Business Blogging: How Personal Should You Get?
There is a sense in which personal details included in your business blog can make you seem more human, and it’s quite possible that this could lead to additional business. The thinking is that people like to get to know who you are. And that’s true. But they’re also there to get information about your particular niche, business services, or products. Give them what they want.
What people really DON’T want is a marketing brochure. People online don’t like to be marketed to. The Internet has become a huge library of information and typically people go online to browse for information without being hit in the face with a blatant marketing message. They get enough of that on TV and radio and in their newspapers and magazines. They don’t want to see it online too. That’s why only about 20% of Internet browsers click on the pay per click ads.
So the question is, how do you take that information - the fact that people aren’t looking for blatant marketing messages - and turn that to your advantage. Well, you talk to them. That’s it. Conversationally, you strike up a good discussion and do two things: Listen. Talk.
Notice the order. First, you listen, then you respond to what the marketplace is saying. The way you listen is to read other blogs and visit a few forums. What questions are people asking? Those are the questions you should answer on your blog. If you do it right, people will come to your blog because you have the answers to the questions that they are asking. They will then begin to ask you their questions and you can respond to those.
By striking up a conversation, people will see you as approachable. In that way, you can be personal - and personable - which can lead to new business. You don’t have to tell them all about your deepest, darkest secrets. Save that for your diary.
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Business Blogging: How Personal Should You Get?…
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