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Jeremy Ruggles says
May 16, 2012 at 12:03 amHey Brian,
It sounds like Blog Engage has come a long way. I am currently using your RSS syndication services and think they are great. I am a fairly new blogger and have made little money so far, but am seeing a little success. I am really interested to see what you have up your sleeve for the future of Blog Engage and it’s members.
What advice might you have for a blogger that has been working hard to connect with people since the beginning of the year?
Talk soon,
~Jeremy
bbrian017 says
May 16, 2012 at 7:50 amHi Jeremy, one thing I’m always hesitant to share online is future development plans. I know my ideas are unique and innovative and when mentioned here could compromise our growth and ability to bring new features to the market.
As for the advice, the most important elements of blogging are content, consistency and building new relationships. If you personally connect with people online you will be a success. Continue working hard, apply these key elements and you will do well.
Also, thank you so much for the continued support on blog engage. I am thankful to have you as a customer and I look forward to building on our relationship as we move forward together.
Missy says
May 16, 2012 at 12:00 amBrian has created an awesome and active community of bloggers over at Blog Engage. It has really picked up steam as of late and is more active than ever.
He’s constantly tweaking, adding and changing things which keeps things nice and fresh. I wish him well in this contest.
Good luck, Brian.
Cheers!
bbrian017 says
May 16, 2012 at 7:42 amHi Missy, thanks so much for the kind words. You know in 2012 the traffic has been growing but the one area I see the most significant gain is in our user contribution. It’s such a great feeling to see all the bloggers engaging, commenting on each others blog, it’s really a great feeling to be part of something so big.
Sandra Cobb says
May 16, 2012 at 12:04 amAs one who nearly gave up on blogging, I certainly agree with you about the hard work involved. Keeping up with hosting problems can drive you crazy until you find a dependable host. You hit the nail on the head – when you provide a unique service it can take some time for everyone to understand what’s being offered. The FAQ section at Blog Engage has helped immensely. Congratulations on a job well done and on your success!
bbrian017 says
May 16, 2012 at 10:37 amSandra Cobb when you get to the professional level of Blog Engage you can no longer rely on your host, you have to manage your own dedicated servers. This was a huge challenge for me but thankful some real life friends I had came to my rescue and now my server is running very smooth. I’m glad the FAR page worked out for you, I have plans on adding more but none the less it’s a key element to fully understanding our community and how it works.
Astro Gremlin says
May 16, 2012 at 12:23 amBrian, your commitment to the customers at BlogEngage is patent in everything you do. I’ll be honest – I won a membership and really didn’t know what I was getting into. But I soon learned that you are utterly committed to the success of BlogEngage, and that means you are looking out for us members. My site started slowly getting hits from new, high quality sites that I not only didn’t have to add, I didn’t even know they existed! Blog Engage took a little getting used to — it has some powerful features I didn’t quite understand. But there you were, ready to answer questions and offer any help. I have yet to write a guest post anywhere – guess I’m still waiting to write something epic. But when I do (or just give up on the epic part :)) I plan to submit it to Blog Engage. The other bloggers at BE are the real deal and it’s a true community, thanks to you and your tireless, smart effort.
bbrian017 says
May 16, 2012 at 10:40 amHi Astro, thanks so much for the kind words and feedback. It’s such a great feeling hearing these positive words come from you. You know I love Blog Engage like it’s a little new born still but the reality is we are growing and at a very fast rate. I can’t wait for your guest post, and more importantly it would be awesome if you would join one of our $500 USD contests with that article.
Grady Pruitt says
May 16, 2012 at 1:02 amI don’t think it was just HP… I seem to remember having to purchase a USB cord for my Canon printer… but fortunately, I knew that ahead of time.
Staying ahead of your customers is a great strategy. And while it can sometimes be a bit of a guessing game, when you hit on something that works, it really pays off.
Thanks for sharing, Brian!
bbrian017 says
May 16, 2012 at 10:42 amThat’s interesting to know… What I don’t understand is why they didn’t stir up a nice big PR event educating the consumer of these changes and play on it as if it’s a going green movement when we all know ti’s about the bottom line. Oh well, no one is perfect and I think the lesson here is we have to help our customers better understand our message.
Tom Treanor says
May 16, 2012 at 1:05 amBrian,
Thanks for the post. Yes, the more you can meet the needs and continue to adjust for your customers, the better. Interesting comparison between BlogEngage and HP. It makes sense, especially the Bing situation (although that’s a key part of all hardware maker’s models – a reason I wanted to get out of hardware). Good luck moving BlogEngage forward and serving your customers.
bbrian017 says
May 22, 2012 at 9:49 pmHi Tom. thanks for swinging by and commenting. I would never say I could had done better in that situations. I mean it’s easy for me to sit back and say what they should had done after the fact. At the end of the day they have many upset consumers, when this could had been a positive green movement for the company it turned out to be hassle for their end user.
Sally Brown says
May 16, 2012 at 7:36 amAs a Blog Engage member, I have been amazed at how willing Brian is to do whatever it takes to keep the site current and ‘engaging’.
He recently did a revamping of the site, which has added great value to each member’s experience. I love BE! Sally
bbrian017 says
May 22, 2012 at 9:51 pmHi Sally, we also love having you. I know things have been tough for you lately and perhaps soon you may stop blogging but even if you do, I would hope to see you still visiting us as an avid blog reader. I remember you were the one who suggested I add a more convenient way to access the Groups people were in. Brilliant idea and now we have the groups drop down in the header. Thanks for the great idea.
Sally Brown says
May 27, 2012 at 2:15 pmI’m hoping not to stop blogging, because I love it. I am getting some help from a BE member so I won’t have to deal with the maintenance on my blog as much. This person is a lifesaver for me. I hope to be blogging for a long time. Good luck with the contest!
Adam Gottlieb says
May 16, 2012 at 7:50 amThis is another great reminder of why it is so important to speak to your customers- especially if you’re running a business that’s involved with ever-changing technology and/or relies on the Internet. Things move very, very quickly, and sometimes, like you said, your customers won’t even know what they want until you tell them.
You just have to keep asking, keep listening, and keep on plugging away
bbrian017 says
May 22, 2012 at 9:53 pmHi Adam, I loved the “plugging away” part. I’m not sure if you know but I have been “plugging away” and you’re right it helps you become a success. Life is hard work and to make an idea great you have to work even harder. The blogosphere has been so generous to me but I have respected that gift with my determination to make our community better for everyone.
Latief says
May 16, 2012 at 9:46 amYes, costumer education is really important, few months a go I started an inbound marketing services in my country. So many people ask me about the services, since I can’t answer all the question one by one so I started a blog to educate people about the services and it seems its a good way to educate people with a blog 🙂
As you said, may be I need to create something unique service for the future customer, great tips Brian, thanks
bbrian017 says
May 22, 2012 at 9:57 pmHey Latief that’s a great idea man. I’m really impressed how you solved a need with a blog it’s really awesome. Many people wouldn’t even think of that option but you did and implemented it nice one. As you know I do this everyday with Blog Engage and you have been a member for sometime now. Thanks for all your contributions and efforts to making Blog Engage as awesome as it is today. Keep on Blogging.
Abhi Balani says
May 16, 2012 at 10:03 amHey Brian,
You now what, in my first sight, I couldn’t believe that YOU, the all time contest host has participated in a contest. LOL!
Well, I got another chance to say something good for Blog Engage. Actually, we say it all time. Now we all know, Blog Engage is doing an awesome job for bloggers out there. And those back to back contest are like bonus for all us. Better than writing, I wish I could post my blog’s stats images here in my comments, to let others know what Blog Engage is contributing to my blog in terms of traffic & back links.
And lots of informative article everyday, just amazing.
I have one of the awesome articles linked below from Blog Engage. People may wanna have a look. 😀 LOL!
bbrian017 says
May 22, 2012 at 10:04 pmHey Abhi tell me about it right? I have joined one before as well and it was a blast. This is a big contest, in fact why aren’t you joining, there’s tons of prizes both cash and non cash it’s crazy! Well I guess you are busy with the Blog Engage contest and your exams as well.
Steve says
May 16, 2012 at 10:16 amBrian,
I think you encapsulated one of the most important statements in business here: “find need and provide the solution that satisfies the end consumer you can possibly create a service that will remain for a long time”.
It is such a simple statement, but it backs such a powerful solution. When you can really see from your customers eyes, find that need and provide solutions with clarity and an “above board” manner, you are well on your way to long term success.
Your example of the “lack” of this understanding with HP is a great counterpoint.
Best Wishes,
Steve
Brian D. Hawkins says
May 16, 2012 at 10:38 pmThis is a very important topic Brian and I agree completely. I’ve had a small ad tracking site for six years now and I had to learn pretty quickly that if I couldn’t teach my customer to get the most from the service my business would fail. In fact, I had to teach many customers exactly what an online ad tracker was. Some people would actually sign up and send me a few dollars every month when they had no idea what an ad tracker was or how to use it. The only way to keep those customers was to help them use the tool and get the most from it.
Deborah Anderson says
May 17, 2012 at 12:14 amBrian,
You have created a wonderful service! I look forward to daily visiting Blog Engage, meeting new people, finding new blogs. I use to feel like a sort of island and when I first started commenting on blogs, I would find that I had commented on a blog that hadn’t been updated in years. Yeah, and I wondered why no one responded? With blog engage, Brian has pulled together “engaging bloggers” and he has also guided us in areas where we can grow and learn more. He is one of the most helpful site owners I have found!
Thanks, Brian!
-Deborah
Ileane says
May 17, 2012 at 4:56 amHi Brian, you are all about customer service and that makes you stand out in the crowd. I’ve seen a lot of sites that try to emulate what you have done and like you said, they think it will be easy because you make it look easy. But I know how hard you work on the site. Every thing from hardware, software and especially human interaction. All I can do is say thanks for building Blog Engage and bringing us all together this way. You’re golden!
Jason Mathes says
May 22, 2012 at 4:02 pmI can personally attest to Brian and BlogEngage. I am just a lil’ guy. But I the same attention as someone who is a “pro blogger”! He is one of the few on the internet that I would say is not full of S**t and actually cares about his customers.
I’ve been on BlogEngage for the past 6 months (since I started lol) and everyone on there has been very nice and helpful!
And Brian – do NOT get me started about HP. *yeesh* There is a reason I do all of my computer business through NewEgg!
ICCIEV says
May 22, 2012 at 4:16 pmHi Brian,
What I really like about Blog Engage and it’s owner Brian is that it understand businesses needs, Brian is very active and provide all the help required. If you would ask him for an advice he will tell the the truth no matter how hard it’s because he have a great understanding on how business work. I have been using many blogging communities but none of them has been so engaging the way Blog Engage do.