“If it’s too good to be true, then it probably isn’t true.” That’s how the saying goes, right? How often do you buy something you are suspicious of? Being real with your customer elevates the level of trust in the buying cycle.
I receive a good many PR solicitations each week with this or that firm asking if I want to look at this or that. Most of them are not compelling in the least, but there was this one e-mail that got my attention regarding a subject I am very passionate about.
So I started chewing on the e-mail a bit. Once I got past the fact that from address was from an ISP and not their company domain (seeming a bit spammy), I began to review the PR company’s website. Instantly, I’m greeted by a warm smiling face of the owner. Interesting.
I read about the first 2 sentences of the front page of the firm’s website, and then I’m scanning the navigation for things like depth of content, ease of categorization, and what can I find that isn’t so manufactured. I stop on the link titled, “Blog.”
You see, I wanted to see some thought process going on, and the best way I can see that you are thinking is to share your thoughts (this is what Social Media is supposed to be about, by the way). If I agree with what you are saying, I begin to intellectually and emotionally align with you – thus engendering trust where none had existed prior.
Dee Wilcox of Dealer Marketing Systems, and owner of Creative Perch, posed the fundamental question of “Why are websites and search engines important to my dealership?” She goes on to say,
This is a good question. After all, our industry has been built on relationships, hard work, and good service. However, the business world is changing. While relationships are still important, the way relationships are formed, developed, and maintained is radically different than it was 15 years ago. … keep your site updated with fresh content that contains these keywords. The easiest way to do this is with a blog.
Looking at my own behavior, I instantly began to identify the business owner of this PR firm, whose picture graced the home page, as legitimately engaged in helping people. Just because there was blog? Nope, because there was content on the blog that spoke to the questions I was asking – and caused me to ask a few more.
Blogging is a labor of love; you don’t do it because you are going to get rich quick. Don’t believe me though. Take a look at some of what HubSpot, an authoritative inbound marketing company, has to say:
… In review of data from 1,531 HubSpot customers (mostly small- and medium-sized businesses) 795 of the businesses in my sample blogged, 736 didn’t. The data was crystal clear: Companies that blog have far better marketing results. Specifically, the average company that blogs has:
- 55% more visitors: Why are website visitors important? Because more visitors mean more people to convert to leads and sales.
- 97% more inbound links: Why are inbound links important? Because they signal authority to search engines, thus increasing your chances of getting found in those search engines.
- 434% more indexed pages: Why are indexed pages important? The more pages you have on your site, the more chances you have of getting found in search engines.
You may believe you don’t have the technical know-how to start blogging. You would be wrong. It’s never been easier with SquareSpace, Blogger and WordPress. Whether you think it’s too hard, too time-consuming or simply a waste of your time, you can’t deny the one true fact about your customers – they buy because they have a need or want. But the major component at the time of transaction is trust; they trust that what they are buying, and who they are buying it from, will uphold its value and fulfill the need or want.
Blogging offers a message for your customers that you care about something enough to say it and put it out there. Don’t be intimidated, just be yourself.
Ken Stewart’s website, ChangeForge, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology in an information-centric world. Ken serves on the board of the Managed Print Services Association (MPSA), an international industry organization seeking worldwide best practices for the managed print services industry, and writes a weekly column for MPS Insights. He is also the founder of Seeking the Son, and is always interested in connecting with you to see how he might help you.
