Do You Read SL Merchant Blogs?

[Czari Zenovka]

I've, thus far, never had a blog associated with my SL business.  As a customer I don't read merchant blogs.  I'm in the groups of merchants whose products I purchase on a somewhat regular basis thus I get the group updates.  For any other shopping I have a list of merchant store names by category that I consult.

My question is - do you read merchant blogs?  Just a select few or many?  Why? 

Trying to decide if beginning a blog for my store would have any major advantage at the moment since my store is small and I don't have any regular customers that would follow it.  Thanks in advance for any input. :)

[Charolotte Caxton]

As a consumer, I love merchant blogs. To me, it is like an online catalog and also it is fun to get to know the creator's personality, if even just a little bit.

Also, when trying to find a product of theirs I want, sometimes it is easier to just scroll their past posts and look at the photos, also a good way to see what else they have that I may not have been aware of.

I am not much of a Marketplace browser, but I do enjoy the Store Blogs.

It doesn't matter to me if a merchant does not have a blog, I think for me a blog is just a fun, often times useful, extra.

[Amethyst Jetaime]

No I don't read any blogs on a regular basis.  Occasionally if someone gives me a link to a particular entry they want me to see, I'll browse through the blog a bit., but that's all.  Just don't have time for it.

[Czari Zenovka]

Thank you, Charlotte and Amethyst.    I will ammend my OP to say that I do read *some* merchant blogs *occasionally* but they are generally ones that speak to SL issues in which I have an interest, not reading them for product info.

One of the reasons I brought this question to the forums is I have a friend who has been telling me for years I need to have a blog but since I'm not a big blog reader, plus my shop being so small, I didn't see that I needed one.  Wanted to see if I'm in the vast minority.

If I decide on a blog in the future, it would be more like what you mentioned, Charlotte - more anecdotal with my shop as part of it but not the main topic.

 

[161488303349]

i random browse the fashion ones quite often. i click the blogroll links on each of them usual at random as well. is like flicking thru the mags

so if you make a blog then try get other bloggers to put yours on their blogrolls links and you can put them on yours

i dont like when i end up on a blog and is nowhere new to go after that except back. so i try to remember not to click on them links 

is really only about 5 SL blogs that i actual have in my browser favs. i click flick the pages for the rest. quite often find some nice stuff that way that i never would have found

[Qie Niangao]

Czari, I'm no kind of shopper, so not representative of the people you'd want to reach. That disclaimer out of the way, I never read merchant blogs.  I do, however, sometimes follow-up on commercially relevant tweets from friends... either the merchants themselves or (especially) excited customers.

It's not because I'm such an avid Twitter user or anything... but as a non-shopper, it's easier to reach me with "push" media than to hope I might, in a sudden fit of consumerism, seek out a blog and read it.

The "feeds" are supposedly SL's version of push media, and I know there are a few people who use that very enthusiastically, but I just could never get into it, despite multiple attempts. (For all I know, you may be the Queen of Feeds already.)

[Sassy Romano]

I don't read them unless i've happened to google for something and it turns up.

"Personality" was mentioned.  That's important because there's a popular sales phrase that says "people buy people", meaning that people like to buy from people they know.  I was once told that people typically buy after 7 communications events and these include any form of communication, phone, email, letter, advert or whatever.

So if you want to increase your sales, put some investment in getting people to know you, not just the product.  Satisfied customers are your best sales vehicle, disatisfied customers tell far more people about a bad experience.

I know it's not as easy for some as for others but if there's a product group and you're not active in it, then that's a complete lost opportunity for me.  I don't stay in groups just to get an advert once a month or twice a day as some choose to.  Be there, chat, be human.    I know i'm more interested in the merchants I read in the forums here because it tells a lot about attitude, how I would be treated as a customer, what their thoughts are on policies, whether they have a sense of humour, do they appear approachable or aloof?  If so why?  (that's what goes through my head).

I've walked away from making plenty of purchases due to being put off by the merchant.

So in that sense, if i'm looking, the blog (or similar) will have me more interested in "you" the merchant than the products.

Be a person I want to buy from.

[Deja Letov]

I actually read merchant blogs. I also do the whole facebook fan like thing too. I don't  hit the blogs nearly as much as I do the facebook fan pages, mainly because they tend to post the same thing to their facebook page as they do their blogs. I'm the same way with mine though, most of the customers who care what I have to say are on my facebook page but my readership on my blog is much lower. I just post what I want to post on my blog which could be new product releases, etc with pics and descriptions and of course links to marketplace listings, etc. then I do the quick link share on the blog. Then my facebook readers can click over to the blog and see all the specs there. They then come back to the facebook and make comments there. LOL It's a cycle I guess but this day in age I think people are used to working this way.

[Perrie Juran]

I occasionally glace at them but rarely read unless a Merchant suggests I can find out more about a product I am interested in on their blog.

[Ceera Murakami]

Not generally, no. In fact, the only way I usually end up reading any SL-related blogs is if I see a forum post here or at SLU that links to a blog entry that someone else found particularly noteworthy, and that I agree seems worth reading. Otherwise, I tend to ignore the blogs about SL entirely.

[Czari Zenovka]

Thank you all for responding. 

@16 - Ah, your response brings up something that I had not thought of at the time of posting but which I think very likely holds true - of the people who follow merchant blogs for product info, I suspect many of those follow fashion blogs since fashion is ever-changing and thus a bit more "fluid" in its content over time.  The analogy of utilizing fashion blogs like flipping through a magazine is spot on, in my opinion.  Until fairly recently there were not many SL groups for designers of non-fashion items to reach SL consumers. (My shop sells small home furnishings and accessories.)  I've been pleased to see more non-fashion designer groups form but they are still vastly lower in number than fashion groups. I appreciate you mentioning the blog rolls.   The few times I read SL blogs I do scan the blog rolls as well to see if something catches my eye.

@Qie - You sound a lot Iike me.  I'm also not a shopper RL or SL.  My shopping philosophy is: I need/want xyz. Go to location that sells xyz.  Find xyz.  Buy it and leave said store.  Not a "window-shopper." lol Also, far from being the Queen of Feeds, I tend to stay away from them.  My single-tasking mind gets overloaded easily by too much info.  I like your comment "...it's easier to reach me with "push" media than to hope I might, in a sudden fit of consumerism, seek out a blog and read it."

@Sassy - Lots of great well-thought out info there.   Totally agree with how I view a merchant  within the forums influences if I ever purchase from them or not regardless how amazing the product may be.  As far as groups, becoming more of a presence within them via participating in chat is one I'd never considered re: people purchasing my products but it makes perfect sense as it relates back to the forum idea, and we both know those of us who read/post on these forums are a miniscule portion of the SL population.  Thank you for bringing that to my attention.

@Deja - I recall your post back in April or thereabout re: steps you were taking to concentrate  on your in world store, most of which tied back to what I'm gaining as the "theme" of the majority of responses to this thread - however one chooses to go about it, get to know one's customers and show them they are valued.  Great stuff, Deja.

@Perrie & Ceka - You two are also very similar to how I view SL blogs, especially from a consumer perspective.  Ceka, your mention of SLU pulled a piece of info to the front of my mind.  One of my friends who is a regular on SLU told me awhile back that they have an area to post new products like the old SL forums had.  I made a note to check that out when she mentioned it but it slipped out of my mind.   *Makes another note to check that out and writes it in bigger letters this time.*

It really is a pity more SL residents don't read the forums.  The combined wealth of info here on any given topic is immmense.

 

 

[Melita Magic]

I do not read any merchant blogs. I do not see a real purpose in them to be blunt.

[Czari Zenovka]

---

Melita Magic wrote:

I do not read any merchant blogs. I do not see a real purpose in them to be blunt.

---

Thanks, Melita.   I've pretty much come to the conclusion, for me, if I want to start a SL and/or merchant-related blog at some time it will be based on enjoyment of the medium, not to use as a business promotion.

As a sidenote: I was in my shop a few days ago when a customer popped in.  We engaged in some conversation during which time I ascertained that two of her main activities in SL is shopping and merchant hunts.  She indicated that she regularly tosses out old outfits and replaces them with new ones.  I was interested in the opinion of a shopaholic on the topic of merchant/fashion blogs, so I asked if she read or followed any.  Immediate answer was a resounding no.

 

[Charolotte Caxton]

I love hunts. They are great for exploring new places, learning how to use your camera controls, and really many other controls, you meet others, you find great shops, you are engaged in a goal, and you get stuff.

I love hunts, especially when they are done well, which I am sure is subjective