Blogging for dollars

Creating a blog is a profound step in exercising the power of the Internet. For any business it can be a seminal moment. The realization that the traditional marketing approach can be changed, adapted, modified, or obliterated based on the reach of the Internet. If you have ever wrestled with the issue of increasing marketing expenses - direct mailers, advertising, trade show booths, etc. , then recognizing the potential of the web is an important step in moving from a traditional view of marketing to a modern view.

With every other marketing effort, with a few exceptions, the "shelf life" of the message is limited. How long your phone conversation, presentation, or magazine ad resonates with a prospect is limited by the noise around them. How quickly they shift their focus or receive new information will greatly determine the mind share that your message commands.

Enter the web. And this fundamental tool ,the blog.

Your message can now be referenced interminably. A simple search of the Internet or hyper link from your web site or e-mail will offer quick access to your thoughts, words and message. The marketer of old never fathomed such a medium, far more pervasive than any media buy. The web offers the chance to communicate to your customers, your prospects and the masses who have never heard of your products, nor considered your services.

For those who leverage this tool to its full capacity, the opportunity is vast. If you have clients, you have an audience. Because, if people will trust your products and services to purchase them, they value your expertise in the market. Share your insights and knowledge here, and you reinforce the validity of your buyers' decision.

Your long-term clients may not be checking your web site or reading your blog, but the next generation of buyer is looking. And you will find this medium as cost-effective as any other option for getting your message out. So Blog. Blog. Blog!