I frequently advise my small business clients to start blogging. It’s a great way to add content to your website and provide additional information to support your brand position and key messaging. Blog posts also tend to be a bit less formal so they have a different feel. A voice that is consistent with your brand can go a long way towards deepening the reader’s connection with your brand / product / service.
More often than not, clients are reluctant to blog. At first, I interpreted this as a fear of technology. That’s not what it is – it’s time. Small business owners are already doing a little bit of everything and don’t want to take on one more thing. That is where leveraging your fan base comes in.
As consumers, we already know that a 3rd party product endorsement is seen as more authentic than messaging direct from a particular brand. So, why not leverage the power of your fan base to help develop content for your website? Invite your customers to contribute!
Whistler Blackcomb is in the process of doing just that. In a recent ad in Pique Newsmagazine http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/pique/index.php?cat=C_Classifieds&content=careers+1745, Whistler Blackcomb advertised “Bloggers Wanted”. In exchange for weekly blog posts about their Whistler Blackcomb experiences, successful bloggers will receive a season pass, VIP access to special events and WB swag. What a great way to engage your fans, develop website content and benefit from 3rd party endorsements!
The goal is to deepen the relationship that customers have with your brand. Putting your customers to work and rewarding them for their efforts is a great way for small businesses to benefit from social media AND save time.
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