Today, another surprising story from Naked Conversations, the best book I’ve read about blogging, about the effectiveness of this new medium.
In North Conway, New Hampshire – a four-season vacation destination in the shadow of Mount Washington -– Horsefeathers restaurant has been a favorite among locals and nearby vacation homeowners for the last 32 years. As more and more national restaurant franchises popped up, customer retention became imperative for Horsefeathers.
Their solution was an untraditional one: start a blog. The blog talks little about the restaurant itself. Instead, the focus is on local events, ski conditions and the like.
It may seem an unlikely approach, but results were phenomenal. The first year, 50,000 people visited the blog. The owner remarked, “On an average day 150 to 200 people will electronically check in at our home base. We have as many people visiting Horsefeathers.com every day as we have seats in the dining room.”
If you’re my typical reader — a garden industry cataloger or online business – you may wonder how a local restaurant’s experience could apply to you. But think about it: Horsefeathers’ blog succeeds because it keeps their name in front of a targeted audience…with a regular publication schedule…without selling, but instead by providing useful information. Such an approach is even easier in the field of gardening, and the market – and thus the potential return – is far greater.
