Walking through the main lobby of our office building the past few days I've been passing the latest dropped-off stack of unwanted phone books. Following the same destiny as last year's delivery, they will probably wind up in the dumpster after someone finally gets tired of seeing the pile there.
I can't remember the last time I needed to use a phone book. If I need a phone number (which is rare because I don't call anyone when I can email them) I just Google the person/company's name and there is it, in a tenth of the time it used to take my fingers to do the walking. (That's an old phone book slogan, you kids wouldn't know about)
I haven't had to use the Yellow Pages either, and I haven't talked to anyone else who has. A few years back, using the phone book was my primary resource for finding a business, a service or a solution that I needed at that time. Now I just type what I'm in need of in the search bar and instantly have more responses to my question that I could ever need.
This is where your company's blog finds its purpose, and here's a real life example:
We just bought a used pop-up camper, and as anyone who has ever had any experience with an old camper knows, they have "issues." The pop-up roof will only crank open on one side, it's getting dark and the manual doesn't have any troubleshooting advice to offer. My daughter grabs the Ipad, types in "Jayco camper top wont go up" and a whole lot of other people have had the same problem (maybe that's not a good thing for us). After reading through a few search engine results, I had the information I needed and fixed the problem.
How this applies to your company's blog: The page I found was in a series of quick how-to-fix-yourself articles from a company that deals camper parts and service. I looked around and saw they were a great potential resource for more info and solutions in my future, so I bookmarked their site.
Hopefully my next issue will be just as easy to fix, and I'll go to this site first to look for an answer. If I need to order a part, and they have it I'll probably get it there. And when I'm at the campground and someone asks "how'd I fix that?" I'll recommend that company.
In conclusion, your blog can be much more effective (and a ton less expensive) than a yellow pages ad. And unlike when we used to use a phone book, I don't have to wait until next day's business hours!
For everyone who's asked "Do I have to blog?" here are a few of the best excuses not to:
1. I don't know how to blog.
It may have been a long time since those elementary school book reports, but don't worry, no one is going to grade you on grammar and punctuation. It can be something simple and informal; try to keep it somewhat professional and interesting.
2. I don't have any time to blog.
Getting started is always the hardest part of any new endeavor: quitting smoking, going to the gym and blogging. While finding the time (literally and mentally) seems impossible at first, once it becomes part of your routine you won't even miss what you used to be doing when you could have been blogging and promoting your business. And try to keep it regular, shoot for once a week, so when readers like what you have to say, they'll want to check back and see what you'll have next.
3. I don't have anything to write about.
It can't be all that hard to think of any subject matter when you're sitting in front of a machine connected to the internet - where you can type in any word that comes to mind, and you are returned with a hundred million search result topics - times infinity. There must be something out there you could talk about, and depending what topic you typed in your search, you'll have an idea from the number of search engine results how many others out there are interested in the same topic.
4. I tried it once but I didn't notice anything different.
That's like saying I went to the gym once, but didn't lose any weight. One of the best reasons to blog is that it's the perfect way to keep adding fresh and relevant content to your website without major technical modifications; search engines reward you with a better rankings for not having the same-old stale, out-of-date pages. Plus, think about it, if your site never has anything new on it, why would anyone ever come back to it? New customers are great, but regular customers are even better!
5. No one's going to find my blog anyway, let alone read it.
"Why should I blog - If I can't even find my homepage in Google, how will anyone ever get to the blog page?" Remember, search engines are indexing ALL your pages individually, not just as one site. And even better, every blog article you post gets treated as its own page in the search engines; not just as one blog page. That means each and every blog you write has the chance of being found by people who are looking for info on that subject...AND if they like what you have to say, they'll check out the rest of your website...AND if they see that you add new, updated content on a regular basis, they just might keep coming back to see what else you have to offer!
...But, with all these new leads and new customers you have from the FREE advertising you got just for doing a little homework, you may run out out of reasons not to blog!
2009 was a great year for my business and I am really excited about 2010! Sometimes I feel very guilty being upbeat when peers ask "how's business?". Many of them have been hit hard by the recession while I have been able to expand. As with any business during hard times there are many factors that contribute to success or failure. A couple of factors that contributed greatly to the success of my small business are embracing Inbound Marketing with HubSpot and becoming a member of HubSpot's Service Network. While many of my peers struggled during 2009 and early 2010, I was getting qualified leads from HubSpot and generating leads of my own using Inbound Marketing. Rather than cut back I have been able to expand my company and build relationships with other companies in the Service Network.
I networked recently with local HubSpot Users and Partners at the HubSpot Central Mass Users Group meeting. HubSpot Certified Partner, Susan LaPlante-Dube of Precision Marketing Group and I were speaking to a couple of business owners who are working to become Partners and join HubSpot's Service Network. They had questions and concerns about the program. The underlying question was "am I really going to get referrals from HubSpot"? Susan and I assured them that if they passed the certification exam and proved themselves as quality providers they would get referrals. It struck me at the time how unusual it is to be in a room with several competitors, be at ease, and encouraging others to become competitors as well.
Susan's company is one of several agencies that I have collaborated with on projects. Although we had to demonstrate proficiency in all aspects of Inbound Marketing to pass HubSpot's certification exam, we each have our strengths. I've worked with agencies outside of the HubSpot Service Network but have not been as comfortable in the relationship. Why? Susan summed it up when she said "there is plenty of business for everyone".
Pagetender has been fortunate to be a partner since the inception of the program. I have become comfortable building relationships with other HubSpot Partners because we really aren't competing in a traditional sense. HubSpot is a software company, not a service company. Rather than building an infrastructure to provide a wide range of services to their customers, they put their money and energy into developing a group of Partners (VARs or value added resellers). Partners are required to pass a rigorous certification exam and to meet a standard of excellence. HubSpot measures their success using their internal measurement scale CHI, Customer Happiness Index. HubSpot can focus on innovation and build their customer base trusting their Partners to provide high quality services. The HubSpot Service Network is a win for HubSpot, HubSpot customers and Inbound Marketing Agencies like mine.
Need help with Inbound Marketing? Visit the HubSpot Service Network and contact a Certified Partner. Working to become a Certified Partner? I look forward to working with you.
When I signed up for a Facebook account several years ago, I was definately not the average Facebook user. I made a bargain with my then tween daughter that she could be on Facebook as long as we were friends and I could monitor her. However, it wasn't long before Facebook became part of my daily life. I am an Inbound Marketing Consultant and social media is an important part of my job. However, what has surprised me is how many other baby boomers have become Facebook users recently.
Companies are using social media for marketing purposes these days so a friend request from business associate or peer is common place. Surprising are requests from my friends and relatives in their 50s or older who have always rolled their eyes at my "geekiness". Facebook has become a strange mixture of work and every day life. Invitations to family events, the birth of my new nephew mixed in with messages about Inbound Marketing University and conversations with clients. It is both wonderful and a bit unsettling.
My kids say that we have ruined Facebook. It was a place for students to share their experiences and talk to friends. We've turned it into a business marketing tool, a family bulletin board and can now embarrass them in real-time. Truth be told I feel a bit bad for them. It was a lot easier to fly under the radar when I was a teen. My message to them is be careful what you post. Your next employer or your mother... not to mention the Pastor... may be reading and commenting on what you did last Saturday night. I'm sure the kids will find a new way to communicate without us looking over their shoulders but don't think they will have privacy for long. Social media is here to stay...for all of us!
The folks at HubSpot are very bright and hard working. You wouldn't suspect how hard they work if you saw one of their videos though. They seem to have so much fun! They are all about inbound marketing - internet marketing may be a term you are more familiar with. What is it exactly? Inbound marketing leverages internet technologies such as your website and social media to draw potential clients to you. Traditional outbound marketing pushes information about your products or services to the marketplace hoping that the right people notice. There is no one better at describing inbound marketing than the marketing team at HubSpot. They just released a new video titled "You Oughta Know Inbound Marketing. If you haven't seen it, check it out here and then go to YouTube to see their other videos. They are all very entertaining...at least to us internet marketing geeks.
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