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Branding Tips - Blogs are good.

Blogs help your business on multiple levels. First off, valuable content on
a consistent basis will make you look like an expert. People are looking for
experts, not apprentices. The software that powers blogs has multiple
advantages. It's very easy to publish. It's a database driven environment
where style is separate from content so you will not need to go back to your
web design agency for every little change. And use of tags and sitemaps make
basic search engine optimization easy. But the real reason blogs are great
is that they enable conversation. Two-way dialog is much more valuable than
a company that just dumps messaging and collateral on their customers.

Blogs are good, but they're just one tool. A blog should not be your sole
marketing strategy. You should have a comprehensive multi-touch marketing
plan to get your value proposition in front of your target audience. This
can take many forms. You can launch a direct mail campaign, email campaign,
host a webinar, sponsor a local event, attend a trade show, attend
networking events, cold call prospects, win awards, etc. There are a
thousand different ways for you to be noticed. You have to find the best
combination of methods for your strategic goals. Data shows that people need
to be exposed to a brand at least seven times before they buy. If you simply
do one touch and stop, you're wasting valuable budget dollars and probably
wondering why your efforts are not successful.

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