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Blogging - what's the point?

4 replies

Givemeasofthandledbroom · 18/04/2008 17:10

OK so please can you help me as I am seriously disagreeing with my DH about this and I may have to kill him.

To cut along story short, I started a small business a few weeks ago and though things are going well I now need to start marketing it further afield.

My DH (who is in IT) insists that I should use the web, advertise on google, advertise on other peoples sites (like Mumsnet I guess), write a blog etc etc etc.

Despite the fact that I just don't get the point of it at all, I have started a blog but am not convinced that anyone will ever read it.

Everytime I comment on my marketing plans, we end up arguing about what I should do and my DH gets quite irrate about my failure to use the web to its full advantage and then totally dis's my ideas - which I admit are very traditional (lovely postcard in a magazine, house & garden fairs).

Of course I know it would be best to do both but I don't have the cash or the time!

I am doing a big 4day fair in June - which he thinks is a waste of money and time.

I am starting to think that my initial doubts about whether to have my husband as my business partner were right!But that's a different issue!

What do you think? Am I better off on the internet/blogging, or is good old fashioned marketing better?

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Greyriverside · 18/04/2008 18:01

I'm not an expert, but I have read that it doesn't work to put up a site and expect people to arrive and my own experience supports that. At first I doubt a blog/site would attract any visitors so it wouldn't help. Later though if your other advertising gets people interested they will look for you online and then it will help.

Paid advertising on Google is another matter if it's not too expensive, but I don't recall the last time I clicked on a google sponsored link. Presumably some people do though.

If your business has unique terms then it will be found via searches. If you're selling something common such as necklaces it will probably be so far down the list few will see it. If you're selling knitted gargoyles you stand a better chance of searches getting to you.

Just to make a point I actually googled my own example there. For knitted gargoyles (there really are such things) Google found 16,300 hits. So there's the problem with online advertising. it's lost in a sea of competing links.

There were only two sponsored links though so if you were selling something unusual it would come up a lot there.

Adverts on specific/related sites might be useful (selling baby clothes on mumnet etc)

But I think you're going to need real world advertising to begin with at least.

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Miaou · 18/04/2008 18:09

What is your business doing/selling? I am new to blogging but am finding it massively helpful in so many ways, creative inspiration, exposure etc. My aim is to open an etsy shop to sell stuff and am using the blog to generate interest. I'm intending my business to be purely web#based/generated though (sorruy, wiggly baby on knee)

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Givemeasofthandledbroom · 18/04/2008 18:52

Gosh that was quick!
I just popped downstairs to organise teh kids and there you were.

I am so with you on the sea of competing links. There is so much on the web I find it a bit overwhelming and I rarely click on links myslef, unless I already know the brand.

I dont think brand building can be done on the web. I think you need old fashioned advertising to do that - but obviously that's far too expensive.

My business is 'kind of unique' - I sell little decotrative items which are all handwritten with the senders special message then gift wrapped and sent direct to the recipient. Kind of interflora but very personal little gifts (some are bigger, but most are well under 20quid).

I am having trouble explaining to people what makes it different from any other gift shop! They kind of see gifts and switch off.

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Cosette · 24/04/2008 10:25

It does sound like you should have a web presence, and should be able to show examples of what you do, and take payments over the internet.

I agree that getting people to find you is the challenge, and you should probably look at it as a supplement to whatever you're doing locally - ie if you distribute cards, or have posters then make sure your web address is on it.

I wouldn't bother with a blog at the moment (unless you want to), but "viral marketing" is the thing these days. Ie you have something good (and yours sounds interesting), if people like it they send it on to others etc, and before you know it everyone has heard about it. Problem is not every site will take off in this way!

What's your market? Are you saying that you enhance the gifts themselves with writing, or that you handwrite accompanying notes? If it's the former, my DDs love things like this - anything with names on really at the moment. Would your items appeal to 10/11 year olds? Am thinking of good presents for children's parties - so less than £10. You probably need to try and get links from complementary websites, and then link back to them in return.

Will you post the url here, so we can take a peek and give you more advice ?

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