Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Thinking, writing, business ideas … You’re only a stranger once.

August 28, 2008

Offline Customers: Do You Meet the Needs of Non-Bloggers?

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 1:03 pm

by Scott McIntyre

Scott McIntyre — The Avid Blog Reader Without a Blog

Last week, I discussed ways in which you might help to involve the offline customer in your blog community and, in particular, make it a little easier for them to participate in your comments section. It was very interesting to learn of the different ways you are already talking with non-bloggers.

Without doubt, one of the most exciting and unique features of a blog is the opportunity it provides for a dialogue to take place between the blogger and the reader- and, indeed, the chance it gives for conversations to take place between your readers themselves. By fostering a community around your blog you are also helping to create a sense of loyalty towards your online offering. Whether you are providing information or an alternative form of product or service, customer loyalty is the most powerful factor in long-term success. One-off visits are fine, but return trips are even better!

So, how do you begin to build a positive, long-term relationship between yourself and the offline customer- one which satisfies both of you? What do you do to provide value to the non-blogger? I’d be very interested to hear your ideas in the comments section below.

Today, I would like to look at how you can develop an ongoing dialogue between yourself and the offline customer, one that has advantages for you both.

Building Relationships With Non-Bloggers

Before you work to attract the offline customer to your online offering, it’s worth remembering that the new visitor will make instant decisions when they arrive. Will they stay around awhile or navigate away from your pages? Of course, it is fantastic when they find what they are looking for with you. The following three questions are worth considering as you aim for a benefit-packed relationship with the non-blogger:

The three basic questions above can help you to focus on the process of building mutually beneficial relationships with offline customers. By thinking of the specific answers in relation to your own blog, you can take action to delight the non-blogger right from the start… and keep them coming back for more!

If you’re a blogger, leave a comment to let me know what you do to deliver benefits to non-bloggers? What other things might you consider as you aim to satisfy the non-blogging customer’s needs?

If you’re a non-blogger, tell them what they can do to give you value from their blog.

–Scott McIntyre

Related

Week 1: Connecting with the Offline Customer: A Non-Blogger’s Perspective
Week 2: Targeting the Offline Customer: Do You Blog for Non-Bloggers?
Week 3: Reaching the Offline Customer: Do You Promote Your Blog Offline?
Week 4: Attracting the Offline Customer: Why Do You Promote Your Blog Offline?
Week 5: Top 10 Social Media Tips for Connecting With Non-Blogging Customers
Week 6: Welcoming the Offline Customer: Does Your Blog Create A Good Impression?
Week 7: Engaging the Offline Customer: Do You Talk With Non-Bloggers?


Filed under Marketing, Successful Blog |



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5 Comments to “Offline Customers: Do You Meet the Needs of Non-Bloggers?”

  1. August 28th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
    Jennifer Hofmann said

    Wow! Scott, I can’t tell you how timely this message is - thanks for posting.

    Fundamentally, blogging is a marketing tool. Good for you for reminding us that the valuable content bloggers generate can be repackaged to meet the needs of non-bloggers, too.

    We’re not neanderthals, we’re just busy with other stuff. :)

  2. August 28th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
    Ultimate Blogging Experiment said

    The only needs I need to fulfill are bloggers. Unless I am trying to convert people into bloggers.

  3. August 28th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
    Cath Lawson said

    Hi Scott - More great info - thank you. I love your idea of the suggestion box and also emailing visitors to get feedback.

    I’m wondering, I often go through my stats to see what keyphrases people used to find me. Many of them use question type search phrases.

    If we put that info to better use and answer those specific questions, I wonder if that would encourage non-bloggers to join in the conversation?

  4. August 29th, 2008 at 11:21 am
    Scott McIntyre said

    Hi Jennifer,

    Thank you. You make a good point regarding the fact that the content which a blogger already produces might just need to be tweaked a little for the non-blogger.

    Hi Ultimate Blog Experiment,

    Yes, I can appreciate that the majority of your audience would be bloggers or bloggers-to-be.

    Hi Cath,

    That’s an interesting idea. It could prove effective to phrase your content in a way which is of direct relevance to what the non-blogger is searching for.

    Perhaps, if a blog’s format allows for it, the occasional article- written in a FAQs or factsheet style- could be a conversation starter.

  5. September 4th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
    Offline Customers: Do You Make Room for Non-Bloggers To Comment? - Liz Strauss at Successful Blog - Thinking, writing, business ideas . . . You’re only a stranger once. said

    [...] connecting with non-bloggers, it helps if you do a little research beforehand to work out what the needs of non-bloggers might [...]

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