Inc. Magazine: blogs effective marketing tool for small business owners

Inc. Magazine reports on one small business owner who has rode a blog to a world wide reputation.

Lawyers can learn from another small business owner they should put their money and time into a blog as opposed to more expensive methods of marketing:

For a guy who runs an ad agency, Jim Coudal doesn’t spend much on marketing. His 13-year-old Chicago company, Coudal Partners Inc., has never purchased a print ad, mounted a direct-mail campaign, or produced an infomercial. Yet each week, some 12,000 people — many of them potential customers — flock to the company’s website.

Inc. explains blogs deliver the elements small business owners should be seeking in a marketing tool:

…blogging is perfect for small businesses — a cheap and easy way to communicate directly with customers, partners, and clients, craft a strong, outspoken online personality, and escape the doldrums of static homepages. “Before blogs, it was difficult for small companies to afford a way to stay in touch with their customers. Now they can,” says marketing consultant Jack Trout. “It’s a great marketing tool.”

As blogging lawyers have been saying, it’s their reputation that rises with a blog:

Coudal’s eight employees take turns posting to the blog, which is updated twice a day. The blog has transformed a small, eight-person ad boutique into a hub for design aficionados worldwide. “It’s been great for our reputation,” says Coudal.

And of course, Inc. supports what we love most about blogs:

…the best thing about blogs is how easy they are to create. Leading software providers like Blogger (which was recently acquired by Google), Movable Type , Trellix , and Userland make it easy to set one up. And updating usually requires little more than typing into a field and hitting “Send.”

Finally, Inc. tells us what I found out very quickly:

You’ll be surprised at how fast word travels in the blogosphere. Once it’s up and running, let your customers know about your blog and what it offers. Strangers will generally stumble onto a blog through word of mouth or search engines such as Google. You can also make contact with other bloggers and arrange to share links. If your blog is regularly updated and entertaining, you’ll be surprised at how fast word travels in the blogosphere. Design-oriented blogs, for example, love linking to Coudal.com, providing the company a steady stream of new visitors.