Marketing and Public Relations Blog Watch: Blog It...or Not
Marketing and Public Relations Blog Watch: Blog It…or Not
Regardless of whether you are writing a blog or blogs, reading blogs, or are just plain undecided about the value or return on investment of business related blogs, they are here for now and a true force to be reckoned with.
Just ask mega marketer Martha Stewart how she feels about using a blog for marketing and for public relations. Stewart’s latest addition to her multi-media, mega-marketing empire is her personal blog.
Blog Marketing 101
A description of Martha’s blog was given in the Living Magazine, “The Martha Blog: Up and Close and Personal offers you complete access to Martha’s world, with daily updates on her family, friends, philanthropies, pets, gardens, and parties.”
The blog allows readers to post comments and questions that Martha Stewart herself will respond to.
Pretty powerful stuff to be able to live and work in any small town America and be able to reach out and ask an international, professional, powerful, smart and talented person a personal question and get a response. That is good marketing and good public relations.
The blog is just one tool Stewart uses to promote her products and lifestyle. Let’s review a short list of ways and tools Martha Stewart uses to market.
There is the Living Magazine (print), The Martha Stewart Show (television), MarthaStewart.com (the web), Martha Living Stewart Radio (Sirius Satellite radio) and catalog sales (direct marketing). Plus, she participates in paid advertising such as the Macy’s promotions.
What’s left? Online social networking is about the only area she has not participated in, yet. Martha will probably create her own online social network. What is her return on investment for all of this multi-media marketing? According to homeaccentstoday.com sales for Martha Stewart through March 31, 2010 hit 688.8 million dollars.
Blog Review
How can the Martha Blog add more punch to her already highly successful marketing efforts? Martha’s followers will get to feel much closer to her. Martha’s blog went online according to her archived postings in August 2007.
The first posting was of Martha showing her “blog studio” to blog readers along with a picture of Martha with wet hair and per her blog entry before hair and makeup. That blog entry got plenty of feedback and comments.
As blogs continue to proliferate the Internet and the communications world, the use of blogs by celebrities, politicians, business professionals, sales, marketing and public relations practitioners will increase because blog readers span every profession, every age group, both genders and all ethic groups.
As blogs go, Martha Stewart’s is simple (fair warning, the blog does have paid advertising) but it does deliver what she promises, access to her personal world. Check it out at marthastewart.com/blogs.