It’s true that your blog is an avenue for bringing search traffic and hopefully new customers to your Web site. It’s also true that your blog posts should be compelling in order to keep your readers coming back and to drive your readers to action.
But how good of a following will you and your business build if all of your posts are impersonal, repetitive, and only try to sell something?
Your online audience doesn’t know who you are if all they ever see are your sales letters. Occasionally, you should write blog posts that reveal a little bit about who you are as a person or as a company culture. Make a personal connection with potential clients, encouraging their trust. Doesn’t that sound like a better marketing strategy to you?
There are three main reasons people reading a blog trust the writer:
- The blogger is seen as an expert
- The reader can relate to the blogger’s experiences
- The blogger offers a supportive ear
Acquire Expert Status
Blog readers have plenty of choices about where to spend their time; be sure your visitors find substance when they browse your blog. The successful business blogger gives readers bite-size pieces of knowledge. You don’t need to give away the store, but don’t leave them wishing for more at the end of your post.
Share Common Experiences
Some of my favorite blogs are written by business owners who also love to travel. Because travel plays such a big role in my life, I find myself watching for their RSS feeds. Being connected to a blogger by common experience opens the door to doing business with them too.
Are you familiar enough with your target audience to know what connections you could make? If not, a little market research is in order.
Here are specific examples of ways to connect without losing your professional stance:
- If your audience made of working mothers? Write blog posts about your parenting experiences, holiday stresses, or significant milestones in your family. You can blend these personal glimpses with tips for balancing work and parenthood and posts closely related to your product line.
- If your target market is senior executives, write an occasional post about something you find difficult, for example, terminating employees or surviving international travel. No need to step completely out of the executive office with every post, but let your readers see your human side.
- For blogs by technology business owners, it is possible to combine the human touch with the technical. Most of us have experienced technology meltdowns or witnessed brilliant problem solving; why not let them in on your own?
Offer a Sympathetic Ear
One more successful blog marketing strategy is to pose a question for readers and ask them to respond with comments. This strategy gives you an opportunity to offer support, encouragement, and ideas. By the way, the responses you receive can produce a wealth of material for future blog posts. By allowing your readers to blow off steam or ask for help, you create an automatic connection.
Try these three approaches on your blog to build empathy and trust with your readers. By making yourself approachable while maintaining your professional image, you can break through the cyber wall and form connections with the people who might just become your clients.
About Sara Lancaster
Sara is The Condiment Marketing Co.’s founder and creative director. She oversees client relationships, strategic marketing plans, as well as a bit of copywriting and social media management.
