Running a work at home business means being on your toes as to what your market is fancying these days. You can do this by running yourself ragged asking everyone you meet what they prefer, or you can conduct market research via the internet as most companies do these days. There are so many tools the internet provides for work at home business owners, and blogs happen to be one of them.
I’m not talking about writing your own blog, chances are you already do that (if not start), I’m talking about using other people’s blog to increase your market awareness, get inspired with content, and even build better products and services.
Blogs have become a platform for rants and raves. Normal everyday people blog about products they use, things they wish they had, and just day to day activities. These are all important to work at home business owners who are trying to do market research in order to create unique selling points and brand trust.
Market awareness
It’s really difficult as a business owner to know how to cater to your market, unless you know what your market wants. This is why companies try to discover their target market’s desires before, and while they are creating their brand.
By doing a Google search and finding blogs on your niche you can find out a little more about your target market. When I type blog: candy, I get a slew of blog content related to the subject. Granted, this is a very broad topic, but you get the jest.
Once you have a related blog, read the comments. They often provide you with the most information. What are some of the common themes that are coming up? When I did this search, I noticed a lot of people were asking for ways to make homemade candy.
If I had a candy blog, I could create content based on that subject. I also now know candy eaters are obviously looking for ways to save on costs by making their own. This is a need I can tap into when creating my marketing campaigns.
Get inspired from content
As a work at home business owner, you constantly have to be coming up with content. Whether it is for your own blog, an eBook you want to sell, or if you’re creating it for others, blogs can help get you inspired.
When you read blogs, try asking yourself how you felt. What did you agree with, what could the author have touched up on more, was there anything that irritated you? Don’t just stop at articles, videos are great forms of content and can help you see a different perspective. They may shine light on something you never thought of, or they may leave you with questions you’re eager to find answers to. To help keep you up to date with new content on specific keywords, set up a Google alert.
Building better products
Once you have some more information about your market, you can begin to build a better work at home business. If you already have a product, search it and find out what consumers are saying about it. One of the first places prospective buyers turn to are blogs, because more people are trusting the opinions of ordinary consumers like themselves.
Look to see what people are saying about the product. Once again read the comments. Are they mostly good, where do you need serious improvement?
This works great too if you are creating a product similar to another. You can find out what features consumers want. Searching product reviews also lets you build better surveys for your work at home business.
Blogs are everywhere these days and if you want to build a better work