Just because you can do it, it doesn’t mean that you should.
Your Neighborhood Niche
The Internet affords us the ability to blog for business all over the world. Just because we CAN do that, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we SHOULD. As commerce moves to the Internet, all advice points to thinking smaller. People no longer want one-size-fits-all. We should be casting a smaller net into a smaller pond. Niche-brand marketing is what I call it — doing one thing better and more efficiently than anyone else.
Writers are always told, Write what you know.
Customers You Know
Where do you know better than your own neighborhood? The people are the customers you know best. You’re one of them. You live in their world. You go where they go. You have the same problems they have. You know the language and the culture. You even know a lot of the people by name.
Mike Sigers at Simplenomics has a great post today on the many ways that bloggers can make money working with businesses without leaving their own neighborhoods.
You are a customer to your neighbors. Why not have them as your customers as well?
The first advantage of blogging your neighborhood is that your customers have a real world address. What other advantages are working for you when you choose to blog your neighborhood, rather than to blog the world?
–ME “Liz” Strauss
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The Only One
I feel that many times we think much to “globally” when it comes to the web and ignore our own backyard.
Hi Gary,
I know I do, and it overwhelms me when I do it.
Hi back, Liz. 🙂
We are sort of like Dorothy in the Wizard Of Oz – Kansas just doesn’t seem to offer enough so we go looking elsewhere. Then finally we realize what we’ve been missing all along.
Well put, Gary.
it’s like writing. You have to write it all out to cut back and get to simple. Did you check out Mike’s Post? It’s packed with simple ideas that he’s the only guy doing.
Yes, I did read his post. He may not be the only guy doing it for long. 🙂
Ah Gary,
Mike will be so pleased to know that!
I’m trying to figure out how to get to know my neighborhood, but that would require getting off my computer for longer than 30 seconds. 🙂
liz
It is so funny that you posted on this.
I am moving into a new house/neighborhood and was planning on starting a neighborhood blog.
Not only does it get your name out there but it provides a service for your neighbors.
Thanks for adding to the conversation guys & gal. I’m thinkin’ that this is something that we need to continue to bring up until it catches on.
There’s way too many blogs about blogs and not enough blogs about the services we use every day.
We need to take care of our turf before we take over the world.
Where’s Seth Godin when we need him ! We need to teach people how to be remarkable in their own cities and then take it global, not try to go global and forget about the dollars right under our nose.
Hi Dan,
Mike says it best, we really do need to take care of our own before we try to fix the rest of the world. And there aren’t nearly enough blogs to help those businesses that we use everyday.
Good luck, Dan in your new neighborhood.
Thanks for adding your new home to the family at Successful Blog
liz
Hey Mike,
Thanks for checking in to add a few words. How did you happen to post on the same subject that I was going to? That was some perfect synchronicity1
They say great minds follow the same paths.
Keep on teaching us.
Liz
I can only wish my lil ol mind was on the same starpath as your giant mind !
I wish we could find a way to open some other minds and let them see how much better the blogosphere would be if more blogs were of some value to the world instead of just another copy of a poorly done copy of a poor choice of a topic.
Aw shucks,
Now if I could just bottle your enthusiasm and learn to use it for my own benefit. I’d be a millionaire and support my family and yours–send those daughters through college for you. . . so that you could go play golf!
I play enough golf, just check TravellingGolfer and you’ll see.
i’ve got to start blogging about The Kentucky Derby and all Louisville has to offer, golf wise and otherwise…it’s getting closer.
Enthusiasm comes and goes. Such as when you ask bloggers to help you put your message out there and they ignore you, curse you or diss you.
I’m glad there’s a place like this where we can get some props for good work and a politically correct ( nice ) answer when we’re stoopid !
I wish you could find about 5 local businesses to pay you to help them share their message…and pay you well in the process.
Maybe I’ll fly you to Chicago to be my agent . . . to come with me out to this big meeting I’m setting up next month. You’d be good at that I think.
Feel like seeing the Windy City?
I had a friend who lived in Beverly Shores (IN) over by The Dunes. We used to ride the train in to Michigan Ave. and get up there with the real Chicagoans and live it up for a few hours. The ride back thru Hammond, Gary and such, at night, made us rethink that trip.
I’m usually a little too big a presence for meetings unless I’m the main attraction. I tend to dominate the conversation and stomp my way thru the poor souls I torture with my way or no way !
Maybe if they have the meeting in Louisville during Derby Week I can be more congenial !
Hey, I have the same problem in meetings. It’s hard not being the center of attention when you’re a 6 foot blonde.
Maybe we should quit blogging and start a circus. 🙂
This whole discussion has really made me take a look at my blogging. If I’m honest, I’m one of those who,more often than not, posts “just another copy of a poorly done copy of a poor choice of a topic”. What’s worse is that after I do it, I sit here trying to figure out why such a sucky way of doing things doesn’t create revenue.
Thanks Liz & Mike for the eye opener. Now to figure out how to do something about it.
Hi Gary,
Hang around. Ideas are a contagious thing. Glad that Mike’s idea is giving you some. When you get some will you throw a few my way. I need to make some revenue too.
This blogging for fame stuff doesn’t impress my landlord one little bit. 🙂 😉
Liz