Is a Blog the Right Option for Your Business Marketing?

There is an adage in advertising that says, “I know that half my advertising dollars are wasted - I just don’t know which half!”

Several authors claim credit for this quote, but no matter what the origin, I can assure you the saying is wishful thinking. Not only is it possible that more half of your advertising dollars are wasted, on the flip side, it’s also possible that your marketing efforts are working very hard – against your business!

So if you’re turning to a blog to promote your business… you must first evaluate whether a blog is the RIGHT TOOL to promote your business.

QUESTION 1: How much risk is there in your product or service to your customers?
In other words, how much trust do they need to have to become your client or customer? How “high” is the risk if your customers make a wrong choice?

For example, if you’re selling office supplies the consequences of making a mistake when you purchase the wrong kind of copy paper is low. On the other hand, the choice of a financial planner is a VERY high risk decision for most consumers.

Several years ago, a financial planning firm in my home town made BIG news when it was discovered that the “investments” offered by the “financial planners” were not investments at all but actually a complex Ponzi scheme. As a result, several thousand of the firm’s clients in the area lost their retirement savings.

If you need to establish TRUST with your potential clients… then a blog is a GREAT marketing tool.

If you’re selling baseball gloves to Little Leaguers… well, then trust isn’t quite as important.  If you’re selling copy paper, it’s downright irrelevant!

QUESTION 2:How much TIME will they invest researching their purchasing options?

Again, the higher the “risk” the more time a consumer will spend researching providers and searching for alternatives.

It’s important to note that devoting a lot of TIME to making a decision doesn’t necessarily mean that the decision will be made ENTIRELY upon who has the lowest price. If your customers are spending a lot of time researching options, then a blog is a great marketing tool because, via regular posts, you can illustrate time and time again why the lowest PRICE provider may not be the BEST provider.

If your potential clients spend a lot of time researching their options… then a blog is a GREAT marketing tool.

Blogs are MAGNIFICENT COMMUNICATION TOOLS!! If you’ve got a good “handle” on the information you want to communicate to potential customers and your customers are SEEKING more information to make an informed choice… then a self hosted blog is a dynamite marketing tool.

If you don’t know what message you need to be communicating, then start with the basics before you launch a blog. Pick up a copy of Beyond the Niche: Essential Tools You Need to Create Marketing Messages that Deliver Results to get started.