This post written by Guest Blogger, Kim KlaverVisit Kim's Blog at KimKlaverBlogs.com
Many things go together. Movies have tie-ins with sponsor products, e.g. Starbucks and the wonderful movie Akeelah and the Bee. Think Star Wars tie-ins with companies like McDonald's.
Other things also go together, i.e. are consumed together...like movies and popcorn, and blogs and Google ads. There's an informative piece on things that complement each other, Complementary Genius, here.
Blogs can also go with products or a business. But not just blatant advertising, else no one would come back.
Blogging rule #1: Be a resource, not a salesperson.
One way to make it interesting for the reader is to demonstrate how your product represents a world view that certain people have. It can be fun as well. Say that you are a nutrition nut. You KNOW nutrition matters, and that people can't get enough by just eating food, even if it is all organic. We need supplements.
There are others of that persuasion, me for example. So how might you write a blog to accompany your product beliefs?
Say you are a nutrient nut. You know lots about nutrients, and love the ones in your product. That's a big reason you sell it - to spread the word. Here's an example of a short blog piece for someone like you:
EXAMPLE: Health Nut blog post
The Sex Berry, Kings and Concubines
Do you know the secret sex berry that was consumed by ancient kings to keep up with (i.e. service) all their concubines? They actually had ways in the pre-Viagra days. It's a little fruit called wolfberry. With today's concern over side effects of drugs, here's at least one natural alternative. They're available in Chinatown in NYC and San Francisco, and in between, there's Google. I take mine every day and love the results...blah blah. (No mention of your product or company here - be mysterious, more fun.) END OF POST.
There might be a link on the sidebar to your site, IF the page the person immediately comes to is the product you've described here, and a way to contact you. Few people will buy on the spot, so don't expect that. Expect a request for information. Your first success: you got their attention!
To come across on your blog as a resource or advisor, rather than a sales person, change your identity. Instead of seeing yourself as say, a Shaklee rep selling Shaklee products, imagine yourself for example, as the queen of clean - and you love clean with non-toxic cleaning products.
If that's who you are, you might write a story about how non-toxic cleaning products came about, who started this movement and why, and do they really work as well as the traditional stuff with all the chemicals? Perhaps a story about why YOU switched. Maybe feature some famous people who also swear by non-toxic products. This is a community, not just you.
Blogging rule #2: Speak as a member of your community, not an outsider looking for a sale.
Have fun! Do the research and find out. If you love it, that should be no problem. If you don't, you won't want to do the work. In that case write about something you DO love enough to read up on it and report it. Remember you are now speaking as a member of a community, not a sales person. And when you are speaking to other members of that same community, they will come as word spreads on what you're writing about. Give it time to grow and do it for yourself and your existing customers first. I did. I love writing my blog even if just 3 people were to come. I started at 0 too.
For my own blog (http://kimklaverblogs.com), I read many other blogs and LOVE finding out new stuff. Ty Tribble does that also. He writes about many things that have nothing directly to do with his product. but for his readers, networkers, they like to know the latest on this or that company that's in trouble, or ways to promote without sounding hypey.
Blogs and communities go together. A blog and a member of a community trying to reach out to others in the same community goes together. And people who love stuff like nutrition nuts love nutrition, or non-toxic product types who want to save the earth and their homes, like too talk about what they've found that works. And they like to try new stuff, especially when it's used by others who are already part of their community. As a resource within the group, not a sales person coming in from the outside to talk at them.
Good Article. I got the idea
Posted by: john | January 10, 2008 3:27 AM | Permalink to Comment