Blogging Builds Business Relationships
The book Naked Conversations by Robert Scoble & Shel Israel (ISBN 0-471-74719-X) describes how companies can use blogs to increase marketing effectiveness while reducing advertising budgets. It’s almost counter-intuitive, but it seems to work. Another benefit: A blog that gets updated regularly will raise a web site’s ranking in Google and other search engines.
Blogging Benefits: A Real Example
Thomas Mahon is a tailor at London’s Seville Row. He sells business suits at $4,000 a pop. Many of his clients visit him in London, and a few times a year he flies to New York to see American clients. If he sells two suits in NYC, he pays for his trip. Four suits sold = a very productive trip.
Before Mahon started blogging, he averaged 2 to 4 sales per NYC trip. After he started blogging (http://www.englishcut.com/), he sold twenty (yes, twenty!) suits on his next trip to NYC. Mahon lists his travel itinerary on his blog, and clients line up for him at arrival. Now he’s thinking about limiting himself to 100 suits per year because he has too much business. Too much business!
Information vs. Salesmanship
Mahon doesn’t use any blatant sales/marketing language on his blog. He talks about his travels, his passion for tailoring, and the “bespoke” (I learned a new word) tradition. In the words of Naked Conversations, Mahon’s blog reflects passion and authority, not salesmanship. He loves what he does and he knows what he’s talking about. That’s how he builds trust.
Other Examples
The book gives blogging examples from other industries: Consulting, technology, auto sales (GM’s CEO), and investment banking to name a few.
Adding a Blog to Your Site
If you already have a web site, adding a blog is no big deal. Your ISP might already have the necessary software, and it may just be a matter of increasing your monthly fee.
More to Come
I’m only halfway through the book, and I’m already excited about this idea. TiVo, callerID, and antispam software are all clear indicators that people hate advertising! But people enjoy communicating with others who convey passion and authority. Trust is born this way. Relationships are built this way.