Connect with and engage your customers

An E-commerce Web site without a blog is like a fishing hook without bait. (Image: geekandpoke.typepad.com)

If you operate an E-commerce Web site, it’s a no-brainer these days that you should have a blog. I don’t mean that you should simply create an online journal where you rant about whatever is on your mind. By using sound SEO principles, you can create a blog with content that people can use to improve themselves and their business. Monetize that blog through affiliate marketing relationships and a revenue stream will in time develop.

But make it a good blog, first

An interesting blog filled with relevant content will give customers a chance to peer into the inner workings of your business and find out what makes you tick. It also provides them with an avenue to interact with you on a point-by-point basis over the things you value. Call this forming a relationship with your customer. These relationships are vital in successful business.

How will you create that “good” blog? There are lots of ways to approach this. Thanks to Duct Tape Marketing, here’s one checklist your successful business blog should follow:

1. If you’re new to the whole business blogging and social marketing thing, read blogs for successful businesses. Follow people who recommend interesting reads and subscribe to your favorite blogs via RSS feed (good blogs tend to have them). Reading what’s out there will make you better-rounded and enable you to better understand what trends are big in your field of business. Use bookmarking sites like Digg, Technorati and Delicious; searchable feeds like those on Twitter; and business-themed social networking services like LinkedIn. Once you find out what you like and what’s happening out there in the world of online business, you’ll know when to use Facebook, Twitter and the like to follow people who are good sources of info on what’s important for businesses like yours. Once you find a blog that frequently posts what you like, use an RSS reader like Google Reader to subscribe and receive updates automatically. That way, you don’t have to hunt for the good stuff every single time you sit down at your computer. It’ll be waiting for you in your RSS reader’s Inbox!
2. Know what the customer wants – This actually should begin with a classic play from the “old-school” business handbook: Ask your customers what is important to them and write their answers down. You know that you should take what they say seriously and attempt to incorporate their suggestions wherever possible and plausible. But this same kind of detective work is also very important when you’re online. Use SEO keyword tools like Market Samurai and other tools to discover what specific keywords related to your business are being searched out the most by customers. This is what potential customers want. But don’t stop there. Figure out how much competition there is in the marketplace for those keywords. Assuming equal customer demand, if 10,000 Web sites are competing for a term vs. 1,000, the more favorable ratio for the latter will likely give you greater conversion (sales) potential.  With content tailored to the right keywords, you’re on your way to greater financial success.
3. Get your customer base involved in the story – If you are able to construct your blog posts in such a way that people are invited to sound off with their opinions and suggestions, they will feel as though they have a greater stake in the success of your business. Their entire experience on your blog will be more interesting, and an interesting (engaged) customer is a customer more likely to buy and spread the good word about your products and services. One great way to supplement your blog in this category is to have a Facebook profile for your business. Considering how many millions of people use Facebook, it would be foolish not to attempt to tap into this potential customer base.
4. Actively respond to what customers are saying – This will show that your business is thoughtful and cares about what they have to say. Link to what they’re saying in your blog posts, respond to it and keep that customer-business relationship an active one. Duct Tape suggests comment-enhancing plug-ins like Disqus, which displays a list of most active commenters. A little healthy competition between commenters can create additional activity on your blog!
5. Be a guest blogger – Sure, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and the like are vital for getting your business brand out there in cyberspace, but another less-explored but still effective way to go is by finding blogs where your message would be appropriate, forming a relationship with them (in part through sincere back linking) and getting in as a guest blogger. If it’s a highly trafficked blog, you’re going to get some people over to your own site. So long as your posts get that byline and back link, you’re getting the kind of juice you can use. Be sure to scratch some else’s back this way on occasion, too. It’s the way of the blogging world.

Want to start a business blog but unsure how?

It’s understandable that not everyone is comfortable setting up a blog and doing the all-important SEO research. If you find that you’re “all thumbs” with this, don’t worry. Adworkz can help you get there and answer any question you may have along the way.

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