Every Hosting Company Should Blog More
In working with a number of Cloud and Hosting Providers, I hear the words “Amazon Web Services” uttered quite often. Every provider is quite aware of the presence of AWS in the competitive field and it seems AWS is on everybody’s mind these days.
How do we deal with AWS?
How do we differentiate against AWS?
How do we get our fair share of leads (that would otherwise go to Amzazon?)
I don’t for one minute believe that AWS will ever be a “one size fits all” solution. But that doesn’t make it any easier for the rest of all the hosters out there.
What do you need to do? Well, the answer is differentiate. Or die. And this blog post is about how you can start by simply blogging every week or so.
If you want to be a thought leader in any field, you should have an online presence. If you want to be a thought leader in the hosting field, you must have an online presence. Sure, you may have a Twitter account and a Facebook page, but what will really make you shine on the Internet is a blog. What do blogs offer that social media platforms don’t?
1. It Makes You Visible.
Having a blog will create exposure for your hosting specialities, increase traffic, and improve search rankings. As you produce more and more high quality content, your credibility and visibility online will increase. What does this do? It not only generates qualified leads so you can develop and publish content for your target market, but it can result in new business partnerships that wouldn’t have happened without your business’ increased visibility.
When your prospect is searching for alternatives to AWS, the best way to remain top of mind is to leave your “marketing triggers” throughout the internet. When they search on a specific topic, say hosted desktop, they’ll remember that case study that you wrote in your blog and the advice you gave on this topic.
2. It’s Cheap.
Blogging can significantly reduce overall marketing expenses. Studies have shown that they can decrease costs per lead by between 40% and 62% (over traditional marketing.) So whatever number you believe, it’s darn cost effective. Furthermore, you can use it as an online research tool to monitor the types of feedback you get through the comments. This can prove to be extremely valuable in gaining insight on what your readers like and don’t like. From here, you can use their opinions to guide your company’s strategy. Whether or not your budget is limited, blogging is a must.
Don’t think that you need to write full essays on each blog. Start small and short if needed. Some technical, some not.
3. They Not Only Benefit You, They Benefit Your Target Market.
People don’t want to waste their time being bombarded by uninteresting advertisements and blatant promotions. What they want is information that they can use to better their lives. Where do they get that information? From blogs. (A tweet can only get across so much…) Have something important to say— advice on how to do something, or do something more efficiently, or give a review of something that will peak interest. Educate your audience through your content. If your company offers sound content without the gimmicks, you will gain a following. You provide good content, they provide you with followers. It’s as simple as that.
You know that AWS is not out there giving personalized stories about their customers and offering in-depth details of how the helped their customers succeeded right?
4. By Educating, You’re Building Trust.
Not only will your blog get people hyped up about what you have to say, it put you in an authoritative position. Important people have important things to say. Once you gain a following, you build up trust, which puts you in a very good place. Also, the more you write, the more skills and knowledge you will gain on the subject matter – and helps you be able to communicate those skills to your prospect much more efficiently.
There are literally no downsides to blogging. It not only helps your customers, but makes your online presence more visible, credible, and accessible. You will gain expertise as well. So what are you waiting for? Start blogging now!
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