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Are You Maximizing Your Product Blog?
Written by Allen Stern - March 24, 2008
If you are venturing into the startup world, one of the best marketing tools for your new product or service can (and should) be your company blog. Creating a product-only blog is easy. The key is to create a blog that isn't only pushing the product or service but rather focuses on a combination of marketing plus knowledge. By effectively using a blog, you can increase awareness, drive trial and increase loyalty rates. Content outside of product information can drive links and new visitors.
Here are several companies who have this mix mastered:
- Compete - mixes analytical industry data with Compete product charts
- Dogster - mixes a good deal of technical Web information plus promotional information
- Freshbooks - provides product updates with customer insights
- Geezeo - mixes product updates with consumer financial industry information
- AdaptiveBlue - offers technical industry insight along with product updates
- Assembla - a bit heavy on the product side, but offers Web team building information
Please add other company blogs that pair great industry insights plus marketing information.
Our Partners
Thanks Allen :)
Timed just right.
We have been thinking about how to put some spice into the ProofHQ blog. Your post summarised neatly some of the issues that we discussed.
Ryan Carson did a great job talking about running a startup as well as promoting Dropsend. Matthew Stibbe (http://www.badlanguage.net/) has lots of valuable things to say about freelancing and creative writing (plus lots more). Jon Millar of Marketo does a great job writing about B2B marketing (http://blog.marketo.com/), not just the Marketo product.
Thanks Mat - yeap, Ryan does a good job of mixing both - not sure how I forgot him on the list. I will check out the others as well.
I'd say the MyFreeImplants.com News/Blog section does a pretty good job of sharing both industry news about plastic surgery, as well as information about the sites going ons:
http://myfreeimplants.com/free-breast-implants/
Along with a bit of humor mixed in from time to time!
We blog regularly at MindTouch here: http://mindtouch.com/blog and provide value beyond product pitching; however, our blog is generally pretty technical.
I think one of the original success stories with this strategy is Joel on Software and his company Fog Creek. It's not totally a company blog, but it definitely brings a lot of recognition to his company.
Thanks for the kudos! Here at Geezeo we try to offer a mix of original content. We realize that personal finance issues permeate all kinds of life events and situations. But mostly we try to have fun — personal finance need not be boring, stressful, or dry. (See: "The Big Lebowski's take on personal finance": http://fupi.ws/4d)
Allen,
thanks for the shoutout. We definitely focus on the blog and it's paying off - from comments to subscribers, we have a good, solid audience. an important and valuable asset!
we've just listed 10 tips for startup blogs for those looking to learn from our experiences: http://blog.adaptiveblue.com/?p=951
I would add Swivel, which does a great job of showcasing their product AND offering some interesting industry insights using their blog/community. If you love data, about everything from prison to literature, organic farming to political refugees, the featured graphs feed will excite you.