Granny Has a Blog
We’re now up to 15.5 million blogs. And 1.5 million blog posts per day.
That’s only in English. There are many more in other languages. But by any count, it’s a lotta typing. Lots of people with an opinion, attitude, remark or observation.. who want to share.
The diversity and even obscurity are amazing. Grandmothers are blogging about dentures and healthcare. Bulldog owners are blogging about the hardships of breeding the animals (sorry about that mental picture). And of course sports zealots are blogging with obsessive abandon about their particular team, player or scandal. Pick a topic… any topic.
Want to read the rantings of a birdwatcher who also discusses old books and old buildings? Try http://thequacksoflife.blogspot.com.
Would you prefer a forum to read and comment on substandard TV sports commentators or anchors? How about http://awfulannouncing.blogspot.com/
Or you might prefer the real estate musings and advice of Donald Trump. In that case, try http://www.trumpuniversity.com/blog/index.cfm
My point is, blogging has now become ubiquitous. You would be hard-pressed to find a topic or perspective NOT addressed by the brewing blogosphere of arm-chair advocates or house-bound commentators.
And we might finally be at a plateau, according to a recent BlogSpotting article posted by Heather Green. She offers the possibility that everyone who wants to blog – is already blogging. The data complied by blogging directory www.Technorati.com suggests that the rapid growth of the blogosphere is now tapering off. And, as with any media forum, only the best content now rises to the top.
Still, if you are exploring the possibility of blogging to expand your brand or corporate marketing reach, how do you step out in confidence?
Derick Schaefer, founder and principal owner of Dallas-based Orangecast Social Media, has some ideas. “It’s a vehicle to showcase products and solutions for companies.”
Derick sat in on our Media Mix podcast recently to describe how he’s turned blogging into a profitable enterprise for his online marketing agency, and for his clients.
“One of our clients is in the school science supply business,” he says. “They have more than 600 SKU’s, including a lot of science lab products, like frogs for dissection or caterpillars that will turn into butterflies. One challenge was finding a way to list the company’s inventory in a way that end users found attractive. So we came up with a blog called Gadget Science to help connect children with science… and lab supplies.”
Schaefer joined us this month at Dunn Brothers Coffee in Addison for a podcast ranging from his business partner’s wildly successful sports blog, Midwest Sports Fans, to his preferred methodology behind a successful blog.
“A good blog opens the door,” he says. “It gets the conversation started. If you look at our post on the butterfly life cycle, for instance, we cover the most common questions that kids ask, we help parents get involved and we describe the stuff you might need for this kind of study… painted lady caterpillars, butterfly nets, pins for mounting, and even instruction for how to feed the caterpillars. All this information transforms a basic product database into a solution for parents and teachers who want to make science interesting for grade-schoolers.”
Orangecast offers blogging strategies, blog design and even continuous blog management for companies ranging from small business owners to attorneys to hedge fund companies, all of whom recognize the importance of extending their brand into the Web 2.0 arena of blogging.
“This is really a way of connecting with your clients or your user base. For Gadget Science, the owners of the supply company are all ex-educators, they’re teachers. They’re experts in their industry, and this is a way of putting their personality and their know-how together in a way that a teacher might explain a scientific topic to a class or even a parent. We’re using the blog to solve a problem.”
I asked Schaefer about the basic principles for any small business owner considering a blog.
“First,” he says, “keep it simple. If you can’t right it out on a napkin, don’t put it on the internet. Second, consider the legal aspects. Do you need to concern yourself with liability issues or copyrights? Are you willing to have it syndicated? And what about a privacy policy? These issues matter when you’re publishing material on the internet.” Lastly, Schaefer says ROI is the bottom line. “We need to see a return on the investment. For every hour I put in on this blog, what am I getting out of it? Is it making my phone ring? Does it compliment my meet-and-greet, those hand-shakes and the networking?”
Schaefer says one post a week is sufficient for most blogs, and a single post may be only a few hundred words.
“Give yourself a time-frame and then measure the results. I would recommend a six-month time frame to get started.”
