own industry, you will gain readers and fans, and they will spread the word. Then you'll gain publicity through mainstream media and that visibility will clearly translate into increased sales.
For example, imagine you're a child psychologist. You could say "well, I have 30 bookable hours a week and they're full, so I don't need to market or promote my business" but you'd be missing out on being able to offer a GREATER service to your community of frazzled parents and misunderstood / misdiagnosed children. If you added a blog you could field basic questions (a la Dr. Laura) and perhaps even sell audio lectures or ebooks on related subjects. What parent at 2am with a screaming 4yo throwing a tantrum wouldn't spend a few dollars to get a reputable psychologist explaining how to deal with nighttime tantrums? So it's not necessarily about filling your hours, it's not about time at all, it's about selling your expertise.
How did it help your business, Dave?
I started blogging in 2003 and while I was known in the small community of Unix and software developers, sharing my own insights and thoughts on business news and company offerings has significantly raised my visibility in the international business community and commensurately also grown my consulting practice. Companies come to me asking for even a few hours of my time and don't flinch at my rates. I even had a client fly from Australia for a half-day of focused consulting on his online business a few weeks ago. He learned about me through my weblog.
Are businesses using blogs more and more with customers and clients and why?
I believe that savvy businesses are certainly recognizing that being seen as a "go to company" for a given marketplace is a huge benefit and while it might not have a directly measurable ROI, the increase in customer participation, valuable user feedback and - dare I say it - fun that companies can have with their blogs are making it well worth their time and effort.
What can blogs do for business?
A blog can help you establish a voice and identity online, can help you position yourself as the expert, the authority, in your marketplace, and can give you a great avenue into learning more about what makes your customers tick, which can prove invaluable as your business evolves.
Continue reading this article.
About the Author:
Dave Taylor has been involved with the Internet since 1980 and is
internationally known as an expert on both business and technology issues.
Holder of an MSEd and MBA, author of twenty books and founder of four
startups, he also runs a strategic marketing company and consults with firms
seeking the best approach to working with weblogs and social networks. Dave
is an award-winning speaker and frequent guest on radio and podcast
programs.
AskDaveTaylor.com
http://www.intuitive.com/blog/
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