6 Simple Steps To a More Enchanting Blog

This post is part of the Branded Blogging Series, which features tips on how to learn from the successes of some of the most innovative and successful brand blogs.

Blogs are like opinions — everybody’s got at least one. But for most people, their blogs are like cyber-echo chambers. Either no one reads them or they read them and never come back.

Silicon Valley venture capitalist and bestselling author Guy Kawasaki offers some suggestions for becoming a more enchanting business person and public speaker in his book, “Enchantment.”

Many of his suggestions are just as effective for putting together an enchanting blog. Below are six steps for developing a more enchanting blog, as adapted from Kawasaki’s tips for businesses.

1. Achieve Trustworthiness

Most of us have been programmed to think about how others can help us. Try turning that around and think about how you can help other people, particularly customers and visitors to your blog.

People trust sources of information that are thoughtful. Trustworthiness stems from another factor, too: providing information that is credible and consistently reliable.

2. Reach Out to Nobodies

The best advertising is still word of mouth.

Yes, that third party endorsement from having your company’s story in the New York Times or Wall Street Journal is priceless. But so is Susan Smith raving about your product to the 200 friends on Facebook or Jack Jones talking it up to his 20 followers on Twitter.

Bottom line: plant those little seeds.

3. Perfect Customer Service

A blog is a great place to tell customers more about how that wonderful product they just bought from you can enhance their lives. It’s also a great place to talk about any problems you’ve seen with the product and how you can fix them. And lastly, for transparency’s sake, your corporate blog is a venue to announce problems before your customer service center is deluged with calls from angry customers.

When customers realize you’re upfront about your challenges, they’ll respect you more. And they’ll come back.

4. Use Technology Effectively

Take out the hurdles that keep people from accessing your company’s corporate blog or spreading its gospel.

Do you really need those captchas? Can readers easily comment on your blog? Do you use your blog as another vehicle for customers to ask questions? Do you respond to the questions promptly? Do you use pictures and videos to engage readers? Are your blog posts easy to share via social media sites? Can users sign up for to receive email updates?

All of these strategies will make your reader’s experience better in some small way — but small details make up the big picture. Use technology to let readers customize the experience.

5. Add Value

What do visitors get out of your blog? A premium? Electronic coupons? Information they can’t get anywhere else? Entertainment?

The blog must offer something that makes it irresistible. Understand the value you are offering to readers. After all, if you don’t understand it, neither will your customers.

6. Overcome Resistance

The more unusual a new product, the more skepticism you’ll encounter. Use other customers to eliminate the skepticism.

Weave your customers’ written or electronic testimonials into your blog. That way, you’re not trying to sell your own message — your customers are doing the talking for you.

Final Thoughts

Developing an enchanting blog is like any business relationship. Give the people value, make the blog accessible and credible, give visitors reasons to keep coming back, and use word of mouth as a major advertising vehicle. Then sit back and watch what happens.

Image courtesy of Flickr, ollily