Chapter 12: Blogging About Blogs!

 

    You wouldn't expect for there to be much detail and thought put behind blogs. They're just online journal entries, right? Wrong. This week's reading delved into the process of writing a blog and the elements necessary to write a great one. 

    Having a great blog is especially important to marketers. Blogs are the top inbound marketing priority for over half of marketers surveyed. This was honestly pretty surprising to me because I didn't really think blogs were that relevant anymore. Then I thought about it and realized I get so much of my information from blogs. Whenever I look up a recipe on the internet, I'm given a list of food blogs with specific recipes. Most of said blogs are for a certain brand or food product, like Nestle Tollhouse or Pillsbury. I also use blogs to learn how to do things, especially computer-related tasks like using Microsoft Word. When these brand-owned blogs provide entertaining and useful content for free, it establishes a positive relationship with the consumer. 

    Once a brand establishes themself as a trustworthy leader of industry knowledge, consumers are inclined to purchase their products and continue to follow the brand's advice. For example, I'm more inclined to use Pillsbury over their competitors because I've enjoyed the recipes their blog has provided in the past. Providing this kind of service takes a brand to the next level. Instead of being just another product on the shelf at the supermarket or online, they have established a connection with consumers. Blogs humanize brands.

    Another key element of a brand's blog is the ability it gives them to interact with customers. Comments, likes, and shares are all ways customers can participate on a brand's blog. This is not only fostering a deeper relationship, but also giving the brand free consumer feedback on their products and services.

    Blogs are a great marketing tool for brands, but there are a couple significant drawbacks. For one, blogging is a huge time investment. Depending on the amount of content a brand wants to post and how often, they will need manpower and time dedicated to blogging. This is especially frustrating because it is hard to measure the return on investment of blogging. There is no way to directly correlate how much of a brand's sales is generated directly from their blog. 

    The pros of having a blog far outweigh the cons from a marketing perspective. In a day and age where people have access to everything through their personal screens, fostering an authentic relationship is paramount. When a customer feels like a brand cares about them, they care about the brand.