Generating buzz for your small business is an important part of marketing your company. After all, if consumers don’t know about your business, they can’t exactly support it. There are plenty of ways to get the word out from advertising and direct mailers to corporate blogging and social media marketing.
Now, corporate blogging is a good way to get your small business in front of the eyes of those search engines, but one of the best ways to attract attention from your ideal clients or customers is to get others blogging about what you offer. There are a few ways to accomplish this, and — as you will see — some are clearly better than others.
Connect with Review Bloggers in Your Industry or Niche
Plenty of impartial reviewers would be willing to write about your product, provided you offer a sample for review purposes. When you find a potential review site, contact the writer to see what you can work out.
However, before you fill out that contact form or write that email, beware of offending site owners. Don’t waste their time by asking for a review of a product that does not fit in their blogging niche. And don’t ask non-review sites for reviews unless you have developed a relationship with the site owner. Bloggers are bombarded daily with irrelevant requests for reviews and promotions by inconsiderate online public relations types. Don’t be one of those people.
Be an Event Sponsor
Another way to get mentions on blogs is through event sponsorship. When someone hosts a contest, online event, or special giveaway, consider providing financial backing or prizes. In return, your small business can generate interest through advertising and social media mentions.
The trick is to find events that will draw the attention of your ideal customers. Event hosts often post Facebook announcements or Tweets about the businesses that supported their special events as a way of saying thank you to their sponsors and advertisers, generating even more buzz about your small business.
Do Something Great
When your business does something outstanding, you have the potential to get everyday bloggers talking about who you are and what you do. The only way to get this type of exposure is to do something great consistently for each and every one of your customers so that you earn the reputation of being a great company. We all know that people are more likely to blog about bad experiences, so you’ve got your work cut out for you if you want to generate this type of blogging buzz.
Make Your Customers Mad
As previously mentioned, it’s easy to get negative attention online. Frustrated clients who are looking for revenge have often used blogging as a means to seek justice. I probably don’t need to say this, but you should avoid this at all costs. A bad reputation can severely damage your bottom line, and reputation management can be costly to implement. Your best bet in avoiding the wrath of bloggers is to provide a valuable product or service and back it up with the best possible customer service.
Now it’s your turn to brainstorm. How else can you get others blogging about your small business?