The ONE Thing You Should Do in Social Marketing

Starting a blog is my top recommendation for you if you are new to Web 2.0 social media marketing.  Here are 8 reasons why.

Just like I do, you can use a blog to attract more business.  Your blog can position you as an expert in your field. Regularly posting credible and informative articles and links then attracts visitors to your blog from all over the world.  On my blog, some of those visitors become subscribers to my email newsletters and/or purchasers of my books and downloadable special reports, too.

8 Reasons YOU Should Be Blogging, too.

• Blogs allow you to position your business, products, and services exactly as you’d like potential customers and clients to view them.
• Blogs are easy to create, update, and almost free to implement.
• Blogs attract high search engine rankings on their own, plus they can create another search engine result (in addition to your main web site) in the rankings to attract more free traffic.
• Blogs are easy for consumers and clients to receive since their content can easily be delivered as web site entries, emails, or RSS feeds.
• Blogs automatically create RSS feeds that you can use to port your content over into other customer-rich environments like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter.
• Blog posts can be automatically (and for free) repackaged into a newsletter format to email your subscribers.
• Blogs create a “community” around your business by encouraging people to comment on your blog posts.
• Blogs also give you a platform to protect your business’ “Reputation Cloud" where you can publicly refute any negative things that customers or competitors may say online.

As detailed in my new book, e-Riches 2.0, this same approach can work to attract more business for any industry or profession.

For details on how become a successful blogger and put the blogosphere to work to grow your sales online, check out my new book, e-Riches 2.0.  It contains several winning examples of using blogs for business. It also covers email marketing, podcasting, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, RSS feeds, affiliate marketing, and more.  It's the best guide to modern online marketing available! 

Check out e-Riches 2.0 here (and get $100+ of Special Reader Bonuses if you buy a copy, too!)

Comments

[David Peters]

Hi Scott,

Thanks for the post. One thought I had was regarding the positioning of the blog. I don't really know if I'm saying that right but my point is I've found that having your blog actually integrated into your actual website is much more effective than having you blog on a blogging platform like TypePad or Wordpress and just linking to your site. What are your thoughts on this? Also, if you own a product site, how often do you feel it's acceptable to use some of your blog copy to talk about a particular product that you sell? Can you do that without losing credibility or do you feel the blog should be strictly educational? Thanks as always, David

[Scott Fox]

Hi David,

Welcome back! Good questions.

Here are my thoughts:

1. Integrating your blog into your web site is good because it collects your visitor traffic in one place. This is good for SEO and encourages interactivity among visitors. But it can also be useful to separate your blog from your primary web site if you want to save money on integrating the platforms or to obtain 2 listings in search results. "In between" alternatives include using a blog AS your web site if you want to integrate them (which is what I do here on ScottFox.com) or keeping their platforms separate but integrating them by cross-linking through the links you use in your main navigation menus.

2. I think a blog is a great place to talk about your products. The test is not what you "should" do according to anyone's theories (including mine) but rather what your audience expects and wants. Of course, if all that you do is blog about your products, your audience is unlikely to keep reading...

Best,
Scott Fox

[David Peters]

Great idea, thanks! You hit on exactly what I was wondering about but didn't know the right way to ask it. I do maintain a separate blog away from my main site but just recently developed one within my actual website and wasn't sure if I should just drop the one or keep them both. I'll keep them both and cross link them.

Thanks again,
David

[Justice Mandhla]

Hi Scott

Thanks to David for asking the question about blogging and thanks to you for an informative response.

I have a different question though I would like to ask which has nothing to do with Blogs. I notice that you are advertising your books through banners as in this blog by saying your books are obtainable at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com.

How does one get such banners? I would like to place such banners on my website and blog.

Regards

Justice

[Paul]

Hi Scott,

Can you send me the links for downloads. I have purchased the book but it may take 3 weeks to come (I am in UK) and i would have forgot about the free downloads by then. My Amazon order number is 104-0013708-4122630. I cannot answer the question about page 94 as i have not received the book as yet.

Hope this is not too cheeky.

Also it makes good sense to me what your e-mail explains, unlike some other internet marketers.

Keep it simple.

While i am here i will ask a quick question - we have just attached a blog to our website and i am looking at doing the same blogs on wordpress. Do you advise the blogs go to many blog sites? If so do you know where i can find a list of the good one's?

Thanks,

Paul.

[Scott Fox]

Hello Justice,
The ad banners for my books are affiliate ads available through the affiliate programs offered by Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

You can join Amazon's program (they call it "Associates") on their site, and the BN.com program is available on BN.com and administrated by Google.

Both programs are free to join and can allow you to make commissions on any sales you refer to those web sites.

If you really want to learn more about Affiliate Programs, I'd recommend my Special Report, "Making Money with Affiliate Programs". This is a detailed, plain English guide to becoming a successful affiliate marketer. It's available in the Scott Fox Shop at www.ScottFoxShop.com.

Great to hear from you!
Scott Fox

[Scott Fox]

Hello Paul,
Thanks for your purchase of e-Riches 2.0. I hope it's very helpful to you.
We will send you via email the info you need to redeem the Special Reader Bonuses.
As for your question about blogs, I'm afraid that I don't understand what you're asking? If you'd like to clarify, I'm happy to give it a shot.
Best regards,
Scott Fox

[Paul]

Thanks Scott,

I am new to blooging and was just wondering if i should post my blogs to free/other blog sites as well as my own to try and increase SEO? Will it help?

If it will help do you have a list of other blog sites thst i can post me blogs to?

Thanks,

Paul.

[Jim Vickers]

Hi Scott,
In your "Internet Riches" book, you introduced a couple neat ideas I'd like to incorporate in a blog. One was to provide value by functioning as an 'aggregrator' of information I pull togather from various sources. But I also like the idea of depending on the community for valuable content. Do you thing my blog could incorporate both, or would that muddy the waters
Thanks again for the great content.
Jim

[Scott Fox]

Hi Jim,
Great to hear from you.
Actually I think that your blog should incorporate both approaches. Today online publishing has moved beyond the 20th century "broadcast" approach. Audiences (like you!) at least prefer and now often expect some interactivity with their news sources.
I'd consider aggregating content from others (within legal limits) but also encouraging the community to discuss it and contribute their own, too.
If you haven't picked up e-Riches 2.0 yet, I discuss this approach thoroughly there.
Best,
Scott