Shel Israel, co-author of naked conversations had this to say after giving a talk to the Seattle chamber of commerce:
What inspired me the most, a little to my surprise, were the folks at the Chamber of Commerce. These were folks, as Robert puts it, who were hungry to learn. I met a wedding planner who blogs, and an architect and carpet cleaner, among others, who plan to soon follow suit. This is heartening for me. The day has finally come where small businesses can use technology tools to elevate and differentiate themselves and it is heartening to find so many in one room plunging into the blogosphere.
See the full post here at Naked Conversations
Many forward thinking businesses, big and small, are discovering blogs as a tool to connect with customers, and give customers a way to connect with the business. IMHO any business blogging is engaging in a form of Micromarketing, a way to connect with customers using alternative media. I use the term micromarketing as a way to differentiate from mass marketing, because blogs enable companies to literally connect with one customer/prospect at a time, in a conversation and not a sales pitch.
Just remember:
- Micromarketing is not selling
- Micromarketing is conversational - if you have comments and trackback turned off it’s not a conversation
- Micromarketing is about being open and informal - tell readers something they wouldn’t get from a press release
- Micromarketing is talking about shareing experiences and telling stories
Originally published at customersonfire.com - Microbrands and Micromarketing
Despite the phrase “micromarketing”, I think that blogging is actually going to become more powerful than other forms of marketing, and cheaper, too! As you said, it’s conversational, and people love to talk about things - good, bad, and indifferent.
I think blogging gives customers an insight into a product or service provider before they actually pay that person, and that is just smart marketing. It has been proven time and time again that people buy from people that they know, like, and trust, and blogging is an excellent way to build customer relationships!
I think your point about giving customers insight into the company is right on, I like to call it “opening the kimono a little”. I think it’s one of the things that contributed to the success of the blog by the tailor on Savile Row http://englishcut.com
To hear someone with that level of success reinforce the need for good old fashioned relationship building gives these concepts even more credibility. Good stuff, and I love what he said about only being “as good as your last suit”!