When blogging first came on the scene, I asked myself: “Self, this blog stuff is cool, but what’s the point?”

It really took me awhile to come up with an answer. As a marketing, advertising and public relations consultant, I had generally gone with traditional media and even websites didn’t make a lot of sense for most businesses until the new millennium. With the growth of the internet and the adoption of web searches for local business information, more and more revenue was being generated. Blogging has turned the same corner and offered some serious advantages for internet marketing.

Let me just clarify the difference between advertising and PR. Advertising is paid placement of a marketing message. In public relations, you don’t pay for the placement. PR is not ‘free”, because there are costs to running a PR campaign. However, public relations campaigns are a different means to getting people to notice what you do and understand the advantages of your business. Blogs are PR tools to create awareness and interest in your company. Done right, public relations does generate leads and those leads can be converted into sales.

Blogging leverages your reach with minimal additional cost. Since you don’t add much overhead, most of the revenue from those leads goes straight to your bottom line. And that’s what business is about: increasing your profits.

Blogging has the following advantages:

1. ENGAGES YOUR PROSPECTS – Since blogs, unlike websites, are truly interactive, you potential clients can get involved in the dialog.
2. COMMUNICATES DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY – You can speak one-on-one with you potential customer and let others listen in to your conversation.
3. PROVIDES RAPID FEEDBACK – Your prospects can post messages that are seen immediately and you can respond quickly. How often do you update your website? Your blog gets updated in real time. Sooooo much more effective!
4. CREATES COMMUNITY – With a blog, you see and hear the participants and it allows you to have a gathering place for people with the same interests. People enjoy being ‘a part of’ rather than ‘apart from’. We are truly social animals by nature and gravitate to crowds.

The point is that blogging is a highly effective way to generate buzz and you can convert that interest into sales that maximize your profits. The proof is in the results. Large corporations like Disney, Microsoft and IBM are all increasing their bottom-line through their blogs. Now, small, local services companies like remodelers, plumbers, dentists and attorneys are catching on and seeing conversions to sales from their blog sites.

What about Lakeland businesses? I don’t see many getting involved yet. We do suffer a bit from the lag we usually see in trends trickling down to local business. Those businesses in Lakeland that become early adopters of technology usually benefit the most over the long-term. It’s alot harder to play catch-up. Fortunately, blogs are new enough that local companies can enter the race now and get great results. There are real low barriers to entry – it’s simple, straightforward and inexpensive. What are YOU waiting for? If you need help, just ask….

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So you have a blog success story? Please share it with us…..

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