Blogs are becoming increasingly more popular in our society.
A blog is a great medium to use to interact with followers and share ideas and
information with others. According to eMarketer, by 2014 over 150 million
Americans will be reading blogs (http:// www.emarketer.com/Articles/Print.aspx?R=1007941). Therefore, it’s important for
brands and companies to use blogs as part of an IMC plan to reach their target audience. But not all
blogs are created equal. There are specific characteristics that characterize
successful blogs. According to Collier (2009), successful blogs publish new
content frequently, maintain a presence on various social sites, write fresh
content, and provide sharing options on social media sites (http://moblogsmoproblems.blogspot.com/2009/04/Secrets-of-top-marketing-and-social.htm).
). I have chosen to review five blogs that interest me and analyze their format
and content to highlight factors that make them successful.
Whole Foods Market blog is a professional blog. Its purpose
is to inform followers about different products, share information about eating
and living healthy, and shares recipes and information about healthy food in
general. The blog is unique because it focuses on eating healthy and showcases
products sold in the store. The blog reflects the brand because its message is
about enjoying a healthy lifestyle by using organic and natural products. Whole
Foods website drives traffic to the blog. The website has rotating headlines
with a link to the blog. Whole Foods also drives traffic to the blog through
its other social media sites, by emails, and by newsletters, which are part of
their IMC plan. Based on Collier’s (2009) characteristics, Whole Foods blog is
successful since it posts new and original content everyday. The blog contains
social share buttons, and readers can connect with the brand on multiple social
networks. Per Young (2011), a successful blog uses pictures and images and
offers solutions (http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/9986.aspx?format=2).
This blog does use images and videos and
gives readers solutions for how to eat healthy.
However, I think the images on the blog could be better quality. I did
not see any outside companies advertising on the blog, but Whole Foods does
showcase products they carry.
Zappos Fashion Culture blog is also a professional blog. The
purpose of the blog is to feature trendy fashion items that are sold at the
online site. It’s a unique blog because its main focus is fashion and giving
customers information about what’s in fashion. The blog reflects the brand
because it is fun, simple, and trendy. It offers a service to its customers by
showcasing different items and fashion trends. The website drives traffic to
the blog, and Zappos does have a IMC plan that includes social media sites,
email, and ads in magazines. People want to read the blog because they are
short, fun, and full of great pictures. Based on Collier’s (2009)
characteristic of a successful blog, this blog is successful since it posts
several times a day, and the content varies from spotlights on new designers
and new brands to fashion tips. According to Young (2011), grabbing the
reader’s attention with interesting headlines is a great tip to use for a
successful blog, and Zappos does this well. An example of a headline that
caught my attention is “Inspired By: Cozy in the City.” The varied content and
great images help make this a successful blog. However, per Collier (2009), a
successful blog has social buttons and options to connect to other sites and
Zappos only has a Facebook button on this blog. Zappos could improve their blog
by including a link to their Twitter account. Zappos advertises the products
they sell on this blog.
Nuts About Southwest is a professional blog. Its purpose is
to inform people about what’s going on inside Southwest Airlines and to
interact with the brand. This blog is unique because it gives readers an inside
view of the company. This blog reflects the brand because it’s funny and
reflects the unique sense of humor that Southwest Airlines projects to its
customers. The Southwest website drives traffic to the blog. The blog is just
one part of their IMC strategy that includes email, social media, TV, etc. They
use SEO to rank high on search engines. People read the blog because it
connects them to the brand. This blog contains many of the characteristics
mentioned by Collier (2009) including new content, original content, social
share buttons, and links to all their social media sites including Luv Letters,
a section with letters from customers. I do think the blog could benefit from
higher quality images and photos. I did not see any advertisers on the blog.
Potential advertisers could include rental car companies or hotels.
Mashable is a news blog that specializes in digital, social
media, business, tech, entertainment, and mobile news. The purpose of the
social media blog is to cover the latest news stores about social media and to
offer information about what’s going on with different social media platforms.
It is a unique blog because it covers the latest developments in social media.
It reflects the brand because it’s informative. Its website drives traffic to
the main blog which offers viewers different content areas to choose from.
Mashable has a presence on all the different social media sites that also
drives traffic to the blog. They also send emails to followers. This blog has
many of the characteristics mentioned by Collier (2009) including posting new
content daily, links to other social media accounts, a presence on the
different social media sites, and options for sharing and receiving content.
Not only do they have great images, videos and interesting headlines, they
interact with their readers by posting questions and requesting comments, all
different tips that Young (2011) recommends to follow to have a successful
blog. In my opinion, this blog isn’t missing anything. Some advertisers on this
blog are Moto X, Seagate Central and Samsung.
Twenty-Something Travel is a semiprofessional blog written
by Stephanie Yoden. Its purpose is to tell the adventures of a young woman who
has decided to make traveling a priority in her life. She wants to let other
people her age know that anyone can choose this kind of lifestyle. The blog is
unique because it’s geared towards people in their twenties who would like to
enjoy traveling while they’re young. Since the blogger is twenty-something and
living out her dream, her site reflects her adventurous spirit. The blogger has
a presence on all the social media sites, which bring traffic to her blog. She
also writes for US Travel on Answers.com. Per Collier (2009), successful blogs
keep content fresh by reviewing products, which this blogger does. On her
September 8 post, she reviews some travel products. She does have social share
buttons, links to her social media sites, and nice images. In my opinion, her
blog could use some videos to provide another form of communication with her
readers. UK Travel Videos advertises on her site.
Blogs are a great way to drive traffic to the website, help
businesses increase their SEO, and share information with customers. Blogs
allow you to communicate with your followers on a more personal level. On other
social media sites, short posts are common. On blogs, you are really able to
share a large amount of information with your followers so they can get to know
your brand or company better.
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