Usually, you start a business, run it for a while, and then start a blog to do the “social media thing”. This is a mistake. If you are thinking about starting a new business, do yourself a favor and start your blog first.
Here’s why.
Most businesses fail because they don’t sell enough products to make a profit and keep the lights on. The business equation is ruthless. No customers=no business. Surprisingly, many business owners start with only an idea and faith that there are enough customers out there. Inevitably, they fail unless they are one of the lucky ones who hit it out of the park on their first try.
But, what if What if you could find your customers, understand what they want to buy, find instant rain-makers without spending a cent?
You can with a Blog
Here are 6 reasons why using low-cost blog to give your business a profitable makes sense.
#1: Inexpensively Find Your Audience
A blog is a search engine magnet. The moment you start posting you will begin getting ranked for keywords used in your posts. Once you do, your future customers will start arriving at your blog. And, if you spend the extra time to write spectacular posts than they will leave clues about their buying habits in their comments. This is where you can begin to create a picture of your perfect customer.
#2 Identify a Real Need
Use your blog posts to offer advice, suggestions, and reviews on topics related to your product or service. In these posts ask your readers to tell you what they think about your product idea. This is great low-key way to doing some covert market research.
#3 Create a List of “Warm” Prospects
Every small business guru will encourage you to start a list of email subscribers. They are right on the money. The easiest way to create this list is by offering a newsletter on your blog.
Use your email list as a way to slowly prepare your subscribers for eventually purchasing your product. Go slow, deliver great information, and listen to what they have to say. This is a goldmine for the patient entrepreneur.
#4 Uncover Your Niche’s Influencers
Over time, your blog will attract “influencers” who can immediately turn your product into an overnight sensation. You can identify them from their comments and retweets of your posts. Once you’ve identified them, reach out to and offer to help them. Be courteous and willing to be a resource to their community.
This tactic alone virtually guarantee your businesses success.
#5 Increase Your Margin of Error
Most businesses don’t get their product right the first time. It takes multiple revisions to find the perfect balance of features, benefits, and value. Use your blog to start a conversation about your product. Use surveys and polls to ask for suggestions during the planning.
This is a smart way to discover bad assumptions on paper before you invest big and make huge (and expensive) mistake.
#6 Get Momentum
With your blog, you will be able to launch with a ready-made community of people who trust you, a list of warm prospects, and a crowd-sourced product that people can’t resist. This is the best environment to get some early wins and testimonials from happy customers.
Want to really “guarantee” your success?
You might want to play it safe and absolutely guarantee that you will get a winner out of the gate. I like that. Here are some advanced tips that I cooked up just for you:
- Comment Your Heart Out: This is the #1 to get on your influencer’s radar screen. Even the topic bloggers are religious about reading their comments. Leave genuinely helpful comments to impress mover-and-shakers and attract future customers.
- Guest Post: If you’ve been blogging for more than a 3 days, you’re already been taught the necessity of guest blogging. Do it. It works. Guest posting allows you to borrow other people’s audience. It’s super effective and a win/win for everyone.
- Join the “Do Follow” Movement: If you don’t already, give your blog commentors a little link love by turning off no-follow. Yes, you will need to spend a little more time monitoring again spam but you also get more quality comments in the process.
Now the deck is stacked in your favor. Start your blog today and start posting tomorrow. Get some momentum and start asking questions as soon as you can.
Once you thoroughly understand your customers, their needs, and expectations then unleash your product on the world.
Tell me, are you using a blog to research your product? How will you use these tips for your business?