A recent MySpace blog survey examined the growth of blogging and how it affects users. Although the exact numbers have been kept hidden from public view, the popular social site indicated that trends moving from a youthful generation to a more mature audience was developing. The median age has increased ever so slightly for three consecutive years and as more individuals log on to the internet, social sites like MySpace and Facebook will continue to expand and evolve. Internet business owners and marketers should no longer ignore these generational shifts amongst the internet establishment. In fact, savvy web site owners have known of these trendy course of events for quite sometime now and have sought to exploit a marketing advantage over most, if not all of their direct competitors. Does your marketing plan include such a strategy?
Recently, the world's largest internet portal introduced the 360 Blog Yahoo. The rapidly growing personal communication site is similar to other social sites and it attracts a wide audience with a variety of interests. As Yahoo's services expand in the blogging service industry, web site owners will seek to claim a presence and establish a firm foundation within this service. Too, web site owners can reply to various like-minded themes and threads in order to advertise (at least indirectly) their online business and/or develop a vast number of backlinks. These search engine friendly tactics will bring more visitors to your site and the service is free - certainly an attractive option for any company with a budget of any size.
In 2006, on a web site devoted to religious studies, a new interactive section was created for church blogging, spiritual guidance, and social networking. The goal was to increase membership at the local church and provide a multiplicity of services to the community. Jody Blanton, an experienced internet marketer and church deacon who created the original site in 1997, described the changes and why they were needed. "The internet has grown to the point where we could no longer ignore what it could do for us. We're a small church, so we decided to create this interactive section and let it grow. Since last year, our membership has risen nearly thirty percent. We attribute these positive numbers to our site and the numerous responses to our entries in the blog. The same formula that I use to bring in customers was used to bring in new members. It worked to perfection and we will continue to use this approach - it works like a charm". The lesson here for any internet business owner is obvious.
Although the MySpace blog survey didn't provide specifics in their study, it can't be denied that blogging is a powerful tool for any online company. It should be a central part of any online strategy for attracting a larger customer base and it easily fits within any budget.
About the author: Ken Stevenson is a charter member of IMInsider. For more information on using 360 Blog Yahoo and other services, visit IMInsider, where you'll find step-by-step video training for anyone interested in starting or growing an online business. |
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