I've been trying to find a new briefcase for work. My intent was to purchase a really nice one -- like Tumi quality because I keep buying cheapos that look nice and then fall apart in a few months. Except I didn't want a Tumi because...well, I just don't like their styles all that much.So what did I do, given that I knew exactly what I wanted, just didn't know who to buy it from?
I searched. I typed in "best women's black leather briefcase." Talk about being a dream prospect. I used a lot of descriptive keywords to indicate exactly what I was looking for.
Okay, so of course you're wondering what my briefcase dilemma has to do with you.
Well, as a marketer, I'm guessing this is the biggest problem on your hands.
You want people to find you. You want people to find you online. And you want people who don't know a bit about your company or brand to be able to find you online.
What you may not realize is that starting a business blogging program can help you solve this problem. Taking it a step further, a blogging solution like Compendium Blogware will help you target hundreds or even thousands of terms that have something to do with your company.
Believe it or not, people are going online and looking for the products and services you provide every day. They aren't necessarily looking for your company, your website, or your company blogs, but they are asking for something you can help them with.
Yet how satisfied and happy would they be if they did their search, found a result titled exactly what they were looking for, and clicked through to find a blog featuring friendly, educational content generated by several people within your company, and a way to act upon exactly what they are looking for, whether if be making the purchase directly from the blog or just requesting more info?
I'll end this with 2 things:
1. A really relevant quote from William Flatz of Avenue A/Razorfish
“People don't go to Web sites anymore. Web sites come to them. This is, perhaps, the best way to explain the impact of search on the online experience.”
2. My briefcase outcome. After picking through countless websites for places like LeatherTree.com, I decided that I'd had enough and went straight to Target, where I spent $30 on a new briefcase. Sigh. Briefcase retailers, are you out there? It's time to start blogging.


Posted by: Andrew Hull on Monday, August 18, 2008
Ali- I can totally relate. I spend years with my trusted Brenthaven bag - www.brenthaven.com. The bag was bullet proof. However, I finally found one that wasn't black and just as reliable - www.filson.com The amazing thing about this story (because the Filson bag is really geared towards men, definately not women so I can't help you out) is the ongoing traffic I have to my personal blog for people searching on both Filson and/or Brenthaven. I couldn't believe it. Filson and Brenthaven are getting hundreds of referrals from me...blogs are powerful and the word-of-mouth impact is huge. http://fatherhoodandbeyond.wordpress.com/2008/06/27/filson-versus-brenthaven/ Keep up the good work. I know more and more coporations will learn how to create effective blogs and even more importantly, how to engage bloggers. Andrew Hull