I got a comment recently from Jacqueline who mentioned that she had no problem marketing other people’s products and services but lacked in marketing her own. Since I am actually planning on talking about this subject with local business owners, I figured I might as well start practicing here.
Personal or business blog.
Blogs are a huge tool in marketing you or your product. People are waking up to this fact every day. The last I heard, and I am sure it’s higher now, 175,000 new blogs are started every day. That is a huge number, but when compared to the 2-3 billion people using the Internet, it is a drop in the bucket.
A blog is a tool as much as it is a platform for you to share with others. The best part about a blog is the way you can share your thoughts, experiences, business ideas and products. 10 years ago when you had a product idea you would send out questionnaires or fliers to ask what people’s needs were and what they wanted in a product. Now you can pretty much Google whatever you are looking for and find a forum, message board, Yahoo answers or videos talking about your subject. In a matter of a few minutes you can get a good pulse of what people’s needs and wants are. With a blog, you could add a poll or ask for responses to get your answer.
Just like the winner always writes the history books, so does a blogger. You can present yourself however you want, including being completely anonymous. I would highly recommend being a real person that others can relate to as the preferred method of communicating. You can always paint the picture however you want when it comes to you or your business, but down the road someone might call you out on it if you are not truthful.
A place to connect to others.
One of the best ways to market your product is to generate leads and sales without having to pay for advertising. This is done a lot easier online and especially in the blogosphere. Frequently, I offer to give back to my readers because I appreciate when they link to my blog and tell others about me without being asked. This is why I will in return post links, give free things away, subscribe to others RSS, answer question or anything else I can make time for (I wish I could do more).
There is a big sense of reciprocity online and among fellow bloggers that says, “I will scratch your back if you scratch mine.” This is of course equal to the amount of time and effort you put into your online persona. All of this connectivity and networking comes to play when you develop a product or idea you would like to share (sell) with others.
Steve Pavlina’s blog was the first blog I ever read. I learned a lot from his blog on personal development that eventually lead me to quit my job and start my own business. Recently, he wrote a book and it is set to release next month. He offered to give everyone a free copy of his new book a month ahead of time in return for a review. Steve is not asking people to sugar coat the book but to be truthful and honest in their assessments. You can even include your own Amazon affiliate link, possibly profiting from a free book that very few people have read. I signed up and am waiting for my copy to arrive in the mail. I volunteered to review his book because I believe it will have some great content that I can share with others. I will also gladly post the review here, because I have received a lot of value from his posts and feel it is the least I can do. Talk about a great marketing idea. Steve is probably going to spend $0 on marketing simply because he connected with his audience and added value to their lives.
Establish trust.
As you begin and maintain your relationship online and off line, you build a level of trust that is in essence like a line of credit. Your patrons and visitors subconsciously extend you a line of personal credit on the assumption you will continue doing what you have established. Everything we do as a friend, employee, consumer, producer and individual is based on assumptions, (thank you Bill for the explanation).
We all make assumptions that a product will be on time, that we can get gas at the gas station, that when a friend tells us something we can count on it. Assumptions are what lead and build up trust. Sometimes we assume too much and we learn the hard way or visa versa. As you build your trust and network, people will assume that you will do what you say and say what you do (that is if you are doing it right). When I place an ad on my site for a product or share with you a new service I launch, I assume you have enough trust in me to at least check that product out. You on the other hand assume that I won’t screw you by presenting a product as something it is not.
Like jugglers on a tightrope, things can go wrong in a hurry with trust and assumptions. The key is to be open and truthful. In the end, that will carry you through even when you make mistakes. The one think I have learned the most about working online is when a mistake is made it is far, FAR, better to admit fault and make amends than to try and lie or sugar coat something (everyone makes mistakes, we are all human). When it is all said and done, things are quickly forgotten when addressed properly.
Instill confidence.
You are on the mission to instill confidence in yourself and others. When the proper level of confidence is reached, you have opened a door to reap what you sow. It is not to be said that at that point it is ok to take advantage of people, but you can successfully sell services and products under the assumption you are doing it openly. There is no set rule of where that line of confidence is, only that there is a point where enough exchange has gone on to prove yourself to others.
The best comparison I know would be the business of White’s Boots. For years this company has stood behind their product 110%. At anytime you can go in and get your boot resoled for practically no cost and know it will last another 5-10 years. I know some retired people that have had the same boots since they were in their teens. You know what? I can promise you that they have told their friends and family about their love for those boots and the service that stands behind them.
Be their solution.
Because of the nature of a blog, people are able to open the doors of communication like never before. You can Google blogs by CEO’s and see that many of the heads of huge international companies are taking up blogging. If you come across one of those blogs and feel like sharing your thoughts about a product or service, you can. You don’t have to contend with any security guards or annoying secretary (not that all are annoying). You could go to the comment section and leave your thoughts knowing that someone important will probably read it.
If that important person is you, what a great opportunity to allow the rivers of word of mouth marketing to flow. Let’s say my confidence in a product was shaken. If I shared my disappointment with the CEO of that company, and in turn the CEO offered to remedy that experience, I would probably use that product for life knowing that they really did care about me. After all, the end user is the bottom line in business.
I hope that this gave a loose sense of ways to market yourself online. There is no cut and clear path to determine what successful online marketing is, it depends on what you want. All said and done, blogging is a great way to market yourself personally and a great tool to give, share and better those you would like to work for.
Next on the tools every blogger must have is the 
