A Case Study: Blogging for Business Growth

Today, Geoff Livingston features a post called Evangelize! that represents a must read for any business  that uses blogs or social media as marketing or sales tools or to provide better customer service and understanding. It also is a must read for every business consultant who offers social media products and services and wants to grow their business.

In his post, Geoff says, "If there’s one thing I’ve gleaned from speaking to many executives and entrepreneurs over the past few weeks, it’s the sure knowledge that the everyday business person still understands very little about social media. The chasm is deep, and it is wide. We are still early in the adoption cycle, and these folks need guides to successfully navigate new media forms."

He also says that the best way to change that is for us invested in social media to evangelize. Geoff is right. But I don't see it as evangelizing as much as I see it as just good marketing. Why? Because I believe that the soft return on investment built by engaging our customers and investing them with a voice comes a hard return in revenues, business development and growth for our own businesses.

At the end of the day, business is about growth, customers and revenues, and we need to acknowledge that. Within that model social media can work to provide customers a voice and businesses a learning tool. It is a win/win as customers influence business and share their wants and needs; and in return business listens, learns, innovates, changes, increases quality and creates great customers experiences by addressing and meeting those wants and needs.

If we want this to happen, we need to "evangelize" to use Geoff's word and to show other businesses why they should invest in social media. One way to do that is to share case studies. Here is my firm's case study:

Challenge

L&G Business Solutions was founded in 1998 in Seattle, where both the owner and his partner were well known in the community. Business came quickly and the consulting firm was profitable from the beginning. In 2003, the founder was offered a Vice President of Marketing position in New England, which he took to return to his roots and his family. Within six months, the business that hired him floundered and began the painful process of going under. In early 2004, Lewis Green re-launched L&G Business Solutions. However, having been in the Northeast but six months, he faced a strong marketing and sales challenge and needed to quickly achieve brand recognition.

Solutions

In addition to developing a strong marketing plan calling for advertising, public relations, direct mail and a heavy networking presence within local chambers and at trade shows, Green launched a blog, believing it was the fastest way to build word of mouth. The blog failed, as Green did not understand the importance of building community and the how of marketing the blog. In 2006, he revised his blogging strategy and launched bizsolutionsplus. In less than one year, bizsolutionsplus was averaging about 125 readers a day, was ranked in the AdAge Power 150 and made an appearance in Mack Colliers Top 25. In the summer of 2007, he acquired four clients through his blog that would not have become clients through any of his other marketing channels.

Results

• L&G Business Solutions increased revenues by 100 percent in 2007 over 2006, 40 percent of that due to the blog attracting new clients as well as referrals and leads.
• L&G Business Solutions reinvented itself, becoming more attuned to its ideal client and its clients wants and needs because its readers offered their ideas about everything from business services to organization structure, marketing, sales and presence. Since doing so just one week ago, interest in the business's services skyrocketed and one new client has been signed who would not have called L&G Business Solutions except for the business reinvention.
• Blogging is the least expensive and most productive marketing tool in terms of marketing and growing L&G Business Solutions brand and client base, as well as its reach across North America. It accounts for about 25 percent of the marketing budget (includes time) and 40 percent of the revenues.