If you are like most people out here in La-La-Land you are searching to know more about a product or service before you purchase it. For the business people who are hiring, they search to know more about who it is they are hiring. For Suppliers they are out here to learn know more about who they are selling materials to.
How do you check all of this out?
To get this information everyone is going to the internet to find Blogs written by a real person on a product, service, another person or materials they are interested in knowing more about. The information offered in a Blog become very powerful when it comes time for the consumer decide on what action to take.
If you are in business and do not have a Blog you are going to be at a tremendous disadvantage in gaining a foot hold in the market. More than likely your services or products will be overlooked by consumers if they cannot find information on the person (not the place) who is offering the product or service.
Blogging has changed in the last year. Writing a blog not only allows the author to be open and exhibit their style of communication to the world, it also provides an insight in how the author thinks. These gateways into a person’s true self offer consumers a look at the person behind the business.
Upside/Downside
There are many different styles of blogs. Each have their ups or downs. If you are just now setting up your blog, or if you find the direction of your blog is going nowhere, you might try setting up a blog for each of your personal or professional interest would help keep the focus.
Many niche bloggers (people who are experts in a very small portion of a profession or field of expertise) will set up a stand alone blog and write only on issues surrounding that niche. This is good for people looking for others in that niche or information on the subject. The downside is most people who move into the niche do not provide enough consistent content to keep the interest of any viewers or they go to an extreme by blogging hourly on the same subject. This is the biggest turn off for their viewers. If you are going to blog on a niche, blog on it at least twice a week and provide a different angle to an issue if the issue is your niche. This will keep viewers interested and checking out who you are and what you do.
Open bloggers (people who have no specific subject or real purpose in what they are writing) generally lean to showing their diversity in all the things they enjoy or dislike. The upside is it does show a broader picture of that individual. The downside is it may show a side that does not need to be shown especially if the blogger’s primary interest is promoting a deceptive business, product or job.
If you want to illustrate your sense of humor and tell people you like fly fishing while your primary interest is finding a job you probably would not want to post any controversial comedy videos or bore people to dead with a 1000 posts on your fly fishing. Touch on the things you like or enjoy and maybe tie in a story on how you solved a problem.
Offering ‘How To’s’ on your expertise or hobbies. These instructional blogs go well for people marketing themselves for their business or for job searches.
The One Track Bloggers, the companies or public relations people who have a very, very, very ,very narrow focus to their blog, are one of the many wonders of La-La-Land. They stay only focused on their misguided marketing technique. They only want people to see and hear them and have no care what so ever in or have interest in encouraging discussion. These are the Billboards and manikins of the internet. They do nothing but get in the way of what the consumer came to the internet to find out about..which was..Who is the person behind these products or services.
What Executives Think
In my travels around the country playing Business Golf with business owners and executives I generally talk to them about the internet during the round. Since the internet is a general topic it can be a short discussion or carry on for the entire round. However, what I have found is they see Blogs as resumes. Blogs to them offers information they need on the person they are reviewing for a position. If the blog shows diversity in topics then it appeases the reviewer’s interest of learning more of what the person can really do. If it is blasting advertising then they are clicking to another blog for another person who applied for the job. Pretty simple.
What Consumers Think
The day of TV style advertising is really over..especially on the internet.
Trust factor is what the consumer is searching for today and they make their search through blogs to find those who build trust. Their search is for ‘who can they can trust’ to provide them with a quality product they REALLY need and who will offer a product that will do what they say it will do. If the product is going to make the person $4000 in five minutes then that process should be clearly outline on exactly how that is done without forcing them to click on a link or pay to find out.
The more trust a consumer has with the blogger the more likely they will learn more about the person and what they have to offer the market. The Trust Factor is what consumers are looking for today. Once that first gate of personal trust has been opened then marketing a product becomes easy.
People ask me what blogging does most for the blogger and I tell them it develops trust. You can either trust the person blogging is the real deal or trust that the product being hammered on in the blog is the person’s only focus. Trust building is the power of the blog and I suggest every business owner, executive, employee or retiree have a blog. It would help the economy grow if more people would establish their trust within the market.
So, if you are looking to start blogging then pick a style and a subject and get ready to experience the power of the blog.
Let me know how I can help
