Most business is NOT internet marketing. For your normal bricks-and-mortar operation, the web site is just one tool of many, and blogging can seem like supplementary activity of questionable value.
In reality, the evidence is mounting that blogging and effective use of social media can reap huge benefits to every kind of business. Often, though, these benefits are incremental, with a large upfront of invested time that shows no immediate return.
There is one aspect of the social media world that can deliver instant and extraordinary value: research. The fact is, your clients, prospects, competitors and influencers are out there in the blogosphere and social media sites. And they are spilling the beans. They are telling the world what they love, what they hate, what they know, what they don’t and how they buy.
All that priceless information is yours for free. You just have to know how to listen. I’ve started a project of developing a “social listening” protocol and would welcome all and any ideas on this rich topic.
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I am finding that blogs are definitely great for the research aspect, especially if you search them by category. It’s pretty astonishing that any information pertaining to your business it is available instantly at your fingertips.
Google Alerts is great. I have about 20 alerts with all my competitors personal names and business names, as well as my own to keep track of my own buzz.