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Everything You Need To Know About Blogs & Blogging

Check Out Our Retail Blog Here

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 How moms spend their time online
[Info-Graphic]
By Shelly Kramer -CEO of V3 Integrated Marketing. A version of this article first appeared on her blog.   

Moms are online—shocking news, right? What's interesting is how moms spend their time on the Internet."Moms are at the center of their family's life offline, so it's little surprise that they're also at the center of many of the biggest trends online as well," according to Nielsen.

A recent Nielsen infographic details "The Digital Lives of American Moms." Some of the statistics I found especially intriguing include:

• The top five family and lifestyle sites for moms are Pinterest, Disney Online, iVillage Network,WebMD and Everyday Health.

• Half of all moms actively participate in social media via mobile devices, compared to 37 percent of the general population.

• Nearly one in three bloggers are moms.

• Moms are 38 percent more likely to become a fan of or follow a brand online.

 - HubSpot
Business Blogging: Essential for Business Reach

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For data freaks like me, statistics on Internet usage are always interesting. What's even more fascinating, however, is how you can apply knowledge like this to your brand or business.

For example, if your brand targets moms, you better be on Pinterest. It's also important to recognize that half of moms access their social networks via mobile devices, which means they're likely consuming content and even making purchase decisions with their phones, too. Is your company's website optimized for mobile? Can you quickly serve up the products and information that digitally savvy moms need?

After all, the infographic shows that nearly 40 percent of moms are likely to become a fan of or follow a brand online. Does your brand have a strong online presence that they can find and engage with? Moms are an audience that's ready to consume, converse and purchase. By making sure your business is visible and active online (with a strong mobile strategy, too) you can better tap into and connect with this forward-thinking group.

Shelly Kramer is the CEO of V3 Integrated Marketing. A version of this article first appeared on her blog.  

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10 Reasons Business Blogging is Better than Facebook 
[Infographic]
Be sure to read my comments below that shows this is true

This Friday’s infographic compares business blogging with Facebook and builds a case as to why blogging is the better marketing strategy.

Now I’m a HUGE Facebook fan myself (especially with the new Timeline!) but if you’re not blogging, you’re missing outon some important business benefits! In addition trying to build your own brand on someone else’s territory is alwaysrisky.

Going by my own experience, here are 10 reasons why business blogging is better than Facebook:


MARCH 23, 2012 BY PATRICIA REDSICKER 24 COMMENTS 

I Can Speak Quantitatively This Is True

Site Stats After Blog Posts

Just my thoughts With The Statistics To PROVE IT!
Bill Napier
Site owner: www.social4retail.com

I started this site on March 27th, 2012 because there wasn't a site that "aggregated - news retailers/brands could use to be relevant in today's wired world". It started very weak....20-30 people/day....UNTIL I started to blog and post other blogs that people sent to me. (Yep, you can send me your content and I'll post it...IF it's relevant!) (Send me your posts to: bill@soical4retail.com)

Look at the image. The image represents this site's statistics. Every time I write/post a blog you will see the spikes. Yesterday I pontificated about how/why  your website is critical to staying in the game and had over 1,000 unique visitors.

My average "unique visitor" count hovers around 120 people a day....BUT when I post a blog that number triples, and sometimes goes up 10 fold.

Every huge spike correlates with a blog post. Go ahead and look at the post dates and the corresponding spikes.

It's rally hard work, to write and be relevant. It's not about blogging everyday, unless you're doing political/economical blogs, it's about "relevant content" and to explain a point of view and give the audience the tools, resources and/or ideas that are/stay relevant.

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"57% of businesses have acquired a customer through their company blog."
Business Blogging as a Critical Too - Hubspot

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By Andre F. Bourque
http://socialmarketingfella.com


Business Blogging as a Critical ToolThere is a wide misconception among SMBs that business blogging is a waste of time.  But realistically, blogs are, and have always been great marketing tools.  When used effectively, an active blog with useful, free content can attract a lot of potential customers.  And in today's web environment with discerning readers and strong filtering tools, a compelling blog article can reach audiences further than direct marketing and traditional advertising practices.  

"57% of businesses have acquired a customer through their company blog." - HubSpot
These are some of the benefits you can expect from managing an effective business blog. 

1.  Industry and Product Authority
Good, consistent, business blogging develops your position and reputation as an expert in your industry.  When you demonstrate your knowledge, experience and expertise on matters related to your industry, you effectively demonstrate your authority to your readers.  And in educating your customers, you are providing a free service, which can generate revenue-generating services with those same customers.   

2.  Facilitating  Two-Way Communication
Blogs also offer a great way to improve your interaction with customers.  This because, while a website is largely one-way communication between a business and its customers, your blog is an interactive channel where your customers read and leave comments .  As a business blog owner, you can engage and feed the dialogue.   Your business blog becomes a medium of conversation on which customers send their voice including problems and suggestions to owners.

3.  SEO: Enhanced Search Engine Ranking
Business blogging can have a big impact on your SEO.  Additionally, it also has the potential to drive traffic from other blogs, websites, RSS feeds and social networks.  In this way, blogging has become more than just a bare necessity for individuals and business, and an integral part of your SEO strategy. 

Collectively, then, there are many benefits to business blogging: 

• Blogging improves your rank on Google and other search engines.
• Blogging helps establish your authority and reputation in your niche.
• Blogging gets tons of new traffic which you can target for your products or divert to your website.
• Blogging helps establish a targeted loyal customer-base which you can tap into in more than one way.
• Blogging helps build your email list as readers often subscribe to your feed or newsletter.
• Blogging helps spread the word about your business or its products.

In conclusion, if you're not blogging, start now. If you're blogging, but not posting regularly several times a week, pick up the pace. If you are, enjoy your future business.  To improve your business blog, or launch a new one, see my list of Essential Blog Widgets. 

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From Imbue Marketing