Hurdles to blogging – #11 What if I reveal too much?
Welcome to the 11th addition to my ‘Hurdles to Blogging’ series. You can catch up with the other 10 in my summary post and see which ones interest you.
A lot of my clients worry about ‘giving away’ too much. This could be giving away too much free content or revealing some aspect of their business in a blog which could damage sales.
Personally, I think this is incredibly unlikely. Don’t be afraid to give away ‘free content’ – a blog post, no matter how much you share and how long it is, will never replace your service in person.
I give away tips and advice all of the time and yet people still come to me for help with their content. A lot of what I say to them has probably been covered in the 70+ blog posts I have written, but, firstly, not everyone will have read all of my blogs and, secondly, even if they had, how often have you read something but not retained all of the information? Don’t forget the much-cited stats that people remember ‘10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see…’ etc.
Therefore, even if you feel you are sharing lots of information with the world, you will be amazed at how much more you still have to offer and, also, how much you have to repeat yourself! For example, how many businesses have their opening times on the front page of their website and on their Facebook page, for example, only for people to still ring or email and ask about their opening hours!!!
What sharing information can do
Demonstrates knowledge and experience
Particularly when it comes to services, I like to buy from someone who knows what they are talking about!
I can look at a LinkedIn page; I can read the About page on a website; I can search for testimonials – but there is something about reading a business’ blog that really reveals to me what they actually know. You can say a lot about how great you are in a paragraph or two, but in a blog post of over 500 words, it is easy to spot when someone is waffling or not really sure. A good blog will soon show a business’ unique selling points, the mission of the business and their underlying principles. Importantly, it will demonstrate, in a clear way, their expertise – what they know about and what experience they have.
A blog which is added to regularly also helps website visitors to assess the ‘activity’ of a business. If there is a blog post which is less than a month old, it suggests to me, that the business is active and engaged. It is also more likely to suggest to a visitor that the website is up-to-date and that business is thriving as they have stuff to talk about and to share. It may well be an illusion…but it is not a bad one to create!
Builds trust
When it comes to parting with money, we all want to do it somewhere or with someone we trust. A blog is a great place to be open and transparent about your business, your products and your services. In conjunction with sharing your knowledge and experience, potential clients get to see that you have nothing to hide. Blogging about the materials you use, the approaches you take, your working practices and even, perhaps, troubles you have experienced, will all show what sort of business you are and how you genuinely work to offer a quality service.
People buy from people – they want to get to know you and your business – and they will make a decision based on that as to whether to buy from you. This is what your brand is all about and it can be reinforced through a blog and the content therein.
Good quality, well-written blogs, which share relevant and interesting information, will help to grow a sense of trust and openness, which can only be a good thing for business.
Converts sales
Imagine you have two products which are very similar in style, size and price. How do you choose which one to buy? There are often lots of factors, but what if you knew very little about one, except for a short description and a picture on the website and lots about the other – where it was made, who by, how, when and perhaps even ‘the people behind the product’?
Suddenly, the second product seems rather more appealing.
Sharing information in a blog can help to convert sales. It gives website visitors another reason to stay on your site, to take a closer look at what you are about and offers information that perhaps another business similar to yours doesn’t seem to want to share.
Content is King
Whether it is demonstrating knowledge, building trust or converting sales, a blog is always good extra content for you to have on your website and to shout about on your social media pages. Don’t let barriers get in your way.
If you would be interested in learning more about blogging, contact me about my ‘Blog Starter Package’ – one-to-one training to get you started – for just £50.