This blumenfeld + fleming blog is going to be brief because we’re very busy! We recently finished creating a website for a construction company: www.demartinoconstruction.com, we’re about to finish one for a moulding and millwork company. And we have at least 7 other websites in the pipeline.
Why are so many people calling blumenfeld + fleming for websites? Sure, it’s because we work hard, win awards, and are fabulously fun to work with. But it’s also because businesses who didn’t need to invest in marketing their businesses when everything was booming, know they have to invest in them now. One of the most important marketing tools for any business is a well optimized website that reflects the caliber of the goods and services you’re offering. (Gee, you need a computer. Yeah – it’s that basic, but 7 years ago it wasn’t!)
Think about it, when you want something you go to Google – so does everyone else….(when’s the last time you used a phone book?) So, your website’s home page gives everyone their first impression. Like your haircut, or your storefront, your homepage should make you look great. It should reflect your brand’s essence and personality. It should navigate well – everything should be VERY easy to find (frustrated visitors leave!) And, (our personal peeve) it should definitely have your phone number.
DeMartino’s website doesn’t have a blog. (Their site is primarily used as a showcase/portfolio.) But chances are, yours should. (We’re blogging, but like the shoemaker’s kids our site hasn’t caught up with what we’re doing in real time.) Why is a blog important to your website? Well, there are a few reasons. Your blog generates keywords that speak to search engines. Search engines direct people looking for what you do or what you sell, to you. So much of sales today is guided by search engines – your blog serves as updated content and keyword rich content that Google loves. And when Google loves you, you get seen and noticed.
Other websites we’re proud of? www.kelcoland.com, www.hamptonandco.com, www.hamptonsexquisitefood.com. These websites don’t have blogs – YET! But keep checking back. More and more of our clients understand the value of blogging. (We do too, and our site needs to be updated – but like we said, we’re really busy.) That being said, if you’d like to talk to b+f about your website, your blog, your logo or advertising campaign, please call us for a free consultation.
Blogs are helpful when the writer formulate opinions/provides advice about her industry. As an aspiring writer I look at blogs by literary agents (my favorite blog.nathanbransford.com) and opinions about the publishing industry (my favorite on this topic is jakonrath.blogspot.com — A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing). Each week I probably check in at about ten blogs. People in your industry will benefit from your opinions and expertise.
Blogs must have a focus, a message and not simply natter on with thoughts of the day. I’ve created a blog about my work-in-progress and found it has taken time to find my blog voice. Best of luck!
Read political blogs when I know and trust the intelligence and insight of the blogger. That’s as far as I go.
I rarely read blogs unless they’re sent to me. However, when they are, I usually get something from them — like yours above. Thank you, it really got me thinking. Time is the issue for me in reading them and starting my own!
I get Daily Beast and Salon and their content is mostly if not exclusivly blogs, but it’s a rare thing when I read more than the lead — I don’t know what it would take to hook me into blog-following or joining Facebook (altho I think I’ve lost a few ‘friends’ whose invitations I declined) … it may be generational head-fix but I’m also an early ethusiast for new things so it’s a wash — I think becuase I spend 4-6 hours on the keyboard doing “the work” I’d rahter go to a different media for news opinions etc.
I don’t do blogs, twitters, facebooks or anything other than email and writing my own work. At my age, I figure that’s all I can handle.
Looking forward to reading more of your posts and Beth had some good comments. Haven’t started my own blog…yet… but I think keeping it on the brief side is a good thing, given the information overload each of us experiences each day. There’s a blog (and it’s usually brief) that I read religiously when I get up each morning — Seth Godin’s. Insightful, inspiring marketing wisdom for these changing times, with a bit of a philosophical bent. sethgodin.typepad.com/
I read blogs and write blogs. Blogging and twittering are a great way to spread the word about your business but it must be witty, fun and informative. A business that blogs about themselves must do it in an entertaining or interesting way (like B+F) then the readers are more likely to follow you. See below article on how to get a following on twitter:
http://www.site-booster.com/blog/2009/09/how-to-get-followers-on-twitter/