Blogs: A Waste of Small Biz Owners Time?
By Walt Goshert on Jan 16, 2008 in Marketing Tools
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Gene Marks,CPA, Business Week contributing writer, last week blasted ten “Tech Solutions Your Small Biz Can’t Use”
Small business owners, stay away from blogs? A free communication tool that allows you to build community with your prospects and clients…
(NOTE: Ironically, Gene Marks,CPA wrote the Business Week article… on a freaking B-L-O-G…, owns the Marks Group, which sells customer relationship services… and… last but not least… pens the popular Penny Pincher’s Almanac and shares his Penny Pinching advice at pennypinchingtips.com.)
Hey Gene, wanna see a real live no-cost, down-and-dirty blog solution for a real live small business?
Here’s a small business blog I set up in about 15 minutes for my client in Phoenix, REZ Management.
Nothing fancy. It simply uses Windows.Live.Spaces to communicate project activity on a kitchen remodel.
Result: One ecstatic homeowner. One tickled-pink Designer. Six additional projects referred from the homeowner and Designer to REZ.
Gene Marks,CPA…
Shut Up.
Go back to pinching pennys and counting beans. You don’t know crap about shoestring marketing for small businesses.
Popularity: 10% [?]
6 Comment(s)
By
Zack
(Check me out!) on Jan 18, 2008 | Reply
Walt,Every small business owner I talk to about blogging is very excited to hear it. When I mention the possibilities and ease of setup and simple interface for posting, they practically start drooling in anticipation.It’s probably the fastest way to get a site up and running for someone who doesn’t have one, and, as you mentioned, a powerful way to build community and create transparency with your customers for those who are already online and need something more than a brochure-ware site.If used properly, I believe blogs build trust and I can’t think of anything more important for a small business to be building (besides a fantastic product, or solution, of course
).Thanks!-Zack
By
Walt Goshert
(Check me out!) on Jan 18, 2008 | Reply
Hey Zack,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Yeah, I think blogs are a small business “no-brainer”.
Unfortunately, some trusted established small business advisers have vested interests in traditional interruption advertising …or, they simply don’t understand the very fundamentals of marketing.
One basic marketing fundamental is to know and understand what your market wants, how they think, what they believe, and how they buy. If you can’t figure out how to use a free, community building tool such as a blog to accomplish this, you’re a marketing moron.
Who else has ideas and thoughts about practical blogging for small businesses?
By
Walt Goshert
(Check me out!) on Jan 18, 2008 | Reply
Here’s another thought… actually Seth Godin’s take… on the new content/client relationship marketing landscape.
Walt
By
Jollyjo
(Check me out!) on Jan 20, 2008 | Reply
I think Gene must be living in another world entirely. I am tempted not read what he has to say but let’s see!
By
Jollyjo
(Check me out!) on Jan 20, 2008 | Reply
There are some points to consider there but as I posted, I smell a bait to link all over the post.
By
Walt Goshert
(Check me out!) on Jan 20, 2008 | Reply
JJ,
Yeah…perhaps Gene’s piece is a link bait, but I don’t have to agree with him.
Some marketing lessons require connecting the dots in your own head…