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Are you a small business trying to corner your market?

Locally, regionally, or online?

What does “corner your market” even mean?

Who knows? 

Breaking down the definition of success is tricky.

So we decided to ask. For today’s post, we’re showcasing real-life examples of small businesses who are succeeding in large part due to their blogging techniques. They’re trying to corner their market… and their techniques are working. 

From law firms to yoga instructors, blogging is often the least expensive answer to the biggest problem small businesses and agencies have:

How do I maximize my reach? How do I corner my market?

We asked and they answered. These small business owners are telling you exactly what kind of blogging they did to get ahead. 

What it takes to get ahead — and stay ahead — of your competition can seem like a mystery.

But all of these businesses have one thing in common: while they may not be the biggest, baddest business in their market, they are thriving, successful, and profitable. All because of blogging.

If you don’t have (or want) a big marketing budget, this post is for you. 

Here’s 8 examples of small businesses who have cornered their marketing by blogging. 

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My name is [insert here] and I am a [select one from below]:

• Blogger
• Author
• Copywriter
• Content King

Wait, you’re not any of those things?

Oh, that’s right. 

You’re a small business owner.

Your job is to grow your business and implement strategies that generate revenue.

Blogging needs to be a part of your content strategy. You know that.  

You’re blogging about things that matter to your audience, but it’s just not clicking. People are responding. 

Audience or share wise.

You could hire someone, but spending the money right now isn’t an option. Free and low-cost guest bloggers abound (here’s how to find them), but your blog needs a consistent voice. 

You don’t have time to deal with freelancers and edits. 

Bummer.

Still, content must be generated, concerns addressed, help provided. If you want to build your online presence, blogging plays a vital role in the success of your online presence.

Every blog post you publish builds your brand. 

Your brand’s attitude is most obvious in blog posts. 

What’s your blog really saying?

If you’re just throwing up some words and thoughts on your blog, freeze. 

Unless you’re a really good writer, those random posts are scaring away potential customers.

You have to write the right thing, share shareable things, and connect with your audience. That’s how a blog supports a business. 

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Not another blog post! 

Did you know that 50% of online content never sees more than 8 shares? 

It’ll take forever to grow your blog and brand with 8 shares per post! 

Well, it won’t grow. Which is the point…

Content marketing is having a mid-life crises. Great content isn’t enough anymore, and the 30-page report by BuzzSumo sheds a dim light on the future of content for small business owners. 

Anything we write has, most likely, been written by someone else already. 

What to do? How do you increase page counts, inbound links, and share counts…all at once?

(Keep reading. This post doesn’t say what the rest of them do.)

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Be honest.

How often do you actually enter your email for a chance to win?

Or click a friend’s referral link for a fantastic discount – and complete the purchase?

How often do you share a promotion or referral link on your social feeds?

© Minerva Studios / Dollar Photo Club..

Enter now for your chance to win…..…blah, blah, blah.

Who cares?!

Not me.

The problem with online contests is you have to enter to win.

To enter, you have to want to win.

The traditional contest model of ‘enter and share to win!’ is dead.

The point of a contest is to attract potential customers.

Potential income.

And you can only do that if you offer the right prize in the right way.  

Contests Fail Because Prizes Don’t Have the Right Value

Usually, the prize is too:

• Cheap: Nope, I don’t have time to read 10 random books that you’re giving away for free (and that you got for free).
• Broad: I have an iPad, thanks.
• Specific: I do not need a free course or consulting session (unless it’s REALLY valuable and you’re REALLY well-known).
• Expensive: Yes, your product sounds cool, and I’d love to win it…but I still have to buy [insert additional product or software] to make it work. That costs money. 

Business owners and entrepreneurs throwing out the ‘hey, let’s run a contest!’ line are better off handing out cash out to strangers on the street.

At least giving money away would make people smile.

After you convinced them you weren’t filming an episode of Punk’d.

Contests should an easy strategy for list-building – but they’re not.  

Give something cool away and the contest will sell itself, right?

Wrong.

Good contests, promotions, and giveaways can be expensive, time-consuming, and tough.

Traditional contest models make me want earplugs to drown out all the ‘tweet to share!’ chatter. 

You’re Fighting A Battle You Can’t Win

Unless you have a rabid fan base that shares your content like crazy and you enjoy a 70% email open rate, a plain ol’ contest just won’t work.

(If you have a 70% open rate, teach us, oh wise one.)

If you don’t, listen up.

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You want one thing from your blog. 

You want people to notice you.

In a good way. 

You want readers that come back for more while shouting your brand from the rooftops.

I get it. I’ve been there.

You need to attract attention to your blog and business

Photo courtesy of Dean Hochman(CC Attribution)

But you can’t stand on a street corner and wave, hoping to catch someone’s interest. 

That would be inefficient, unnecessary, and pointless.

(Kind of like writing a blog post that no one reads.) 

Successful bloggers do three things:

1. Develop solid relationships with influencers 
2. Find new readers/clients
3. Keep existing readers/clients as happy as newlyweds 

Readers want to find a community that ‘gets’ them. They want a writer who’s inside their head.

But blogs (and their writers) can’t be everything to everyone. 

A blog will never: 

• please everyone
• catch everyone’s attention
• convert every blog reader to a client
• write for everyone every time

It’s time to take a deep breath and let go of unreasonable expectations. It’s okay. 

Readers are not like leprechauns. They exist, and they’re trying to tell you what they want to read. 

You just need to know where to look and you’ll find your pot of blogging gold. 

But first…