Blogs and Content: The Oil That Lubes the Machine

| Posted: 13-12-2007 | Comments: 0 | Views: 10 | Rating: (52)

(?)

Whether you love them, hate them or simply ignore them, the reality is that blogs are here to stay.

No longer are blogs restricted to personal online journals published for friends and family. Blogs are big business and are used by big business to enhance the companies that run them. There are quite a few blogs out there netting in the millions of dollars every year.

This phenomenon just seems to keep snow-balling and picking up speed.

Forum sites, for example, are often affiliated many blog sites; all inter-linked and mutually supportive of one another. Of course, the goals of many of those sites and blogs is not to make money except through residual advertising to offset the time and expense of running them.

The potential is there and limitless, however, to make a killing through this medium of communication. Where else can you publically market, sell, ship and deliver your wares to a world-wide market for virtually no overhead? For about $300/year you can run a large variety of web sites, blogs and e-commerce sites that reach a global market. If you can reach and sell to 1/10,000th of that market, you will be living pretty high up on the hog. All done from the privacy of your home or off your mobile laptop.

There are probably as many marketing strategies to build a successful blog as there are blogs. The Internet is rife with sites that do nothing but teach you how to be a better, more successful blogger. I have reviewed several hundred of these sites and I have found what I believe to be the common core secret to them all. It's so simple and obvious that a lot of people just overlook it.

People don't visit blogs to look at all the pretty colors and flashing lights or hear the bells ring and whistles blow. They come because they are in search of content; the meat and potatoes.

Imagine, if you will, a fine five-star restaurant you have stumbled upon. They've had a cancellation and usher you in to be seated right away. Pretty good so far, eh? A whole staff of servants waits on you and flutters about while you wait on your menu. It finally arrives in the hands of a smiling server and you open it and are immediately perplexed!

It only offers one thing: PB&J Sandwich - $40.00 ($50 w/chips and a drink).

My guess is you would lose whatever appetite you had and let your feet do the talking as you headed for the door!

Blogs, or any other website for that matter, need to offer up the 'meat and potatoes' if they want return customers. And the way you do that is by offering a variety fine, delectable treats that they can't wait to be served - each and every trip.

To sell something to anyone, you first have to get them inside your shop. Window dressing may catch their eye and get them to peep inside, but if they view empty shelves and cobwebs, chances are they will never be back again. You failed to offer the incentive to return.

If there is one truth in the business world, it is this:

"It is often very hard to gain customers, but it's almost impossible to get them back once you've lost them."

Content. That is the secret thread that holds all successful online sites together. It is no easy task writing good, effective web content, but it can be done with a little study and good practices.

Many writers' forums are available across the Internet to develop these skills in authors wishing to write articles for marketing. Blogs with good, well written articles and web content gets much attention and use. It is the wave of the future in all manner of commerce, whether you are selling a product, service or even yourself (as a writer). If you are looking to learn or improve upon your skills in this area, find a good writer's forum to tutor you along the way.

Rate this Article:

Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).

Article Tags: Article Marketing, Blogs, Writing, Articles, Content, Web Content, Writers Forums

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/article-writing-articles/blogs-and-content-the-oil-that-lubes-the-machine-281341.html

Print article

Send to friend

Publish this Article

Author feedback

About the Author:

Mike is a freelance writer and entrepreneur. Learn more about writing successful articles at Appalachian Writer's Forum. Read an assortment of work from Appalachian Writers.

Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free!

Article Comments

Add new Comment

Writing Articles For The Web - Build Your Income Fast
By: Angela Booth | 23/05/2008 | Writing
If you enjoy writing, you can build a highly profitable home business just by writing articles for the Web. Although I'm a writer, I buy articles, and so do most other businesses which operate online. Why are articles popular as Web content? Simply because the more content a Web site...

How to Write Your Way to Traffic and Sales
By: Brian Stocker | 19/05/2008 | Article Writing
Tips and advice on creating a content site to increase traffic and sales.

Advertising Your Website or Blog
By: Joe Hunley | 28/03/2008 | Online Promotion
Promoting your Website or Blog does not have to be a Big Headache. Stick with the Basics, and one step at a time, will yield results.

Getting Free Website Content From the Internet
By: Tom Roberts | 24/06/2008 | Blogging
Aside from the design, the other thing that can attract the interest of possible clients to your site is the website content. If you started setting up your website with the design and the lay-out and you are still waiting to get some and high quality content that is fresh and interesting as well as original, then there are ways to get it in the shortest time possible.

Successful Content Sites for Increased Traffic and Sales
By: Brian Stocker | 10/04/2008 | SEM
Content sites are a great soft-sell strategy for increasing sales and attracting targeted traffic.

4 Free Link Building Techniques for Amateur Web Site Owners
By: Paul Docherty | 12/01/2008 | SEO
Having made the bold and somewhat reckless decision to try and help get a small website off the ground recently, I was forced to research techniques for promoting a website for free. I'd never done this before but I've since found a few simple ways of building good links across the internet to a website (backlinks) without spending any money.

Content Is Still King
By: Brian Stocker | 02/04/2008 | SEO
Is content still king? Is SEO dead?

Unique Content: What Should You Keep in Mind About Unique Content?
By: Ujwala Bapat | 29/04/2008 | Internet Marketing
Find how putting unique content on your website can be uniquely fruitful. You can create long term search engine optimization with unique content.

Got a Question? Ask.

Ask the community a question about this article:

Frequently Asked Questions

WHO is Chelle Cordero?
By: EMTMommy | 30-06-2008
WHO is Chelle Cordero?

How to remove caffeine from black tea at home ...
By: Dr Murtaza | 30-06-2008
how to remove caffeine from black tea at home itself ?is seeping for 30 seconds in boiling water enough??

Qualification statement
By: Adriana | 19-06-2008
I have to write 5 qualification statements for a leadership program offered at my job (government), and I am completely blocked, I don't even know how to start. I know once I get started I'll be fine. Help?!

How do you write a letter requesting money for ...
By: jane | 10-06-2008
how do you write a letter requesting money for flowers to send to the family because of a death?

Writing workshop for summer
By: Molly | 08-06-2008
I am looking for a writing workshop for college and older interesting in improving their creative writing skills over the summer - in the LA or Orange County area

If i am applying to a university even before ...
By: grishma16 | 08-06-2008
If i am applying to a university even before taking the GRE and TOEFL, can i expect to receive any information from the university's end stating whether i am elligible for admission or not ?

Q&A Powered by:

Latest Article Writing Articles

Writing Articles for Your Blog!
By: Sonia Colon | 05/07/2008
Writing articles for your blog is an important part of the entire blog process.

Stereotype and Reality: the Fearsome and Mythical Creature Known as Otaku
By: Barry Zou | 03/07/2008
Otaku is a Japanese term to refer to people with an obsession in their hobbies and interests and at the present its particularly used for people who love anime and manga. As far as stereotype goes, the otaku has always had a bad reputation and this article is to clear some things up....

Writing:9 Grammatical Myths Unplugged
By: azvicdev | 02/07/2008
The use of many words or terms have been constrained by the belief that they are grammatically incorrect. What are some of these words?

Article Writing - How to Attract Massive Page Views
By: jomark3@verizon.net | 02/07/2008
Discover how to attract massive page views.

Freelance Journalist UK
By: Anant Paul | 01/07/2008
Experienced UK based freelance journalists who writes content for business, sports, IT, property websites.

The Land is Green…………, But With Much Foul
By: OLUMUYIWA AYODELE | 29/06/2008
It is all about africans mentality, their attitude towards difficulties and most especially the way and manners of the African leaders towards the citizenry. No mercy, no plan, no vision, fainted objectives and epileptic results.

It's Only a Little Ole' Modifier
By: Lee Woods | 29/06/2008
Watch out, those modifiers can fool you. Choose the right ones, and put them next to the words you want them to modify.

10 Ways to Improve Your Writing
By: Tammie Allen | 27/06/2008
Have you ever wondered why some people write with ease while others struggle to think of one word? Before perfecting your writing, think about what it is that you enjoy and are passionate about.

More from Mike Lawson

The Best Kept Secret Going: Online Retail Stores For Sale
By: Mike Lawson | 08/06/2008 | Business Opportunities
Finding the best retail store for sale that fits your needs and personality is often quite a challenge. There are most often a lot of variables at play in your decision making process with the main ones being: time, money and goals.

So Really, What Makes a Good Article?
By: Mike Lawson | 15/04/2008 | Internet Marketing
Writing good articles for the Internet is important for improving your page rank on Google. This will bring targeted customers directly to your website.

Why PLR Articles are Useless
By: Mike Lawson | 15/04/2008 | Article Writing
You won't find PLR, or private right label articles, at custom article writing services. The reason PLR articles aren't being pushed anymore is because they are useless. Learn what works instead.

How to Engage Your Audience with Good Articles
By: Mike Lawson | 15/04/2008 | Article Writing
The key to engaging your audience is keeping your focus. The first thing you want to do when you start a new article is focus on your topic until you have a very specific set of keywords to focus on. By providing the service with keywords and a title for your custom articles, you'll guide the writer on how to effectively engage your audience.

How to Find and Hire a Good Writer
By: Mike Lawson | 03/04/2008 | Writing
A good custom article writer is invaluable to helping you promote your business. There are plenty of good writers out there, but you have to be willing to pay enough for their services. This article takes a look at how to find and hire a good writer.

Basic Concepts to Help You Improve Your Writing Skills
By: Mike Lawson | 11/10/2007 | Non-Fiction
Basic writing skills.

Capturing Your Target Audience
By: Mike Lawson | 11/10/2007 | Non-Fiction
It's a hard task to catch the eye of your target audience. Statistics show you have about fifteen seconds to lock their attention in or lose them. But there is a simple solution.

Article Categories

Article Marketing

Article Notepad

Stop Duplicate Content

Term Papers

Need Help?

Sign up for our email newsletter

Receive updates, enter your email below

Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Free Articles by ArticlesBase.com, All rights reserved. (0.55, 18)

Blogs and Content: The Oil That Lubes the Machine

Article Comments

Related Articles

Got a Question? Ask.

Latest Article Writing Articles

More from Mike Lawson

Need Help?

Site Links

Webmasters

Business Info

Sign up for our email newsletter