The Electronic, Dynamic, Interactive Business Card: Do You Have One?

I’ve been talking to some friends who own small businesses recently and they all wonder what this whole blogging thing is all about. And when I start to explain, I inevitably start describing all the benefits of blogging and end up likening it to an electronic, dynamic, interactive business card. Of course, it’s much more than that, but it’s a great starting point for a fun conversation about blogging and marketing.

As it turns out, even though those of us who blog take it mostly for granted, the vast majority of people have still never heard of blogging (don’t gasp so loudly, you’ll hurt yourself!) or still consider it as novel as email once was just a few short years ago. Because of this, it’s not unusual for me to start at the very beginning when explaining.

Of course, my response to anyone asking about a blog is to suggest that if they’re serious about building their business and serious about creating a fantastic platform for interacting with friends and customers, they need a blog yesterday.

So i have started to use the business card metaphor and offer the following reasons why blogging is like a super charged business card, only far better and why it will be a big part of succeeding in small business (I believe) as we move forward.

A business card lets you quickly give someone your contact info.A blog has your contact information and far more constantly available 24 hours a day. And you can’t lose a blog the same way you might lose a business card.A business card is a reminder of a conversation you might have had.A blog IS the conversation you had, saved and stored and searchable online for future reference. Not only that, the conversation is bigger by far than a one-to-one telephone or email conversation since it involves potentially anyone who stops by and has an interest in joining in.A business card is a way of developing brand awareness using color, logography and short, pithy tag lines.A blog is a way of creating more than just brand awareness, it allows your customers to help you define your brand in an ongoing conversation about your mutual needs and interests.A business card is an impersonal pointer back to your business.A blog IS your business and it’s a humanized and honest invitation to be a part of creating powerful solutions. A blog creates an immediate opportunity for interaction on a personal and individual level whereas a business card is just a reminder of such a potential opportunity.

Of course there are some stretches here and some may argue that it’s silly of me to try to compare a business card with a blog, but I felt it was important to attempt to draw whatever parallels I could since so many people can relate to one and not the other. (Me? Silly? That’s unpossible!) A blog is also a heck of a lot more work than designing, printing and handing out a business card, but the rewards are orders of magnitude beyond anything a simple business card will get you.

If you want to maximize your marketing effectiveness, you will obviously want, not only a blog and a business card, you will, of course, have a business card with the address of your blog on it!

A blog is a powerful means of getting the word out about the ongoing nature of your business. It’s a calling card on the Internet, a tireless brand builder, and a marvelous conversation starter. If you haven’t figured out how important I think it is for you to have a blog, then please let me know so I can jump up and down and wave my arms while singing the happy blogger song . . . no, no, wait, I mean, seriously, what i meant to say is this: A blog is a critical part of your business and a fantastic way to open the lines of communication and create more transparency. If you don’t have a blog yet, stop wandering around in the dark and flip on the light!

If you would like more information about the benefits of blogging and why you should have a blog, have a look at a few of the resources I found while researching this post.

The Social Customer Manifesto

Small Businesses and Blogging

10 Great Strategic Benefits of Blogging

Small Business Blogging (advice)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! 11 Responses to “” jamy Says:
March 5th, 2008 at 11:23 am

Great post. Stumbled.

jamy’s last blog post..Old and broke.

Kerry D. Friesen, M.D. Says:
March 6th, 2008 at 12:45 am

Ahhhhh! I finally get it. I mean I thought I knew what blogging was all about….but now I “know”.
I love this concept…this is a great concept. More of this please!

Kerry D. Friesen, M.D.’s last blog post..Brain Bliss: What’s Empathy Got To Do With It?

Zack Says:
March 6th, 2008 at 7:31 am

Hi Jamy, thanks for stopping by, and thanks for the stumble!

Zack Says:
March 6th, 2008 at 9:42 pm

You bet, Kerry! Thanks for commenting and I’ll see about more stuff in this vein . . . oh yeah, pun intended

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