subject: You Don't Need A Parachute to Skydive [print this page] You Don't Need A Parachute to Skydive You Don't Need A Parachute to Skydive
You Don't Need A Parachute to Skydive. You just need one if you want to skydive twice.
The same idea holds true for blogging and blog marketing. You don't need to provide valuable information when you blog. You just need to if you want anyone to read your blog a second time.
A lot of people ask me if they can promote their business in their blogs. Just like skydiving without a parachute, you can talk about your business in your blog. You just can't expect anyone to come back and read your blog again if you do.
The 60's rock band The Doors are notorious for their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. CBS network censors demanded that lead singer Jim Morrison change the lyrics to their hit single Light My Fire by altering the line, "Girl, we couldn't get much higher", to "Girl, we couldn't get much better" when the band performed the song live on September 17, 1967. However, Jim Morrison sang the original line, and on live television with no delay, CBS was powerless to stop it. Ed Sullivan was furious and refused to shake the band members' hands, and they were never invited back to the show. According to Ray Manzarek, the band was told "Mr. Sullivan liked you boys. He wanted you on six more times. You'll never do the Sullivan show again"; Morrison replied with glee, "We just did the Sullivan show."
One-time appearances may have worked for rock bands in the 60's, but it won't work for your blog. The basics of blogging and social networking are based on people communicating with people. Providing valuable information, opinions backed by fact, and entertaining thoughts all enticing readers to return to read your next blog are critical. All the while soliciting a dialog from the readers. This creates a dialog between you and your readers and creates a loyal following. This is the key to blog marketing.
Go ahead, blog about how great your product or your service is but don't expect anyone to come back.
