Customer Loyalty: Are You Blogging Yet?

John Maxwell once said, ‘People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.’

 

We talked a bit about blogging in my previous post because it’s an important tool you can use to build trust and earn customer loyalty.

 

Blogging gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your individual style and values, any time night or day.   You don’t have to be face to face or on the phone. Although it’s business, it’s personal and you care enough to let people into your world. It’s unobtrusive too because it allows readers to get to know you and what you stand for while they’re in their own personal space – and to connect directly to you through comments, feedback and social media.

 

It seems to me that while many small businesses know they should be blogging, a lot of energy seems to be spent on why they’re not doing it.  Do these sound familiar?

  1. I’m in a boring industry
  2. So and so is already doing it
  3. So and so doesn’t do it
  4. Everyone is doing it
  5. It’s too much work
  6. I don’t have the time
  7. I’m not a writer
  8. I don’t know what to write about
  9. I have a website.  I don’t need a blog too
  10. I don’t know any of that technical stuff

 

Basically all of them can be easily categorized.

  1. Fear of the unknown. Whenever we’re all scared or intimidated by things we don’t know and procrastinate over taking what seems to be a giant leap. Just do it.  Once we do, we wonder why we were afraid in the first place.  The good news is that your competition may very well feel the same way, so the opportunity is yours to step up and show your value.
  2. Technology is not rocket science.  The web has come a long way. Many blogging platforms are not only free, but user friendly, for us non-techy types. You can even integrate your blog on your website, which will increase your search engine visibility. You can add photos, audio, video too, and you don’t have to be at your desk to do it. A friend of mine who does a lot of business travel, writes and posts many of his blogs right on his smartphone or tablet.
  3. No industry is boring if you know who you’re talking to. People are more connected on line these days than they are in person.  There are more blog readers now ever before and people want to hear what you have to say. Be relevant to the needs of your target market.  Remember, it’s not about you.  It’s about them.  What do they want to hear about?
  4. Lack of time/I can’t write.  There’s no workaround for that one, but there are qualified writers who can write blogs for you. Simple generic content relevant to your industry will remind people you’re around. There are also writers who can produce true branded content, specific to you and written in your ‘voice.’  Rates for both will vary, but I’m willing to bet the price is substantially lower than what you currently spend on advertising and marketing and the ROI is infinitely higher.

 

If you think I’ve missed anything, please let me know.   Blogging is simply an amazing tool that allows us to connect at a deeper level with our customers and build our relationships with them.

So, are you ready to show how much you care?  On your mark.  Set. Blog!