mariare Say that 10 times fast. Business blogging is still an exceptional opportunity for lead generation, search optimization, and community building. It is also one of the most frequently misused online marketing strategies implemented by businesses. Perhaps a disconnect from realizing social (of which blogging is a big part) is fundamentally different than traditional advertising.
Mumbo-Jumbo Jargon
Write for your customer, not your ego. Pompous, inflated vocabulary is unnecessary and more harmful than good. Speak the language of your customer in your writing. Speak to them, not at them–big difference.
Sneaky Selling
I’ve recently became uninterested in a so-called expert in my field (digital marketing) because he has used sneaking selling that I’m sure he thought was subtle and genius. Hiding redirects, cloaking links, redirecting for sales… lame and each is not nearly worth the trust you lose in the process.
Ghost Writing
While not a universal blunder for all business–the smaller and more local you are the worst this can play for you. There is a unique connection that is built between customer and business when you are truly engaging them directly… not just creating content for content’s sake.
I know many of marketers and those who profit from content creation services will eagerly disagree. In my extensive experience, the benefit has consistently not been worth the trade-off.
Obsessive Moderation
You have little or no control on the social web. The same is also true on properties you control. Never, ever, ever try to control the voice of your customer–you will lose every, single time. Negative comments and feedback are an opportunity to separate the men from the boys (women/girls too) in customer experience. You’ll earn more respect by facilitating, rather than hindering them.
The list could go on and on… these are definitely prominent in my travels across the blogosphere and the easiest to fix.
