What is a blog? What’s the purpose of a blog? How Often Should I write a Blog?  These are all questions that have been asked by clients when we suggest that they post blogs to their web site. In simple terms, a blog is 2 to 4 paragraphs about your company, industry and/or product(s). For example if you have a shoe company that just released their spring shoe collection; a blog about the colors and types of shoes to wear for spring would be a great blog topic.

One important reminder about your blog topics is that they should be tailored and written for your products. The purpose of a blog differs depending on the context of the website. According to Wikipedia a blog “provides commentary or news on a particular subject.” Let’s say that you own a car insurance company and summertime is right around the corner. A blog about summer vacation spots would be a little off topic, bug a blog about “making sure your car is insured before going on summer vacation” or “summer savings on car insurance means more money for summer vacation” are topics that would work. This way you’re focusing on car insurance, but tying it into a current occurrence.

Another important factor for blog writing is to make sure that blog postings are a common occurrence. Some people write one blog in March and then don’t write another until June. A blog doesn’t have to be written everyday, you could post twice a week or once a month, but be consistent on the blog posting timeframe that you decide on.

Blogs are a great way to share your ideas and also let prospects/clients know that you’re excited about keeping them informed. Now, that you have a few questions answered about blogs, start a schedule and go write one.

For the longest time, it seemed there had been more articles published about the benefits and strengths of mobile marketing from a promotional perspective, than articles showing the number of advertisers actually marketing in the channel and respectively, consumers using mobile devices.  However, in spite of the economic recession, there has been a pretty drastic upswing in the number of consumers buying and employing mobile technology. I have been paying close attention to the hype vs. the consumer usage, and I believe mobile marketing is finally coming to a point where data can be used to support a very compelling case for it.

Comscore recently released a study which indicates consumer use of mobile devices to get the latest news and information via the web doubled between January 2008 and January 2009. Even more interesting in reading the Comscore article, the most widely used websites on mobile devices were social networks and blog sites.  (Very interesting.. seems like I stumbled upon my next blog topic…)

I have to say it’s refreshing to hear that even in a shrinking economic market, there has been positive growth in both the purchase of mobile phones, and marketer’s willing to advertise in the channel.  Market indications are also showing this growth should continue over the next 5 years at a steady rate.  In 2008 estimated mobile ad revenues were 648 million, and are anticipated to growth to 3.3 billion annually by 2013, as reported by E-Marketer. 

Marketers that are looking for channels to advertise in should add mobile marketing to their mix.  Consumers are spending more and more time online via these devices. Also, search engines and 3rd party vendors are creating easier ways for you to create mobile ready ads. One word of caution in getting started, it is important to do your homework first. In order to have presence in the mobile world, you need to be sure your web pages and advertisements are mobile device compatible. Each mobile device employs different types of technology which means a webpage that works for an I-Phone may not work for a Blackberry or a Samsung.  This may be one of the biggest obstacles, but well worth the learning curve!

In today’s economic times, many companies are promoting discounts to attract and entice customers to buy.  It makes good business sense to come up with creative ways to provide an incentive to customers when they are shopping around.  So what do you do when everyone in your industry is offering the same (or maybe steeper) discounts to attract shoppers?  You need to convey value in the purchase, not just a good percentage discount. 

The old adage, “You get what you pay for” is as relevant today in search engine marketing as it was when first spoken.  Shoppers are inundated with deals offering 10%, 20%, even 50% discounts.  As mentioned in a recent Advertising Age article, you must rise above the commotion of all these “discounts” and position your product or service with true value to the shopper.  Yes, they are getting a discount…but are they getting value with their purchase?  How do you convey this message inside a Pay-per-Click (PPC) campaign?  Get creative in your ad copy and your landing pages.  Promote not just the 10% or 15% discount, but also the value of that discount to your customer.  Target your value proposition across banners ads and text ads and be consistent with your message.  The discount gets their attention but the value they receive is more important and if they recognize the value of the discount you gain an advantage over your competition.

When I first entered the world of marketing, a wise manager once said, “If you gain a customer on price, you will lose a customer on price”.  Given all the price discounts companies are offering today, it would be wise to promote your product or service with that in mind.  Remember to explain and promote the value of your discount, and avoid making the discount itself the prime focus of your marketing campaign.