No Blog, No Business
April 7th, 2008
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by BobTheTeacher · Filed Under: Bob The Teacher Training · Business Blogging · Business Building · Caribbean Cruise · Marketers Cruise · Product Launches · Virtual Workshops · Web 2.0
Do you have a blog yet?
If not, you will be left in the dust when it comes to marketing online.
A blog is no longer just for college kids rambling about their youth hostel trips across Europe.
Smart business owners are using blogs because they know that to make it in the online world, you have to build relationships with your customers.
It’s just like the old days when you shopped at the local grocery because you knew the owner. Even though the prices may have not been the best, or perhaps some idiosyncracies bothered you… You still shopped there because you liked the owner and you knew the owners liked you back.
To put it simply, people buy from people they like and trust.
And the best way to become that person in the online world is with a blog.
Sure, you will likely need other channels online (YouTube, Squidoo, mini-sites, etc.). But a business blog becomes that central location around which your happy customers can form a community.
If you aren’t doing this yet, I have to ask what you are waiting for?
Are you confused about the technical aspects? Not sure where to start, or what to write about?
Let me help demystify this seemingly complex world.
But instead of teaching you all by myself – something I feel very capable of doing – let me introduce you to two of the most recognized business blogging experts on the planet. Deb & JP Micek are the founders of Blogi360 (which runs AskBobTheTeacher), as well as Tribal Seduction.
Since I had the chance to cruise the Caribbean in January with them, I was able to persuade them to teach you all about new media marketing and business blogging. Since they are business coaches, this should have cost about $400 for this two hour session. As a group session, it would normally be $97.
But since you know I like to go to bat for you, I convinced them to let me give away this 2 hour training session for free.
Seriously – it’s here for you now ready for you to download and start learning from right away.
Download Your Free Business Blog Training
Bob Jenkins
p.s. Once you listen to this call, I’m sure you will have some questions about how to technically go about implementing these strategies. Be sure to pick up your copy of the Unstoppable Blogging Video Tutorials when you’re ready to go.
p.p.s. I’d love to know what you think of this training call with Deb & JP, as well as the videos. Leave your comments below…
15 Responses to “No Blog, No Business”
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| Bob Jenkins is an internet business marketing teacher, with ten years experience teaching teenagers and teachers. He is the creator of several online training courses that teach you how to get better customers and increase your profits. Specializing in social networking strategies for business and creating information products from teleseminars, Bob can help you use internet marketing tools and strategies to promote your business online. |
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Bob you are correct blogging is THE way to market online and get your site noticed. In fact I use nothing but blogs to run all my websites.
Jeff Houdyschell
http://www.WordPressMax.com
Hi Bob,
It is very interesting your point of view. Actually blogs are used for a wide kind of proposes and certainly are a great help for any kind of product or service you want to sale.
To say “not having a blog means to be lost in the dust” seems too exagerate.
I know many great and little business earning money withouth a blog. But you must be right depending on what type of businnes each one has.
You teached us Internet is an entire world; it is impossible to make business only with people who like us and trust us. there are third part entitys hwo made able to make business with other persons or company not been a friend. Internet customers are billions all over the world.
Jeff – thanks for your comment.
Umberto – thanks for sharing your ideas as well. I believe you can have a business online without a blog, but you will be left in the dust in the future because your competition will build a better community for their customers.
What has worked over the last 10 years (even 2 years ago) is quickly becoming obsolete and hazardous to maintain.
A blog is not the ONLY thing you will need, but it should serve as that central hub so your customers have a destination to get to.
I look forward to more comments, especially after listening to the training.
Hey Bob,
Thanks for all the great info on your blog. I was considering purchasing iblog360, but for some reason your blog does not display correctly in IE7, but does fine in Firefox. Should I purchase the program, do you think there’s a fix for that?
Thanks!
Ruth
Hi Ruth,
I always use Firefox, so I sometimes forget to check it in IE7… The folks at Blogi360 will help me figure out what happened – the benefits of having a tech team included in their service. All I have to do is remember to ask them at the support desk. :)
Please don’t let my procrastination dissuade you from powering your blog with Blogi360 – it’s an incredible time saver in many ways, with excellent results each post.
Bob Jenkins
Hi Bob,
I have to say that reading what you have written for us to see is straight and to the point.
It has just confirmed what I have been thinking and sharing with other’s.
Thank you Scott
It’s true that communicating with your clients, potential clients, and customers is important, but I remain unconvinced that blogging is the best way.
Problem #1: Blogs are time-consuming. You’re expected to post interesting and relevant content regularly and often. If you don’t, you lose your audience.
Problem #2: Many blogging programs expect visitors to remember to come to your website to read posts or subscribe to RSS feeds. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has had trouble accessing RSS feeds I’ve subscribed to. (This is a point often ignored by gurus.)
I think many businesses would be better off sending email or even snail mail newsletters or having coupon/sale announcement lists.
Hi Dawn,
You have some great points here.
Solution #1: Blogs need to be updated regularly, but that doesn’t need to be everyday. You can also spend one day writing content for the next week or two, and time stamp the entries so they are published over time. Also, your audience expects consistency, not daily. When you involve them in the conversation, you also won’t find this to be a chore.
Solution #2: It’s critical that you have an email subscription box on your blog. You are right that many people don’t use RSS, or that the feeds can become corrupt. This is not an either/or game, but a combination of both is a best practice.
The problem with only sending out email without a blog is it’s one-way communication. That’s a sure way to get your list to unsubscribe.
By giving them a forum to post comments (i.e., your blog), you bond your customers to you much more strongly.
You can still use snail mail and coupon announcements, but this way you have a destination.
Plus, with a blog, anyone who joins your list late can go back and real all the previous posts.
Finally, with your blog optimized (automatically done with blogi360), you will be getting more traffic and more subscribers.
Thank you for your comments and sharing the obstacles. These are very common thoughts, but should not keep you from succeeding.
Bob
Hi Bob,
You are right…blogging is the way to get known and do online marketing. And may I add with a blog and atomic blogging, your business will rock the blogosphere.
Cheers.
Rosli
Dunno, Bob. I’m kind of new at IM, so I’ll sit on the fence for awhile. I don’t know much about blogging, but I can build gazillion page websites like there was no tomorrow, and I think I like them better because they’re less limiting.
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I have one good sized site that I update constantly, just like some bloggers do. That’s why it has so many pages.
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I can also edit graphics and create headers from scratch, so I’m probably better off sticking with what I know – at least for now.
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I’m thinking about attaching a little forum to one site, and maybe one of those chat thingies with a button that lets visitors know if you’re online or not.
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I might be a newbie, but I’m not a technically challenged one, and I can’t think of a reason why I need a blog.
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Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.
Good points Bob. I think you are right on the money.
I actually have a number of websites and several blogs. For me its all about having a larger footprint. I certainly think you can reach people with a website, but blogs are so easy to set up and maintain, why not? I think you need to throw out your net as much as possible.
Again Bob, I thank you for your insights.
Hey Bob, you are right on the Money with your wanting to get folks to focus on Blogging. It is The best way over the Internet to get others on the pathway to Know, Like and Trust you no matter what biz you are in. For IM’ers it is a Must.
If a business person who wants to do business online is not willing to put the time into building and supporting a Blog themselves there are many places to get help, as you have, and outsource the work.
I consider my friend and mentor Jeff Mills as The Go To Guy when it comes to Outsourcing and Blogging. He taught me the need to have a “Who Is” page, a Blog, to build my connections with current and future customers.
Jeff is currently giving away a ton of information about how to outsource Blogging work and lots of other work that business owners must do if they want to work less and make more money. Anyone can download a copy free at his website.
http://www.outsourcecompendium.com
BTW. Are you planning to attend the Big Seminar later this month? Jeff and I will be there so if you are too, I hope to meet you in person.
Henry Griner
Your Technology Consultant
http://www.whoishenry.com
I know blogging is one way to go, but there are many other venues for internet marketing. Have you checked out any of the social marketing sites like YouTube or Facebook? They are growing at exponential rates as THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE.
Hi Henry – thanks for the recommendation for Jeff’s product. I have not seen it yet but been hearing good things. Howard Tiano has a good one, too.
I will not be at Big Seminar, but I will be at JV Alert Live in Philly.
Jim – Facebook and YouTube are excellent, as well, but they should not be the destination for your customers, but rather a doorway to find you.
Although they are excellent, they have too many distractions away from YOUR message. That’s the key difference. Your blog is all about you and your ideas and how they help your visitors.
Bob
Looks like I’m going to be left in the dust.
Blogging is so technical only an IT graduate can do it.
Also, how does anyone find your blog?
Does anyone read blogs, I don’t unless I land on the page by accident – like this one.
What do you put on a blog? Copy and paste articles would do, I guess.
You certainly wouldn’t have the gigantic ego to believe anyone was interested in you as a person. LOL