Blogging and podcasting – the new marketing tools
A new set of marketing tools is now allowing SMEs to compete with large corporates on an even playing field. Catriona Pollard reports.
Blogs, podcasts and videopodcasts are all products of the internet, which theoretically means that a local small business can potentially gain exposure to the same audience as a global multinational. So how do these tools work?
A blog can be described as an online journal or conversation. They are an interactive medium where readers can comment on the articles ‘posted' by the blogger.
No matter the size of the blog or the size of the business which ‘owns' the blog, they naturally attract search engine traffic and have optimised site architecture.
Podcasts and videopodcasts are respectively audio or video programs available for download from the internet and can be very persuasive marketing tools. They create more impact than text and offer different ways of providing information to the user. It's like broadcasting a short radio or television show.
The benefits of blogging and podcasts
Carol Daunt, director of LearnTel, incorporated blogging in 2003 and podcasting in 2005 into her marketing mix to gain profile in her industry and increase her business' marketing reach.
"By cross-linking my website, blog and podcast I can maximise marketing opportunities by creating a wider audience than the website alone. Hits on the blog are on average 60% more than the hits on my website.
"We find that clients will on-market blog posts or podcasts which is free marketing for us. Sometimes they post links to our blog or podcasts to discussion forums that have thousands of members. We'd never be able to reach these potential clients through our usual marketing activities," says Daunt.
"I see spikes in the hits on the blog when I address certain topics. This gives me insight into how the market is reacting at any given point. With this invaluable marketing intelligence I can offer new products or services to match that interest."
The cost of blogging
Blogging and creating podcasts can take up valuable time for the SME owner. For a blog to be effective, it should be updated two or three times a week, which can be time consuming.
Daunt says that these types of online tools will only add value if the business' customers are internet users. "There's no point spending time on these activities if your customers aren't online often and using the internet to inform themselves and make purchases."
Online marketing expert, Fred Schebesta from Freestyle Media believes that these online marketing techniques have become popular because they are cost effective and easy to do. "The key about blogging is that the production tools are freely available and it's easy to post your information. Video and audio casting tools are all built into the software of any standard Windows installation and all you need is a $50 video camera or microphone."
Schebesta says that video and audio add value by engaging with customers. "Demonstrating products is a great use of online video, especially for software products which are difficult to highlight through screenshots. Using a video is much easier because you can actually perform the actions that the software performs."
However if you want to convert visitors into clients you need to have fresh content on your site to build credibility. "There is no point having a 2005 press release on your home page. Blogging is easy and cheaper than paying a web developer to post new content on your site," says Schebesta.
Schebesta says the internet medium is free but the big challenge is getting visitors to your site. "SMEs and big corporates are very much on a similar playing field here."
Quality and professionalism
Popular blogging platforms have fairly professional templates to choose from. The key to attracting readers to your blog is to ensure that you have good content. In other words, you have to write interesting posts that readers enjoy or learn from. If you're not the sort of person who enjoys writing, then blogging may not be for you.
Remember that blogs can be read by anyone (unless you password-protect them) and if you allow comments, these can also be read by anyone. You can choose not to allow comments, but this defeats the purpose of a blog to generate discussion. If you do allow comments, they should be monitored to ensure no inappropriate material is added by third parties.
Amanda Gome is the publisher of smartcompany.com.au, a new online magazine for entrepreneurs and SMEs. She says that while blogging is currently fashionable, there are issues to be aware of. "Your blogs have to be real and not written by a public relations person," she says. "Finding someone in your company that can write, has an infectious personality and access to legal advice is a real problem for SMEs.
"Podcasting on the other hand … you can do tremendous things. You can be really clever with a weekly podcast – for example, you can record testimonials from your clients talking about what a great business you are to work with. And other business owners love listening to podcasts, it's something they can do while they are emailing or working in their office."
It's easy to blog
There are numerous web-based applications that allow you to blog for free or at a minimal cost. Typically you can type your post straight into a web page and then publish it. You can choose from various templates to determine the look of your blog or customise it to include your logo and corporate colours.
Most blog software is intuitive and easy to use – the best way to learn is to get in there and explore it. Perhaps create a "practice" blog which you don't advertise till you get the hang of it. Some popular blogging platforms include:
www.blogger.com
www.typepad.com
www.wordpress.com
Catriona Pollard is a Sydney-based freelance writer and blogger.