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If you invite a friend over for dinner, there is a certain set of unspoken social guidelines that must be followed. Everyone is expected to be on their best behavior, and actions occur without needing to be prompted. Mothers work very hard to teach their children the proper manners of having a guest, and what it means to treat the guest with courtesy and respect.
This is the same case when you invite people to come to your web site and read your blog! On the internet, a place of anonymity, sometimes manners can fall by the wayside. Because of this, people tend to notice when people and businesses act with class. Having good blogging manners can set your company apart, and differentiate you from other businesses!
When you have guests arriving, it is advisable to make sure your home is neat and tidy. In the same way, your web site’s layout is the first impression many people will have of your business. Make sure everything is in its place, and that there is no unnecessary clutter.
While entertaining your guests, you want to make sure the experience is enjoyable. You need to make sure that your blog posts are interesting, not just the same old content everyone is recycling, but something your guests will appreciate, preferably even something that they will not find anywhere else.
It is important that your guests feel that they are taking part in the conversation. While the main goal of your blog is to impart wisdom to your web site’s visitors, it is important that your guests are engaged. If you encourage your guests to comment on a post, or reach out to you on a social networking site, they are likely to feel like they have a relationship with the company.
As an added step, you must make sure to further any conversation your guest initiates. If a guest at dinner were ignored any time they commented on the conversation, they would likely be affronted. No matter if a comment is positive or negative; every comment deserves a response, even if it is simply “Thank you for your input.”
By using all these manners in your company’s blog, you will achieve the number one goal of entertaining a guest: the guest will leave with a positive experience. If this occurs, your blog is likely to receive more traffic, both from pleased guests that have come back, and more referrals!
If you ever had the thought that you cannot blog, trust me, it’s not true. In my own experiences, I have found out that anyone can be a successful blogger to contribute to your agency’s insurance marketing efforts.
When I was first approached with the idea of blogging, I was a little skeptical to say the least. I didn’t think I would have the right writing style for it, and I honestly didn’t think that I would enjoy it. I soon found out that I couldn’t have been further from the truth.
I am very analytical. In middle and high school, I was on the math team. No joke, there were weekly meetings, even competitions. So how is someone so number-centric able to write, and do it well? I’ll tell you!
Have the Right Attitude
Your attitude toward something is almost always a deciding factor in your success. If you come into something with the idea that you will fail, you have no doubt already sealed your fate.
Always step into new experiences with a positive attitude. Know that there aren’t any downsides to trying something new. At best, you have discovered a skill you never knew you had. At worst, you gave something a good, honest try. You will also learn something in the process. If those are the only outcomes, there is no reason to not try writing a blog post or two!
Pick a Good Topic
Once you have a positive attitude, it is time to pick a topic to write about! This is probably a longer and more frustrating process than the writing itself, honestly. After all, when you are researching, there’s a whole internet of possible topics! How on earth are you expected to pick just one?
When you are searching for a potential blog topic, try not to get too bogged down with ideas. Keep it simple, and keep the following in mind:
Pick a topic that is relevant and interesting to your audience. Ask yourself this: what are people coming to your blog to read about? Make sure your topic answers this question.
Pick a topic you like. If you don’t like the topic you write about, no one will enjoy reading it. Picture for a moment being a high school English teacher. It would take all the patience in the world to get through a stack of thrown-together and last minute essays on Friedrich Nietzsche and nihilism written by 16 year olds. Can you even imagine the torture?
This is something that you must avoid putting your readers through at all costs. If you write about something you like and are passionate about, you don’t run the risk of your reader’s eyes glazing over.
To really avoid putting your readers to sleep, make sure to read your blog over after it is written. Make sure that you can read it fluidly, and fix any awkward wordings that are hard to avoid when writing. This is a very important step in writing, because sometimes what sounds good in your head when you write needs a better logical flow once is it actually on paper.
Show It Off!
After you have written and revised, take pride in what you have done! You are now a blogger! Show your new creation to friends and co-workers. Nothing will motivate you to cultivate a new skill like praise.
Then it is finally time to post your work! Putting your writing on the internet may seem strange or scary at first, but be assured that it will become old hat after a while.
And remember, with a plan of action, a positive attitude, and some practice, anyone can be a blogger!