Blogs are often left out of social media service listings. Despite their similar design, communications format and networking potential, the vast majority of self-proclaimed social media ‘experts’ exclude blogs from their social media portfolio.
Of course, blogs share numerous similarities with the top social media websites of today. From communications similarities to self-built communities, bloggers are just as active in social media as anyone else, even if they do not speak outside their blog. After looking carefully at the many similarities between blogs and social media platforms, we have come to one conclusion: they are the same.
Don’t believe it’s true? Check out these four reasons and decide for yourself. Blogs are a powerful social media marketing platform, but by not being incorporated into social media marketing plans, almost all of their value is being left untouched.
1. Blogs let people connect.
The oft-spoken top value of social media is that it lets people ‘connect’. From Twitter to Facebook, Myspace to Ning, the hundreds of social media services out there are designed solely with one goal in mind: bring people together.
Sure, some do it through photos like Flickr; others do it through profiles like Facebook. The shared characteristic is that entire services are based around connections, just like blogs are. Social media marketing is not limited to services — a self-hosted blog can be just as much of a social media asset as a popular Facebook fan page.
2. Blogs integrate with other social media platforms.
A blog post is not just a service; it is a marketing currency. With the right combination of Wordpress plugins, every post can spread like wildfire through the blogging community. Add a ‘Tweet This!’ button to the bottom of your company blog and encourage people to use it. With enough interest, you might just find that your social media marketing ROI shoots up as a result of renewed interest in your blog.
3. Blogs expand on social media micro-services.
Twitter is difficult to describe and define. To some people it is a micro-blogging tool, while to others it is a communications platform similar to an instant messenger. However you see Twitter, the most important point is the same: it is a simplified form of blogging.
While blogging is often too long-form for effective viral marketing, it is unwise to discount and disregard it as a marketing tool altogether. As an expanded social media marketing asset, a great blog is worth its weight in gold.
4. Blogs are the new profiles.
A couple of years ago, a Myspace profile dished out all the information that your audience could possibly want to know. Now, they are as irrelevant as can be — swept up in the next move towards ultra-detailed content.
Instead of allowing profiles, Twitter encourages users to link to their blogs. Blogs are the new profile — they offer an expanded version of what social media can spread. Instead of marketing to visitors in your social media stream, why not lure them in with great social media content and market using your blog?
Written by Andrea Kalli
EMAIL Andrea.
Andrea Kalli is the owner of Andrea Kalli Virtual Trainer and Assistant, LLC, the Productivity Club, and the Small Business Podcast Directory. Her focus is on Internet and Social Media Marketing, Creating Wordpress Websites and Blogs, Keyword Research and SEO, Product Launch Support, Content Management and Repurposing, and Audio and Video Editing.
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