No doubt, there is an uncomfortable silence that pervades the blogging world about "IF" and "How Much" bloggers should sell through their blog.
Some try posting small content or image ads on the navigation panels, others try and place the odd link right in with their blog postings while still others look at their blogs as a mere product announcement tool where every post is an explicit message of "Buy This!"
So what works?
How much selling should you do from your blog.
SELLING IN A WEB2.0 WORLD
As someone who has always been fascinated by consumer behavior (actually just behavior in general), the Web2.0 world of communication, community, networking and word-of-mouth marketing clearly brings a rather old concept to the digital world.
In the past, there were two ways someone would hear about my products – one was broadcast such as advertising, joint ventures and viral marketing…OR — through word-of-mouth from someone they trust (a friend, family, someone in their peer group, etc…)
These two methods have always existed, and word-of-mouth has always been a very powerful method of building sales and brand for any marketer.
Now that we have formalized the word-of-mouth approach to marketing into the digital world (beyond the early forums and bbs’s which started the trend), we must place more emphasis on communicating and networking than we would have paid int he past.
SELLING…WELL, E’R, NOT QUITE
It goes without saying that blogging – which is inextricably linked to the Web2.0 world through it’s use of comments, it’s method of RSS (a pull-based information model versus a push such as broadcast email) and it’s link with other Web2.0 infrastructures such as plugins for WordPress that allow users to quickly rate and comment on your blog using Web2.0 sites such as Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit, Myspace, etc…- must take into account the reality of communicating WITH your marketplace rather than AT them.
In other words, don’t "sell" in the traditional sense in every blog post.
But…that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a point to each blog posting that may eventually lead to a sale (In fact in a Web2.0 world these methods are more LIKELY to result in sales that overt sales messages)
For instance, start by always have a purpose for your blog posting that…
1. Is helpful for your readers – sounds simple, but is a good guide to keep frequent posters on the right track…
2. Links back to something for more information – could be a free minicourse, report or article I have or it could be a product that I promote or it could be a partner website that does a good job of offering more detailed information
By focusing on high value with soft-references back to opt-in lists or sales sites, you can actually become PART of the discussion and communication around a topic rather than looking to LEAD your reader…Web2.0 readers do not want to be "led" (at least not explicitly led), rather they want to be part of a discussion where they want to know about things, have a chance to express their opinions and come up with their own decisions.
By understanding the profile of typical readers who come to your blog looking for a place to be informed, but also express their opinions – you can indirectly sell through your blog and be much more successfully than overt selling.
What about you…what are you looking for when you read your favorite blogs?
Do you like to be "sold" to? What are your thoughts on placing sales links or ads on blogs?
Jeff
