In today’s post, I’m posting an interview with team leader, Lynette Chandler from BlogEnergizer. Recently, my good friends at BlogEnergizer have offered to write an exclusive interview for my readers and followers. so here’s the interview with Lynette, and I hope you’ll find lots of good information in it.

By the way, don’t forget to vote for me over at BlogEnergizer…the interview with the most votes will win some cool prizes.

Question 1: Would you recommend blogging to local businesses?

Yes. Perhaps not in the fast and furious pace like a regular blog, but using a blog as a tool to easily manage their sites and to keep customers and potential customers informed.

Question 2: Why do you think local businesses should use blogging as a marketing tool?

Because it is a low cost promotional tool. It doesn’t cost that much to get started and it can last for a long time too if kept up. I also think it it is a great way to begin the relationship building process.

Question 3: How they can profit from promoting their blog to their local visitors?

The obvious ways are to use the blog to let people know of new projects they are working, news, updates, deals, specials.

But beyond that, it can be used for customer service when you provide expert advise, tips, ideas, notification of closings, wait time or appointment schedule. People are more comfortable with a business they feel they know. This is what I meant before when talking about beginning to build the relationship.

Here’s a great example. I need to order a floral bouquet. New pictures of what they have done for their customers recently, what to expect when I go to their store and ideas or tips what to say in the card and keep the flowers fresh go a long way. At least if would help me get comfortable with them.

Question 4: Is blogging a must have strategy to any local business or is it more suitable for certain niches then others?

I think any business can benefit. A butcher can give tips how to best cook beef tips, A nail salon can show pictures of their work a pleased customer, A garage can provide seasonal maintenance tips, A nursery can talk about what to do with plants over the winter and landscaping project using their products during spring/summer, A photographer can provide information on the do’s and don’ts when coming in for a photo shoot. I think you get the idea here.

They don’t have to be updated daily or even weekly like what you’d expect a regular blog. Customers know these businesses are busy helping and serving their customers but I think it helps the customers out to see something current. Something new for the month.

Question 5: We all know that business owners are very busy people…so is it better for them to outsource the blogging strategy all together?

I would. But I would also want to occasionally put up something in my own voice on it. It could be a video update just to keep it personable and real. But you’d have to find a good company who can come up with updates that reflect your businesses culture and perhaps more importantly know the ropes of blogging because there are sometimes nuances to blogging. It is not enough to just put up a post. When people react to the post via comments and recommendations, whoever is managing the blog will need to know how respond.

If you found this interview helpful, let us and Amel know by voting for her HERE

The real reason that most people invent a product or start up a business is because they have a need that is not being fulfilled. People invent products because the stores don’t have what they need or want. People open stores because they can’t find certain products in their local area. In many ways, this is similar to niche marketing. By finding a “niche”, or small segment of the market that is untouched, you build yourself a little corner that is all yours.

A small business marketing strategy that does work online focuses on just that – niche marketing. If you have a service or product that you know no one else has, then there are probably many others just like you who will want to buy it. Once you have a very specific item, then you need to go out there and figure out how to find ways to get people to buy it. In most cases, you can’t just blanket the world with ads, since most people will not want your product, but there is a high percentage of very specific people who will – and you have to find them.

Developing a small business marketing strategy is integral to the success of your business. If you “fail to plan, you plan to fail” and nowhere else is that truer than on the internet right now.

Click Here For The #1 Secrets Most Small Business Owners Will NEVER Know About Boosting Their Business On The Internet!

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You would get the help of an MBA who had experience in writing such plans, and would walk that plan from bank to bank, looking for people to invest.

Now, however, the marketplace has changed considerably and virtually anyone can open up a business at the drop of a hat. That may not necessarily be a good thing, since there are now more business failures than ever before, but if you establish your small business marketing strategy early on, hopefully you won’t be one of those failures.

Establishing Your Niche Market

One of the most important parts of your small business marketing strategy will be in establishing your niche market. In today’s marketplace, you can’t sell everything to everyone – you aren’t WalMart and you can’t beat them at their game. But, what you can do is find a small sliver of the market and specialize there.

By offering a product or service that no one offers and doing it well, you will always have people willing to pay the price for it.

Make Contact With Your Potential Customers:

Another part of your small business marketing strategy should be figuring out where and how you are going to make contact with your potential customers.

You can’t just slap up a website and hope people come to it. That would be the same as putting up a store on a side street and relying on non-existent foot traffic to make a living – it doesn’t work.

You need to be pro-active about your marketing approach and go out and get those customers, ones who you know want and need your product or service. Only then will you see a successful and long-term business venture.

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