Earlier this month, Starbucks launched a new Web site. Launching a business Web site is nothing new, but this Starbucks site was established to capture consumer feedback and ideas about how the company should modify itself to perk up its US coffee sales. The comments have rolled in by the hundreds to the MyStarbucksIdea.com.
The site [...]

Creating value is key to an online marketing strategy. Most Web sites are sales pitches, and what’s the value in that? Some businesses look at their Web sites like they’re electronic billboards. You can do that to your Web site if you want to, but the problem with doing that is that once your [...]

Yesterday, I wrote about why small businesses should blog, and said that one of the primary benefits of blogging was the ability to reach specific consumers. Blogging also provides a great opportunity for small businesses because many big competitors don’t take advantage of social media. The opportunity isn’t limited to writing blogs, either. Blog advertising [...]

Business blogging shouldn’t ever be confused with advertising. They’re two different animals with two different goals. The goal of advertising is to raise awareness. The goal of business blogging is to develop a long-term relationship with a consumer based upon an area of mutual interest.
If you’re using your blog like an advertisement, chances are good [...]

Blog promotion can come in a variety of ways. You can promote your blog via directories and catalogs, via links in forums that are related to your subject matter, word-of-mouth in communities that are interested in your business area, and through other blogs.
The Wall Street Journal ran an article yesterday (unfortunately, it’s available only [...]

As you will likely read just about anywhere, blog promotion is such an important aspect of having a blog.  Getting your blog out into cyberspace for all potential customers to read and enjoy is a step closer to getting more business.  But once it is out there, how do you know how well it is [...]

I ran across an interesting blog post about the value of blogging. The post is from Rick Spence, a marketer and blogger in Canada. Although his post is long, it’s worth the time to read it. He details why business blogging is so effective and what it will and won’t do for [...]

I’ve started my Christmas shopping online and it is my goal not to step inside a single brick and mortar store this holiday season. I imagine that there are millions of consumers who are going to go the same route. Are we going to find your e-commerce site or are we going to find your [...]

Looking at this recent report about online car buyers brings back memories of my father who sold cars for a living. Dad would have been a huge fan of blog marketing.

One in five in-market consumers surveyed - approximately 20 percent - said they would likely to buy a vehicle over the internet if such a [...]