If you have a blog and nobody comments does it really exist?

Image by Laughing Squid via Flickr

I knew when I started this blog that I was doing this on my own to experiment and not to fill some untapped need for people clamoring to read my thoughts and ideas. However, not one comment? Not even by accident?
It does go to show that for a blog to be successful you need a following. Obvious, I know, but what does this mean for businesses who are being told to blog, blog, blog to drive traffic and generate leads but have very little brand recognition or following?
Blog it and they will come? Not so much.

Workflow marketing

Marketing should be a means to generate a conversation with your customers. Engage with them, identify their needs, pains and introduce your solution and value proposition. I am of the belief that this conversation, to be successful, needs to be done within that customers particular workflow. I call this approach Workflow marketing.

Workflow marketing is introducing your product when it is needed in a prospects daily routine. Interacting at the right moment is where social networking, blogs, ratings, wikis, audio, groups, etc. are so powerful because they are becoming ingrained in our every day routine and firms can leverage these tools to interact with prospects to start a conversation.

Workflow marketing is the opposite of flooding people with information in the hopes that they will remember you when the time is right. The key is to be there when your customer is seeking what they need as they will be more open to a dialog. Obviously, this is similar to behavioral marketing and targeting but I think it goes beyond those tools because it is less intrusive, less obvious and more welcoming to the prospect.