Top 10 Reasons to Blog

Blogs are the hottest thing going these days when it comes to marketing on the Internet. Here are 10 reasons why you should blog.

10. A blog is web based so you can update and post new articles anywhere, anytime. It's a dynamic medium that can be updated on a moment's notice.

9. Guest can subscribe to your RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed and have your content delivered straight to their desktop the minute after you've posted it. This delivery system bypasses spam filters and readers get exactly the content they want when you want them to.

8. No web site to mess with. It's a very inexpensive way to set up a web presence for you or your

7. You can make money by setting up links for ads and your affiliate programs.

6. You can set multiple logins so that multiple people can blog on your site, sharing the blog writing.

5. Blogs link to other blogs which helps you create a viral marketing system and increases your exposure in search engines. Search engines LOVE text based, fresh content that is highly focused (key word rich).

4. You can show off your unique talents and use a blog to become a trusted expert for your readers. Blogs even let you filter some of the multitude of content on the web so visitors can find what they are looking for fast on your blog rather than having to visit hundreds of web sites.

3. You have an instant archive of all your articles. When you post an article, a new page and "permalink" is created. People can share that link with others and be sent directly to the article being referenced.

2. Readers can comment on your articles, which creates rapport and trust between you and your readers. Comments also add rich content to your site and again, helps your ranking in the search engines.

1. The bottom line is this: using a blog can help you attract more visitors who become subscribers and then eventually become customers. If marketing is about increasing your exposure and making it easier for people to get your information, than building a blog is definitely the way to go.

Blogs to Replace Traditional Websites?

Probably not. But until you have the ability to develop a website with full content management ability, a Blog can be the next best thing.

Recently I recommended a Blog to a Client. The goal was to introduce new functionality already contained in the Blog software to market through, rather than trying to fix the current website. In this situation it made sense. This client needed the ability to instantly make announcements on new products, picture uploads, and announce upcoming events. The Blog was a great way to start a permission based marketing campaign of attracting people to the Blog site for late breaking info, product & service tips, and the other unique concepts the Blog site offers.

You are probably asking yourself why start a whole separate Blog site when there is a regular site sitting untouched? Let’s take a look:
- Pre-arranged contracts meant that making changes to current site included paying another agency to do it. Not to mention the time lag of actually getting the work done.
- Redeveloping a new website is more cost effective than trying to fix the old, but neither was budgeted at the moment.
- Big Reason 1: A Blog can be up and fully functional in a matter of days for hundreds of dollars instead of thousands.
- Big Reason 2: A Blog satisfies the basic needs of instant change by the Client when ever they want and interactivity with customers.

So, could a Blog replace a website? Not if you still would like ecommerce, good navigational flow, content about who you are, and any number of other important website functionality. But Blog’s are a great stop-gap measure until the website can be brought up to par or the perfect addition to a site in the need of permission based marketing.

Interested in more Blog info than you ever wanted to know? Check out this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weblogs

Blogs are Made to Move

Need a way to move information fast? Blogs are the answer.

Blogs were designed to move information quickly and efficiently. There’s no middleman, very littlebureaucracyy to deal with, no special software to worry about, little issue related to spam or viruses, content is easy to read since the information is usually short and sweet and to the point, and best of all, most Blogs have built-in news disbursement systems (email or RSS).

Whether you have an event, special news, or just want to show the human side to your company, a Blog is a very powerful thing. Try one out and see for yourself. You can go from idea to post on the web in 5 minutes or less!

Don't know how but want to? Contact me and I can help. Really. It will be completely painless. I promise!

Blogs Cut Bureaucracy

Unlike traditional HTML static websites, Blogs use “push button” dynamic technology that makes it easy for anybody to use. That means you do not need a "Middleman" to get content on the web. Even if you've never taken a software class or have the newest technology. Why? Because the blog software is built into the web. As long as you have a computer and internet connection, and have every worked with a Word document, you are ready to go. It's that easy!

-Always wished your website could have a place to upload pictures at the touch of a button?
-How about publishing daily business reports/condition reports/weather reports?

Blogs make it easy and simple to do those things and thousands more. Plus, even better at almost NO cost. It's truly a marketers best dream.

The Real Secret to Blogs

At the end of the day, blogs represent a fundamentally new publishing format. Far beyond their role as personal diaries and scoop-laced news journals, blogs provide easier ways to create and manage Web sites and site content, in a highly addictive manner. Just ask any true blogger.

Although study after study demonstrates that websites that change their content almost daily are...
- preferred by users,
- get more sales,
- get higher rankings in search engines,
- provide an inexpensive customer service function,

...the majority of sites on the web fail to update their content! Thats the equivalent of walking by thousands of dollars sitting on a table and not picking it up.

Why do companies consciously let this happen?
1. Too much time to figure out how to get the changes done (Time tobureaucracycracy.)
2. High agency fees for even small content changes (Down with agencies! remove the middleman.)
3. An ISP that scares people into thinking changes could destabilize civilization as we know it. (Give me a break.)
4. Having to talk to a technology person without a translator. (Isn't that fun.)

See the secret. Embrace it. Do something about it.

Don't know where to begin. Here's the best secret, we know and can help you. We can even get you up and running with your blog in 5 minutes or less. Isn't that worth an email or phone call? Would be for me!

The Marketing Revolution--Blogs

Does it feel like the floor is moving beneath your feet these days as you try to get a handle on sales and marketing for your company? It’s not just you.

Major changes in our culture, available technology, and how we do business are radically changing marketing and overall business models.

One of the hottest trends of 2005 is the Blog. A weBLOG is a web based interactive journal that an individual or organization posts messages to daily. The messages are short. They are written in an informal style fitting to the web. They are about real people talking about real topics.

Where did the revolution begin? It began back in 1997 when the word “Blog” was first termed and it launched forward in 2003 with the Iraq war and then 2004 with the Presidential election. From there it has exploded onto the scene with mainstream companies like General Motors, Delta Airlines, and Microsoft putting in their two cents.

Think the Blog is some passing fad? Don’t. You’ll miss out on a truly breakthrough way to interact and build long-term relationships with your customers.

Make sure to bookmark this page. You've found the only Blog site dedicated to blog creation and maintenance for beginners. Check back often for blog trends, blog tips, blogging ideas, and basically EVERYTHING blog. Curious about who's writing this? Check out our bio on this site. Questions? Go ahead and contact us. We'd be happy to answer them! 888-215-0820

The Business of Blogs

The business community is beginning to embrace blogs for their marketing and commercial potential. Business blogs that are well-written, focused on topics relevant to customers, employees, and interest groups are becoming the new company "voice."

Blogs offer a new way to communicate with clients, potential clients, and any interested parties. Popular forms of business communication include press releases, newsletters and e-newsletters, Web sites and mailings. But these are all one-way communications. Blogs offer the opportunity to interact and create a dialogue about a product or service.

Business blogs can be simple, light-hearted stories, straightforward informational articles or brief commentaries about news and issues. Each opens an opportunity for discussion about your product or service.

Through our blogs, our clients, prospects and business associates can get to know us personally. This is important for service companies like nxtConcepts. We leave the more formal stuff for our Web site and e-newsletter and other more traditional marketing methods.

To check out our other blog that deals with more "intelligent marketing" tools, go to http://blog.nxtconcepts.com

Interested in finding more out about creating your own business blog? Check out our website at http://www.mymarketingguide.com or call us at 888-215-0820.

Reason to Ignore Blogs Wrap Up from Series of Posts

If nothing else, remember this about Blog's...

1. A blog can give you (no matter what your size) the ability to connect with your audience (customers, employees, media) on a personal level.

2. Content is king. Start with a sincere wish to provide value in terms of engaging content in the form of information, help, discussion, or ideas.

3. Blog’s can promote you through PR, search engine rankings (links), and direct traffic.

4. The most successful blogs build a blog strategy-who, what, where, when, how.
5. Your customers are watching.

Want more information about blogs?
Contact Samantha Rufo, nxtConcepts at 888-215-0820 or
You can also download the latest blog presentation here

Reason 5 to Ignore Blogs (Series)

5. Ignoring blogs can't hurt you.

CBS news and Dan Rather thought they could ignore blogs. Back in September of 2004, Dan Rather went on live TV and said he backed his story about President Bush. And if anyone doubted him, too bad. That kind of thinking cost him his career and put egg on the face of CBS execs. How? From bloggers "Rathergate" was born.
Click here to see the full story http://www.rathergate.com/?m=200409

The "Rathergate" scandal involving Dan Rather of CBS news where memos were used on the show 60 Minutes about President Bush. Within 72 hours bloggers had built a case that the memos were forgeries. The force of the group made CBS address the situation and make an apology for their bad reporting. This is viewed as the final acceptance of blogging by the mass media as a news source onto itself. It showed how blogs could keep the pressure on established news sources.

Then there was the Kryptonite 2000 bike lock. After just ten days of bloggers Internet chatter the $25 million dollar company posted losses of $10 million dollars when they were forced by bloggers to do a free product exchange.
For more details of the story and to see the video that started the downfall, click here http://www.engadget.com/entry/7796925370303347/

Want to see what the blogosphere is saying about you? Check out these sources (I guarantee your company is listed, email me if you need help finding where):
http://www.technorati.com/
http://www.blogpulse.com/
http://buzz.yahoo.com/
http://www.feedster.com/
http://www.pubsub.com/

You know what they say, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em".