Be a Retail Blogger: Contribute to the World of Retail Knowledge
Contribute. What does contribute really mean in today’s new internet driven world? Well, in the new web-centered world, contribute has transformed into the concept of “social media” which includes everything from wikis to forums to chat rooms and RSS feeds to micro blogs and Facebook. Shoppers are taking advantage of social media to gain more value from retailers. Are retailers leveraging the social media side enough to learn from each other, share knowledge, and gian from delivering the best value to their shoppers?
In the vertical world of retail sharing your industry knoweldge and ideas is a must! Retail is a fast changing world with many new types of technology coming into play. This is why your expertise in retail and blogging skills are important. To help retailers do the best that they can we need to share ideas, advice, and executable concepts that will help retailers to best serve their shoppers.
As many of us at SAP Retail have seen, contribute is a new way for shoppers to learn about retailers and the best deals BEFORE they shop. Per a recent Information Week article this new social media space is expected to “emerge as the most significant business enabler since the Internet itself”. So with all of this in mind doesn’t it make sense to get involved on the social media scene and contribute your thoughts, expertise, and views on topics you really understand and enjoy discussing? Shoppers do this and so should the retailers and their partners, like SAP Retail.
Yes! It all makes sense and it is time for you to step forward and be a contributor - a real retail blogger! To help you dive into the social media scene and since I am not yet a master blogger I have pulled together some of my own thoughts and added information from internet marketing gurus like Ross Goldberg to help you get started and become a great contributor!
Retail Blogging 101: Thoughts and Ideas - With vertical industry blogging it is a no brainer that it is important to know your topic. But there are many industry-specific blogs out there where people blog about areas where they are not real experts. Blog about the retail area you love and that you are considered a wizard.
- Read the retail blogs. It helps to take some time and read other industry related blogs – follow bloggers within our forum space or other find blogs that relate to retailing, your hobbies, or other interests. By reading blogs you will become more comfortable with the creation of your own blogger "voice" and it helps juice-up the creative side of your brain.
- Start out Small. We have all heard that content is king and in the social media world this is very, very true. But the word content does not mean lots of content. Each retail posting you contribute to areas like the SAP BPX Forum increases the value of the content provided for others and expands your influence factor within the retail blogging world. Start small, stay focused, and soon you will be a popular, in-demand industry focused blogger!
- Tim Jackson, a marketer at Masi Bicycles recently wrote a piece about blogging guidelines. One point he mentioned really stuck with me. Tim said “Say thanks” and explains how it goes a long way to say thank you to people every chance we get but how it goes a long, long way to thank the readers of your blog for taking the time to visit.
So it is simple: Know your retail topic, read some blogs - get comfortable and creative with blogging, start out small, and say thanks. Also, remember that what you contribute could help many people in many ways around this fast changing world of retail. Be there when you are needed and Contribute to the World of Retail Knowledge!
Thanks for the time,
Tom
PS For you readers out there that are part of SAP’s Retail team or are retailers toss in some time and share your thoughts on how the world of retail has changed. Share your visions on what shopping will be like in 2012. Share your recent shopping experiences and new ways to shop. Retail is ALWAYS a fun topic to contribute around because we all shop and some of us shop all the time!
tom.redd/blog
