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subject: The Role That Blog Plays In Internet Marketing [print this page]

In the old days, live chats used to be the only way for businesses to

interact with their customers. But live chats are never easy to conduct

because you have to choose the best time for you and your customers to talk

as well as finding the best virtual environment for the discussion and the

best topic. Live chats also allow you to interact with only a limited number

of people at a time.

Blogging, however, changed the face of Internet marketing and made it

possible for businesses to develop a more personal relationship with its

customers. Live or not, blogging allows businesses to answer questions and

address concerns of their customers on a more intimate level. Blogging has

provided numerous benefits to Internet marketing, and each benefit allows

blogging to play a different role for businesses and customers.

The Connecting Blog

Communication is perhaps the most important role that blogs play for

businesses and customers. With blogs, even the highest officer of the company

would be able to interact with all their customers.

Blogs also allow customers an insiders glimpse to how the company works.

Through blogs, businesses are able to process how each department works

independently and in relation to other departments and how they are

ultimately able to produce products or services of excellent quality.

Basically, blogs enable businesses to emphasize their competitive advantages

over their competition.

Blogs also allow businesses to create a strong social presence. Rather than

depending mainly on sending the customary one-content-fits-all letter to

their customers during important events and holidays, businesses are able to

say, show, and do more than that with blogs. As blog hosting sites dont

charge account owners extra for long entries, businesses then have the

freedom to define and clarify their roles during these significant events.

Christmas, for instance, should be a time of giving and businesses must

therefore describe how theyve upheld their social responsibility by

providing much appreciated aid to deserving charities.

The Selling Blog

Blogs also serve as another marketplace for businesses. With blogs,

businesses are able to provide more marketing content to sell their products

and services. They can also implement other marketing strategies together

with their blogs to create and sustain interest in what theyre selling.

The Network-Building Blogs

When a business creates a blogging account, it will immediately have access

to different groups and kinds of people. Firstly, a blog is always a part of

a blogging community made up of other bloggers in your blog-hosting site.

These people can be your companys future suppliers, customers, or affiliates.

Secondly, you will have your readers who can definitely be anyone in the

world, but preferably one who belongs to your target market. Thirdly, your

blog, with the help of blog marketing tools like Technorati, will also belong

to an even larger blogging community that doesnt belong to any specific blog-

hosting site. All these can naturally help build the size and diversify your

contact network.

The Informative Blog

Information nowadays is the key to success, and blogs are often used by

businesses to disseminate information and promote their products and services

at the same time. Lets say that you have a home-based tutorial service for

kids. Tutorial service belongs to the broader industry of education. The next

thing you should do is subscribe to various news alerts in order to get the

latest news on education.

When you receive an interesting piece of news on education, post a portion or

summary of it but make sure to credit your source. Afterwards, provide your

opinion regarding this news. As much as possible, connect this information to

your business. End with a link to your main website!

The Entertaining Blog

This is something that businesses seldom do because it generally requires

skills that are beyond their expertise. But when a business is able to do

that then the success is certainly double of what youd expect from blog

marketing.

A blog thats able to play an entertaining role is one thats filled with

posts about the daily reflections and descriptions of work in the office and

yet, theyre written so humorously either good-natured or black would do

that its readers cant help but coming back for more.

These are just some of the roles that blogs play in internet marketing. In

the end, however, remember that your blog should only take on the role that

youre comfortable performing as a blog owner. Good luck!

by: Elijah Chai

welcome to loan (http://www.yloan.com/)