When it comes to online marketing, blogging is definitely a money churner. Blogs are a completely unique way to be used as a tool for marketing when distinguished with the traditional marketing channels. This is especially true for a small business as it is highly interactive yet gives the advantage to the business to have an upper hand in its maintenance. At the same time, they are effective in reaching out to the customers in no time spreading awareness at the fastest rate. With this, the expenses are always in control since this medium is highly cost effective. Here are a few reasons as to why marketing via your blog can aid in your business:

• Wide Spectrum of Audience: A blog caters to a large group of audiences at a given time. The visibility of your company or brand is increased on the Internet. This leads to the generation of new customers which otherwise either would be very expensive or not possible via traditional marketing methods. When it comes to a blog, there is no limitation or boundaries defined by geography. So, the range of customers is highly increased which means increased sources for business and revenue. This traffic could then be diverted to the main business website which again offers better prospects for business.
• Highly Cost Effective: Blogging definitely costs the lowest of all the tools used in marketing. All that one needs to do is to purchase the domain and the hosting space which can be bought at a very nominal price. On the other hand, traditional modes such as the print and the electronic media are highly expensive. Also, the options available are comparatively less.
• Instant Response: The biggest advantage in blogging is that the feedback is immediate. This could be either with respect to your product or service or a general opinion from the customers. It would be a matter of a few days before your newly launched product or service would be known far and wide. This prompt awareness would act in your favor. If your product is good, recommendations would definitely add to the sales. This also helps in building a good reputation amongst the customers.
• Detailed Overview: A blog helps to give a better overview of your business which is not possible via traditional marketing tools. When it comes to traditional marketing, maximum that is possible is a façade the entire product or service in question. However, when it comes to a blog, you can have endless pages giving each and every facet about your product or service. This caters to all aspects that a customer might want to know.
• Understanding Customers: Here, the customers can directly interact with the organization. This gives the organization too a better chance to understand their audiences. The interaction here is somewhat personal. So, a satisfied customer means ten new customers without putting any efforts.

The above is just the beginning…once the process starts, you would slowly realize many more benefits such as conducting survey amongst the customers without going on the field as well as increasing your sales via your affiliate network. The list is simply endless. So, start blogging today!

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I am writing this BUZZ for the day, out of no recent survey or statistics. It’s a day to day happening which I am sure 90% of you must have witnessed in some way or the other. Let me shoot…

Okay let me start with some examples before going into the details any further. Consider you have a friend who wears Reebok shoes with an Adidas pullover and a pair of Wrangler jeans, flaunting the coolest Mohawk hairstyle ever possible along with his Ray Ban sunglasses. You, on the other hand have picked some affordable Tee from a flee market and its not the first time you have done so. In fact, you are not even aware of what a brand is! Gradually, there are chances that you might feel the tendency of buying yourself a brand too and flaunting it to the same person to show your consciousness about the BRANDS! See, I can wear an ESPIRIT too!

It may sound funny, but it’s the hidden truth of many humans out there. Gradually, you will start seeing huge differences in your overall look!

Consider another situation when you are dining out with your friends. But these friends of yours are some of the true bingers of vodka and gin! Now what happens is they might force you to go for one or two shots. “Have a drink dude, come on! One shot won’t do anything! I hope these words are nothing new to you! Such is the influence of your friends now that these days you don’t mind drinking a bottle once in a while!

Sometimes, peer pressure is critical too. Teenagers tend to over run their study performances just because their best friend is getting above 95 in almost every subject. In an attempt to do so, they devoid themselves from food, entertainment and other social activities; which in turn hampers their overall growth. Therefore, influence from friends might have adverse effects too.

Also, if your best friend has a dashing boyfriend/girlfriend, the facet might embarrass you, if you don’t have one! In a hunt to search one, you might lose your diet or sleep or experience a sense of inferiority complex till the time your fetch one!

Contrary to it, there are some influences which lead to positive outcomes and in turn a happy life. Some people remain cheerful and positive, no matter where their lives take them. Hence, their friends benefit from this aspect, enjoying their lives in full flow in their company!

Also, if you have a gorgeous friend traveling with you, who loves to match every accessory of hers and ends up wearing the most stylish clothes ever, there are chances that the same aspect might enhance your looks too. You start learning different grooming habits and end up being the glamour girl of your group too! But please, don’t grasp the bad fashion senses of your friends! Influence can turn around in any case.

Taking drugs is another habit which people tend to get into very quickly!

So, next time, when you make friends, ensure that you take all the good habits rather than indulging into the bad ones!

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Cricket and India are two terms which go hand in hand! Since the inception of the IPL, it could easily be said that fanaticism for cricket has gone to the next level. With the masses already crazy for the sport, it becomes easy for the implementation and thus, creating brands for these teams.

The best example for this is the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The brand strategy implemented has made the team the richest amongst all its contenders. This is despite its streak of poor performances at the IPL matches. The team has been deduced to have a brand valuation worth of US$ 42.1 million in 2009. This is as per Intangible Business which is a leading international brand valuation firm in UK. The study was conducted in association with MTI Consulting.

So what makes this team so valuable inspite of its delineating performances? What is the key factor for this team to create an image amidst all the winning glory being taken by its competitors?

The answer is simple…Play It Right! Winning is just one aspect of a game in sports. The more important factor is that the team must be known. The team should be easily related to by the locals and the masses. This is where branding comes in.

In case of KKR, be it the FakeIPLPlayer blog or the reality show for the cheerleaders, the audience had something or the other to lookout for. It has to be agreed that controversy is good for a healthy team. However, it has to be ensured that there is a balance being maintained. More so, it should be in the news for the right reasons.

Another important factor is that KKR already came into existence with certain pre-requisites. These include the team owner Shah Rukh Khan and the captain Sourav Ganguly. Here, the important factor was for the audiences to connect which was easily possible with the two icons of the country. They are someone who are brands in themselves and strike a chord with the general public. So, with them in hand, it is not very hard to create an effective marketing communications or a public relations strategy.

It has to be remembered that the public memory is very short…so it is easy and expected to forget who won or lost a game, but brands are something which remain alive forever. So if a brand is alive, so is the team and its commercial success. Because change is constant!

All in all, brand values could be defined as a forecast predicting the capability of a brand to generate income in the future. It is study which looks into the past performances to generate trends for the future.

Note – The above story is based on the previous two seasons of IPL and it is yet to be seen on how the team performs and where it stands in the coming season.

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