The Value of a Blog

By Joel Block

It is extraordinary - that a blog, which is like a diary that's kept on a public place on the Internet - could be so powerful and help to advance a business so profoundly if it's used correctly. My blog is read by thousands of people several times a week, and has produced some very extraordinary outcomes.

My goal here is to tell you about a few successes that I'm having with my blog, because I want you - in your quest to be a successful entrepreneur - to incorporate blogs into your marketing strategy.

The whole concept of social networking and Web 2.0 requires that you interact with people. The beauty of a blog is that it allows readers to interact directly with the author, and after a while, readers get to feel like they know the blogger personally.

I've had so many people call me after reading this blog for some number of weeks or some number of months, and say, I feel like I know you. I trust you. I'd like to ask you a question; I have a problem that I think you could help me to solve. That kind of interaction does not happen in any other medium aside from the blog, and that's because the blog is so personal, it's so intimate, and potentially, so interactive.

I've have a number of great successes because of the blog. Some time ago, I published an article on how great American Express is, and how they helped me through a difficulty that I had after I'd lost my wallet in Las Vegas. Well, one of the readers of this blog happens to know a senior executive at American Express, and they forwarded that posting to American Express. The executive was thrilled to receive the letter (i.e. the blog entry) and she responded to me and indicated "that we're happy to be able to have reduced your stress in a very stressful situation. I'll be sure to forward this to the people at the Platinum desk for their review right away."

How else could I possibly have gotten my story into American Express, and who knows where it'll go? Maybe it'll go into somebody's inbox, maybe it'll turn into a commercial that I show up in some number of months or years from now. Or maybe nothing will happen.

Here is another blogging success story. I recently got a phone call from a gentleman with an English accent who told me he was calling from London and represented a television reality network. He told me that they were doing a new show, and that they were looking for a business guru and after reading my blog and studying my materials, they felt that I was well-suited for the position and they wanted me to audition for the part. How else, except for the Internet and my blog, would such a producer in the United Kingdom have found me for a show that's going to be taped right here in my home city of Los Angeles? I didn't get the part, but the opportunity came from the blog.

It doesn't happen overnight, but if you work the blog and you work a system, you're going to have great success. I'd say that three-quarters of all my leads for my business now come from my blog. People call me with ideas and issues that they want to discuss; not all of them are great ideas, but I can recognize the great ones from the not-so-great, and I've developed a filtering system within my company so that I don't get bothered by every possible opportunity that comes along - instead, they get filtered through my organization.

So, as you are working hard every day to build your company, or as you're building your career, rely on modern techniques and the principles of marketing. Throw out the old books. A lot of what you learned in college doesn't apply anymore. You have to use the Internet. You have to use the social marketing tools and techniques that are out there. You'll be glad that you did, and if you need any help in implementing these strategies, please call our office because we'll be happy to help.

About Joel G. Block

Often dubbed a "Growth Architect" by his clients, Joel Block advises companies on explosive growth strategies by driving revenue and sales. Well known in the capital markets, Joel is a successful entrepreneur, speaker and advisor. To bring Joel into your company, please visit www.joelblock.com or www.growth-logic.com.

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