PDA

View Full Version : blog drawback



greenoak
06-02-2011, 11:50 AM
i think my blog could be a lot more me and a lot more exciting and juicy....but dang....its so connected with the store that i have to hold back....i cant put the funniest or most bizAARR stuff on it...i cant share of someones car, matching hummers one day, or outfit or all the fun things that make our day ....some would like the real views but i have to think that i am speaking for the store...not just me.... so i kind of feel like a spin doctor sometimes, or the pr guy......and it makes the posts more middle of the r oad....
i guess it doesnt matter since facebook is getting about all the attention anyway...
but its not quite being true to the misson statement posted on it...
i wonder what the blog readership numbers are for retail stores now that facebook is on the scene??

MostHeather
06-02-2011, 12:04 PM
I understand your feelings. You don't want to get your personal views intertwined with business (which is a good thing, IMHO.) I've been noticing that more companies are using Twitter and FB to promote different events, so it's likely they're using any methods they can to reach out to their audiences. Have you ever thought about a personal blog or website for off topic subjects that you find interesting?

greenoak
06-02-2011, 01:47 PM
ive thought about that....but really dont have the time...and who would even read it? i thnk i feel guilty about not promoting my blog more....it is a couple of years old and most of the readers are from far away...and not even likely customers.... i dont quite see the reason for it..but im really attached to it.... ha ha... vanity i guess... and its another challenging creative outlet....
..we are different, we dont sell online....
heather, do you do any facebook services? its just major for our store, 1500 fans, and a few other really good stores i know about... there are probably a lot of stores out there who could use help....its kind of replacing w ebsites for somoe...

tylerhutchinson
06-02-2011, 04:18 PM
I wouldn't dump the blog, but yes blogs really have gone down since status updates and twitter have become available. These are the new micro blogging. It goes out much quicker, doesn't take as much time to read and much more to the point.

Unless you are pulling business from the blog I would not spend much time on it tho. Focus your energy to other areas for the business. Most people who do blogs are personal bloggers. If you can separate your existing blog from the company then maybe you can turn it into a personal blog and more of just a hobby since your attached.

greenoak
06-02-2011, 08:43 PM
thanks for your view tyler,....and i really am attached to it.... thats what i thought too, especially about it not really being much of a business tool for the store now...... ....
that sounds like a plan....the ones who follow me probably know me pretty well by now.and not be too shocked...
.. and i could just take it off the website...
i think facebook and the site bring in the most business by far...so it probably wouldnt hurt anything....

KristineS
06-03-2011, 01:22 PM
I wouldn't dump the blog, but yes blogs really have gone down since status updates and twitter have become available. These are the new micro blogging. It goes out much quicker, doesn't take as much time to read and much more to the point.

Unless you are pulling business from the blog I would not spend much time on it tho. Focus your energy to other areas for the business. Most people who do blogs are personal bloggers. If you can separate your existing blog from the company then maybe you can turn it into a personal blog and more of just a hobby since your attached.

I'm not sure I agree with this Tyler. I think blogging has changed as Facebook and Twitter have become more popular, and that blog now needs to be part of a Marketing and Social Media program, but I don't think they've become less important. I know of a lot of businesses that are using blogs quite successfully. I write two for the company for which I work, and they've been a successful educational asset and a great way to communicate with customers in more depth than you're often able to do on Twitter or Facebook.

Blogs won't work for every business, and they definitely should be integrated with Twitter and Facebook, but I think they still have a place and can still be a valuable piece in the Marketing puzzle.

tylerhutchinson
06-03-2011, 02:33 PM
I think blogs can serve a purpose. But for advertisement and growing business I do not feel they are helpful in that aspect. They may help keep your company relevant and out there for people. I have a blog for my company that offers free information on marketing, management, company efficiency and six sigma. I do it more for fun and as an "extra" service for people who need consulting help. But for them to find my blog they will more then likely have to know of my company first. I do not think they are pointless, but facebook and twitter have taken the lead as far as the biggest bang for your buck. I know to promote my blog I post it through my facebook and twitter accounts.

I agree blogs are more effective for different industries. The time spent on writing a blog I feel many times can be used more effectively going a different route ie facebook, twitter.

vangogh
06-03-2011, 04:49 PM
I have to disagree about the demise of blogs. I think they're still just as effective as they've always been and I've yet to see an industry where I couldn't think of a way a blog could help a site. This will come across as harsh, but if you aren't able to make a blog work it's usually more you than blogging itself. By no means is blogging easy. It's very understandable why some have a hard time making it work, but blogs do still work and they will always be better than micro-blogging through a 3rd party site.

You won't generate the same level of engagement with customers on Twitter or Facebook as you will on your blog. Creating new blog posts is also spider food for search engines. Your tweets and posts to Facebook aren't improving where your sales pages rank. Your blog is. All the content you post to Twitter and Facebook could be removed tomorrow and there's nothing you can do about it.

The advantage Twitter and Facebook have over your blog is there are more people at each than at your blog. You can reach more people at Twitter and Facebook, but you won't engage them as deeply as you will once you've gotten them back to your site.

Tyler, assuming your company blog is the one attached to the site in your signature I see the problem. You don't have any posts. I see 4 links to PDF files. Turning those PDFs into blog posts would make it easier for search engines to find and rank the content. Also you need to post regularly. It doesn't have to be every day, but you need to post regularly. Once a week or once every other week will work.

It takes time, but once you've been at it a bit and are building an audience you'll find a blog is a much more valuable asset than 3rd party social media. Here's a post about why your blog is more valuable (http://www.vanseodesign.com/social-media/home-bases-outposts/).

My biggest clients have found me directly through my blog and the majority of traffic into my site enters via blog posts. Informational blog posts will always be easier to promote than sales pages.

It's good to use sites like Twitter and Facebook for your business, but neither can replace what a blog can do for you.

greenoak
06-03-2011, 05:57 PM
'my facebook is generating tons more buzz than my blog ever did and thats why im putting my effort into it..... in my field the neat blogs are really not about stores....i think tyler is right a bout the blogs being more fitted to personal.... ....the big thing for stores now is definitly facebook....the retail press is all about facebook, becasue we are getting such great results from it....
where i see blogs used big time is with marketers, coaches, web folks.... like WWW.ABBYKERRINK.COM ETC... and lots of them work together...sometimes i wonder if the public even gets in on it...
the beauty of facebook is that the people are already on it and have invited you to join them.... it really works for stores....

vangogh
06-03-2011, 06:23 PM
Ann I think you see more buzz with Facebook because you put more effort into Facebook. You then see more results from Facebook and put even more effort into Facebook. There's nothing wrong with that. You're having success with Facebook and I think that's great. That doesn't mean you couldn't also have success with a blog.

I did a quick search on Google's Blog search for the single word antiques and there were over 7 million results. Many are blogs for sites that don't have stores, but if you took any of those blogs and placed them on a site for a store like yours, the blog would attract people to it, and those people in the area would sooner shop at your store than any other in the area. The posts would pull search traffic resulting in your non-blog pages getting more traffic as well. It could let people in your area who otherwise don't know about you know about you.

If you do the same search you'll find a number of blogs for actual antique stores too.

Again I'm not saying you shouldn't use Facebook and if you don't want to blog that's perfectly fine. However a few people saying they don't have success with blogs doesn't mean blogs can't work. It just means those few people haven't had success. It takes a lot of work to run a successful blog, but if you put in the time the rewards are more than you'll get through social sites. Blogs aren't just for certain kinds of sites or businesses. They can work for any business.

greenoak
06-03-2011, 06:33 PM
i wouldnt give that advice to stores if i were asked..... its just not the reality i see..and its my field.....i tell them to get on facebook and to be as interesting and interactive as possible....
...
im glad your blog works for you....
the great blogs in my field are about eye candy and getting national attention.like from magazines.......almost all of them are turning to facebook as well...it will be interesting to see if it hurts their blogs...
another reason im not giving up my blog is that it might be part of the reason we are in the top tier of google for indiana antiques.... and i have worked my blog hard...probably 1000 possts.... its had thousands of hits.... mostly from way far away....i thought you knew that....ive worked it for quite a while...

vangogh
06-03-2011, 06:56 PM
Ann I'm not trying to convince you to do anything with your blog. You've made it clear you don't believe a blog can work for your business. My comments are for anyone reading who hasn't yet made up their mind.


If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right.
Henry Ford

greenoak
06-04-2011, 08:30 AM
i have always liked the ford quote...but actually ive given up tons of stuff over the years....to me the choice to drop some effort is in line with what peter drucker advocated .....about going for better and better all the time...
altho like i said im keeping the blog, since from what ive picked up here i think it might be helping my google ranking..i value tekk opinions on here so much!!!!! and always thank you for them...... i just cant t ake it very seriously as a business tool.....compared to the site and facebook... and my opinion on that melds with lots of experts in the gift field....

vangogh
06-05-2011, 11:47 AM
Could you point to some of these gift field experts? I'd be interested to hear or read what they have to say and why they suggest blogs can't work for them. I'm 100% sure a blog could work and will stand by my statement that if a blog isn't working it's more to do with how that blog is being run than because a blog is being used. I'm always interested though in why people think a blog can't work for them so if you can point me to these experts I'd appreciate it.

greenoak
06-05-2011, 12:12 PM
look on giftbeat or any of the retail press...home accents today..country business...etc etc

vangogh
06-05-2011, 12:24 PM
Thanks. I'll take a look when I get a chance.

cfoster
06-15-2011, 08:16 PM
You should not let your emotions take over your work. And it is a good thing that you can balance this way. The last thing you would want to happen is getting a memo because your posts are getting a little too personal. What you can probably do is set up a new blog to cater for your personal needs.

It really is common for a creative writer to hold back because you are bound by corporate rules, so having your own will surely help.

Patrysha
06-16-2011, 02:26 AM
She owns her own company...she's not bound by any corporate rules that she doesn't make herself.