How blogging can bring traffic to your website and turn readers into customers.

You probably heard about blogging before. But maybe still wondering if it’s worth your time. Let me tell you that the reasons why your business can benefit from blogging are endless. Here I have listed several of them.

So, here they are…

Help your prospects. A blog can answer questions that your prospects have. For example, if your business is selling plant-based protein drinks, then someone who is searching for one and hasn’t decided yet which brand to go for, your blog could take a reader to your website where you are selling your plant-based protein drinks. If the blog provides information one is looking for, then you can be pretty sure that the person will be interested in discovering more about your brand. So, and this leads to another point….

Build thought leadership.  Yes, that’s right. Well-written blogs that bring value to its readers will build your leadership in the field. Why? Because if you show that you have the knowledge and you want to share it to help others make the right decisions, it will build trust. Show your expertise and share it with others.  And the good point about it is if you share the good stuff with others, people likely will share it with others too. And here you go, people are talking about you. And that’s what we want.

SEO.  If you have a website, then you likely heard about the SEO sooo many times.  But really, a blog post is a fantastic way to use the SEO and put those keywords into your writing. You have to know who your readership is and what your readers are looking for. If your readers are looking for plant-based protein drinks, then put these words in your article. And make sure that you put the main keywords at the beginning of your writing, it will help you to be found when people google these words.  Another benefit of blogs that seems obvious, but still….

You can share them on social media. You can share it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other platforms you use. You can share it as many times you like. And you know what’s even better? Readers can share it too. And then? It can be shared even further. Here is the power of networking. Indeed, you have to make it sharable, but no doubt it is worth the effort. And yes, don’t forget about the brilliant opportunity to add that call to action button. Is your target to sell, to bring visitors to the landing page? Whatever that is, don’t forget to put that CTA! That will be a shame if your blog travels the world without any action taken. And last but not least is…

Be visible. Especially if you are a new business, just starting. A brilliant way to let people know that you exist is to write blogs with good content. And write them regularly. Share them, let people see what you do and what you offer and why your service/product is the right choice. People might not need your service/product at that present moment, but when they do, they will remember you if you have made yourself visible with good content. Or they might know someone who needs the product/service you offer and they will mention your name.  

These are several reasons why your business needs a blog. But…

Before we finish, I would encourage you to go and look at any successful company’s website and check their blog section.

Are they regularly updated?

Are they helpful to its customers?

Let me know what you think and good luck with your business blog.

And what makes Instagram so lovable that even more brands choose to use Instagram as their marketing strategy?

Instagram has experienced extreme growth since it was launched in 2010. With nearly 1 billion monthly active users https://adespresso.com/blog/instagram-statistics/ you are likely missing out of reaching your potential prospects if ignoring this platform. And of course, it brings the opportunity to connect with people worldwide.

But do you need to connect with everyone? Of course not! And that’s the sweet part about Instagram. If used wisely you can connect with the right audience in the right manner. How? Hashtags, live stories, photos, influencers and the list goes on. Remember to listen to your audience. Instagram allows you to learn what people like and dislike about your brand. And even better it allows communicating on 1:1 bases.

If you’re selling products then Instagram has made a brilliant opportunity with the use of influencers. One of the most effective marketing is word of mouth. And that’s exactly what influencers do. You have to do your research to find the influencers that resonate with your story and your TA. Influencers have created friendly relationships with their followers who trust them. And they maintain these relationships. People who follow influencers take their advice as a friend to friend advice, so there is a huge trust between them.

On Instagram, you are in control of what you share about your brand and what message your brand delivers (however there are occasions when this might change, but I will talk about it on another post). On Instagram, you have to have a clear idea of your brand’s message. If you don’t know why you share then how can people see a reason to follow you?

Treat your followers as friends and be honest and be real. Tell your story through images. Tell a story that resonates with people. Remember that what you share on your profile shouldn’t be about you but it must be about your followers. You should be able to answer- what value you bring to your followers? If you can provide a value to people then the potential to increase your followership is extremely higher.

Do you use Instagram for your business?

What value do you provide to your followers?

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We all reflect on things and events around us in our day to day

lives, but perhaps not all of our reflections are as deep and analytical to

bring us a lasting lesson. ‘It is not sufficient to have an experience

in order to learn. Without reflecting on this experience, it may quickly be

forgotten, or its learning potential lost.’ (Gibbs, 1988,p9).https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/libraryservices/library/asc/documents/public/Short-Guide-Reflective-Writing.pdf.

That is why in this blog I want to talk about reflective writing and its role in our

personal and professional growth if used consciously.

Reflection is a mental process. It is contemplation or a long consideration. Thoughts or opinions that come to you while you are reflecting are called reflections. Unlike a reflection in a mirror, it is an interpretation of what is going on between learning and thinking https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/for-students-and-parents/what-is-reflective-writing.html. The theory says that for reflections to be critical and help you to move towards progress they must make connections between 1. what happened, 2. what you learned, 3. how you will apply learning in the future https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGyjF9Ngd8Y. I personally see reflection as a process of stepping back from the event that takes place and looking at it from a different perspective. I would say it is a more impersonal perspective and because of not being emotionally involved in certain situations it gives you the ability to look at it more rationally. Can you imagine a situation in your life when you did not make the best decisions because of being too emotionally attached to it? I certainly can and after looking back I can see that I could have made so many better choices if I only waited a moment until I am able to make rational decisions. In fact, I can think of plenty of situations when I could have made so much better choices. Luckily, now I know how the reflection works.

Something I really like about the reflection is that it helps us to discover our weak and strong sides. Knowing these sides is a strong tool if you are ready to make further steps to improve. On top of that when reflecting we often uncover our assumptions. Possibly the ones we never know exist. So now, when understanding our assumptions, we can understand better why we act in one or other way in different situations. In other words it means that reflection gives to us one essential ingredient to experience personal growth which is self-awareness. Have you heard the stories about people who want to change the world but never themselves? So, if you are reflecting, you are someone who is changing yourself firstly and well done for that.

Of course, our reflections might differ from other people’s reflections, but do not worry about that, as we all see things differently, we will have different lessons learned from each situation. It is important to keep in mind that we often learn the most when things go wrong, so do not give up and keep reflecting. Personal growth certainly is one interesting journey, so take your time and enjoy it!

An individual’s attitude towards certain things shows his/her feelings and opinions about it. In other words, our values and beliefs shape our attitudes. The values and beliefs are shaped by many aspects and they can change with time. Even though it is a complex process for marketers it is really important to understand the motives of people’s attitudes as it will give them a clearer picture about who to target and how to do it.

             Often our purchase decisions are based on the way we see a certain product or brand and if they fulfil our social and personal expectations rather than the quality and the function of it. “The study identified three distinct clusters of consumers- The ones who are motivated by their personal goals and values, the ones whose choices are based on the unique self-expressive experience and those who are looking for camaraderie above all.”[1]

             For example, individuals’ attitudes towards animal testing have been expressed loud and clear. Knowing that some companies are still using animals to test cosmetics and other products likely will affect the decision either to buy it or not. For someone whose beliefs are against animal testing it would be against one’s values to buy a certain product even if the quality is good. From my experience I can say that I used to buy cosmetics from one certain brand but recently I found out that they are testing them on animals, honestly my attitude towards the brand has changed. It is surprising how different attitudes can be in different cultures, for example in China for many years the cosmetic testing on animals is required by law. It is great news that China is working towards alternative tests that doesn’t involve animals and hopefully the day that China will no longer require animal tests for all cosmetics will be possible, sooner rather than later, but China isn’t there yet! https://ethicalelephant.com/did-china-end-animal-testing-2019/.

             An interesting case was when Coca-cola dared to change the taste of it and people were really disappointed. They went on the streets to demand back the original taste of Coca-cola. What a commitment to the brand! The situation shows that people have strong attitudes to this brand. The case reminds me of a situation from my childhood when there was one sort of chocolate candy I absolutely loved. Then one day I went to the shop to buy my favourite candy and it tasted different. Absolutely different, it was not even close to the original taste. I felt really disappointed, and still am. As a joke of course , but still why would somebody change the taste of my favourite chocolate, plus so many loved it! However, I never let the public know about my disappointment as the Coca-cola lovers did. Maybe I had to, because the Coca-cola was changed back to normal again. https://www.coca-colacompany.com/news/the-story-of-one-of-the-most-memorable-marketing-blunders-ever#:~:text=That%20changed%2C%20of%20course%2C%20in,tests%20of%20nearly%20200%2C000%20consumers. Good for them. This experience teaches us that consumers’ attitudes towards products and brands indeed are important!

             Do you have your favourite brand that you would not wish to change and if so what attracts you to that brand?

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[1] Michael Solomon, Gary Bamossy, Soren Askegaard and Margaret K.Hogg, 2013.Consumer Behaviour.5^th ed. England: Pearson. 

Today we hardly can imagine having no internet to access. However, not always it was like it and as data shows the World Wide Web became publicly available on 6^th August 1991 https://thenextweb.com/insider/2011/08/06/20-years-ago-today-the-world-wide-web-opened-to-the-public/, so not that long ago. Now it seems as though the Internet has been here forever and it is hard to imagine our life without it. As anything in life, the web also has its pros and cons and we cannot ignore its effect on our personality. In this blog I will look into some points how the Internet has affected our behaviours.

         One of the major things that appears with the internet availability is that it creates a safe place for individuals to be more open about their ideas and thoughts. Unfortunately, often these thoughts are negative and harassing towards others. While one decides to give an offensive comment towards other, possibly only because he/she had a bad day, the receiver of the comment may take it very painfully and it very likely is going to affects these persons appearance in a real life https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5573001/.

         Another very popular theme that is discussed now is the tendency to compare. Individuals see others posting online their “perfect” lives, and it makes  them feel incomplete. Have you ever after seeing a post felt like you not pretty enough, smart enough and that you just not enough? I will tell you that I have catched myself having these thoughts. However, there is something we have to remember and it is that the most  posts we see are the idealised moments which we relate to our real lifes https://tinybuddha.com/blog/why-compare-others-social-media-how-to-stop/.  After having thought about it has given me an idea that maybe I could start posting things with a real life situations which are far from perfect, but this is for another story.

         Overall, It is not that only negative things are brought with the internet and there are many benefits that it has given to us. The Internet helps us to connect much easier and faster than ever. We can connect with the families and friends no matter where we live. On top of that it gives to us an opportunity to be wiser consumers. We can find information about any product or service that we are planning to pay for.

         The fact that we can educate ourselves and be as open minded as ever before is amazing. For me as a curious person I certainly enjoy it and I like to read and see what is happening all around the globe. Not just that it also gives us an opportunity to connect with like-minded people all around the world. Certainly, I am happy to have the internet available and I am enjoying the benefits of it.

Another question is that since everything is available online and immediately, do we more easily become bored? Is it the reason why now it is being said that the generation Z has 8 second attention span and do marketers have to be more creative than ever to get individuals attention? I believe the Internet’s presence has brought many changes how marketers are reaching us now and likely it will continue to bring more changes. 

The first Starbucks opened in Seattle, Washington, on March 31, 1971, by three partners who met while they were students at the University of San Francisco: English teacher Jerry Baldwin, history teacher Zev Siegl, and writer Gordon Bowker were inspired to sell high-quality coffee beans https://coffee.org/pages/history-of-starbucks. However, the question is how they managed to make Starbucks one of the most successful coffee houses of all time when there is such a competition out there. In this article I will be discussing my findings on Starbucks’ marketing mix- product, place, promotion and price to gain an understanding on Starbucks massive success.

 Product. The main product of Starbucks of course is coffee however it is not the only product that is sold there. In this coffee house also are available baked goods, frappuccino and smoothies. It also offers special seasonal drinks. On top of that customers can buy their mugs and instant coffee what is especially delightful for real Starbucks coffee lovers. The company serves different client demands such as – lactose-free, gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian. The need for these products is growing and it is essential to be able deliver them and Starbucks successfully is running this market.

Place. Personally, for me the place is something more than being able to buy a product at certain point. From the place I am expecting positive experience, in this case a cosy atmosphere where I could enjoy coffee and maybe some snacks. Sometimes a coffee shop is a place that I could use to read a book or experience some level of socialization. From the experience I can say that the Starbucks shops are successfully fulfilling these expectations. However, it seems that to choose a profitable place is much more complex and analytical process. The data shows that Starbucks targets location with wealthier households https://towardsdatascience.com/analyzing-and-predicting-starbucks-location-strategy-3c5026d31c21, but is it enough to choose a location based on income? It was stated that at Starbucks studies an area before placing a store and bases its decision on demand, traffic and parking. Even more, when Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz was asked “Why is there such an abundance on Starbucks stores placed right next to each other?” he said that it is to reduce the lines and the waiting time for the customer. Certainly, this approach is working very well.

Promotion. What do you think about when hear the name Starbucks? When I hear this name, I picture it as something unique, qualitative, popular and a bit pricy amongst other coffee brands. Is it something you have in your mind when thinking about Starbucks? The company’s image was created by using methods such as- word of mouth marketing, advertising, sales promotions and public relations. As the Panmore Institute states “Starbucks became popular primarily through word-of-mouth marketing” http://panmore.com/starbucks-coffee-marketing-mix-4ps-analysis. Of course, to reach the level where customers are so delighted that they want to share their experience it is essential to deliver a great product and great service. Indeed, from my personal experience I can say that if there is something I really like and enjoy I will let the others know about it simply because I want for them to have a positive experience too.

Price. As it was discovered Starbucks uses premium pricing strategy. The idea of this approach is to offer a high-quality product for a higher price. However, there are studies that show that actually not all people would agree that the Starbucks coffee has the best quality. What is interesting that during the blind taste test it was discovered that the average American prefers Dunkin Donuts or McDonald’s coffee to Starbucks coffee https://www.business2community.com/customer-experience/buyer-psychology-customer-value-people-buy-starbucks-coffee-0995182.

So, then why so many of us chooses to go back there and buy another cup of coffee? It is because aside from getting a good product we aim to have an enjoyable experience. Starbucks is offering this experience through good atmosphere, relaxing music, great aromas and friendly ‘baristas’. I remember the first time I went to Starbucks; I was positively surprised that when taking my order, the barista asked my name and wrote it on a cup. When the order was ready, they called me by name. It made me feel welcomed and I came back afterwards.

What are the things that makes you go back to certain places? Is it the quality, experience or service? Do you make your purchases more based on emotional or rational approach?

It seems that now is the time when marketers have to be as creative, innovative and diverse as ever before. No wonder that it might be called the most challenging time for advertisers when they have to advertise amongst four different generations. From which each of them has different views, expectations, and experiences. It seems that each of the generations live in different worlds while being in the same room. So, how can the marketer approach all of them and is it necessary to approach all? First, lets look into each generation.

             Baby boomers or “Me Generation ” are the earliest generation born between 1946-1960. They are seen as hard working people with strong work ethic. They like to compete and are good team workers. On top of that they are good at reaching deadlines at work. As MarketingWeek states “The 50-plus generation is economically powerful” https://www.marketingweek.com/targeting-the-baby-boomers/. The studies have shown that the way marketing is approaching the generation makes them feel old but this is often not the case. And the idea that “Me Generation ” are absolutely out of the world of the internet is a stereotype. In fact, the research shows that only 2% of the over 50-s hate using technology and 78% actively enjoy using it https://www.marketingweek.com/targeting-the-baby-boomers/.

             Generation X was born between 1960-1980. This is the generation that created the internet. Gen X has been defined as an “in-between ” generation https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/generation-x-genx.asp. Gen X people are described as independent, resourceful and self- sufficient. These are people who value freedom and responsibility in the workplace. They do not like to be micromanaged. 54% of Gen X feel that brands ignore them https://cmo.adobe.com/articles/2017/9/dont-you-forget-about-me-why-genx-is-a-marketing-cantmiss.html#gs.vs5o2w. This generation is seen as social- savvy and 81%  of them have Facebook accounts and still understand the value of traditional media.

             Millennials are born between 1980-2000. It is believed that social media is their second nature. Millennials are described as confident, ambitious, and achievement-oriented. Polls have shown that Millennials want flexibe work schedules https://www.livescience.com/38061-millennials-generation-y.html. People are seen as masters of multi- tasking and for that it is important to make sure that marketers content captures millennials attention and then keeps it. https://www.morriscreative.com/personality-traits-millennials-market-generation/. Few expert tips for marketing to millennials are: Be sure the product is Instagram-worthy, let your audience be your star, focus on word of mouth, meet them in person, be transparent, be authentic and provide an interactive experience https://www.inc.com/christina-desmarais/27-expert-tips-for-marketing-to-millennials.html.

             Generation Z or Gen Zers are technologically advanced and know how to use smartphones from an early age. In fact, they never seen the world without the internet. Gen Zers are seen as the most connected, educated and sophisticated generation ever, however it is argued that their attention span is 8 seconds. It is believed that they do not just represent the future but they are creating it. This generation is described as independent, self confident, autonomous and they do not rely on their parents as much as previous teen generations did. Here are some keys for targeting GenZ: Never lie, earn trust, stand for something, do not be phoney, be consistent and do not be basic https://medium.com/swlh/how-to-market-to-gen-z-7660faded83f.  

The present situation might seem overwhelming when deciding about the best marketing techniques, however I believe that this time also brings many opportunities for those who are interested in entrepreneurship. When we want to advertise, it is important to clarify our target audience, if more precise we can describe it, if more likely the marketing is going to succeed. However, possibly it is worth targeting our audience by their passions instead of generations? Or maybe these two work well together? What do you think?

Since I am planning to write about people and things that inspire me, I feel obligated to write about Patrick Bet-David and his impact on the way I am seeing things. Firstly, I am really happy to be able to say that I have a mentor that helps me to broader my view and educates me about entrepreneurship. Honestly, I did not realise how effective it is to have a mentor until I found one.

Let me tell you more about Patrick Bet-David. He is a creator of a PHP agency that specializes in life insurance industry. The company was started in 2009 and has experienced massive growth since then. Additionally, he is a several book author – “The Next Perfect Storm”, “Doing the Impossible”, “The Life of An Entrepreneur in 90 Pages” and “Drop Out And Get Schooled”. Alongside all that he regularly posts content online about different aspects of enterprise. The content Patrick Bet-David publishes consists of theory, experience and I can see its functionality in life. His published materials can be found by name “Valuetainment” and certainly are worth seeing if you want to build your own company or learn how to reach your best potential.

I would say that my passion to understand different mindsets and how our characteristics lead us towards success established when I found the “Valuetainment”. For example, I have never been too interested in competitive sports but now I am. It is because the way athlete mind works when he/she wants to be the best in the field is what we can apply when we want to be on top in any path we choose. Additionally, the “Valuetainment” has introduced me with many other strong and influential personalities that are sharing their knowledge with those who are willing to learn. Hence, likely I will be talking about these personalities in my further posts.

I would like to know if you have a mentor and if so, how your mentor is changing you? If you do not have one would like to have?

          I am a PR student who has a dream to create my own company. Lately I have become more interested in analysing mindsets and how the way of our thinking affects our present and future. I truly believe that all we reach and how successful we are is reflection of our thinking. The obstacles we find to stop us from reaching our best potential are only in our mind. However, it is tough work to change our mindset when there are so many aspects influencing it.

In particularly, I have been focusing on studying and analysing strong and successful individual mentalities as I want to understand what they have in common and how they overcome their fears and weaknesses. I believe that success is something that happens because of purposive mindset and is not a coincidence.

  In this blog I will talk about people,books ect. that inspire me and will discuss my thoughts and points of view. I hope that you will be leaving your feedback as it would help me to strenghten my knowledge as well as allow me to learn something new.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.