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:

• What does the non-blogger want?

  This is, perhaps, the most basic- and critically important- factor to address. Successfully targeting your offline audience and delivering exactly what the non-blogger wants or needs is the first step to building any relationship. Each visitor to your blog has his or her own individual needs. For offline customers, these needs could be slightly different to those of your readers who are already familiar with blogs. It can be extremely useful to carry out some form of market research to work out what is of value to your potential non-blogging reader. Even if you do not have a profit generating website, it still helps to know that there is some level of demand out there for what you can supply. Every blogger wants an audience. It is even more vital to know what your target audience wants if your aim is to generate a profit.

• Can you meet the non-blogger’s needs?

  In today’s information overloaded society, the offline customer is bombarded with choices regarding where they can get the information they want- both via traditional media like newspapers and magazines, and through new media like blogs and online knowledge banks. There are also multiple places for them to access the products and services that they demand. Is what you offer what the non-blogger is searching for? Put yourself in the position of a non-blogger coming to your site for the first time. What might you have that they want? If the format of your information does not match their requirements, then you can either adapt so that it is more suitable or else you might decide that targeting the offline audience will not provide an attractive return on investment. Your existing blog business model will dictate whether you embark upon this strategy.

• How do you assess whether you’re meeting the non-blogger’s needs?

  To find out whether the offline customer is satisfied with your information, product or service, you can simply ask them. I know some of you gain feedback from your audience by having a ’suggestion box’ on your blog. Another basic way of judging whether you are keeping your offline customer happy is to simply keep a watchful eye on what they are saying in your comments section. Of course, we previously discussed the fact that non-bloggers are somewhat reluctant to actively participate in the conversation by way of comments sections. But, why not consider emailing the ones who do to gain their feedback? If they’re already moved to be involved in your blog community, they will likely be enthusiastic about sharing their opinions with you. I know that I was very pleased when Liz contacted me to hear my perspective as an avid blog reader without a blog.

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?

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I wonder whether the folks in the dark parts of town realize that the sun is shining a few neighborhoods over. Do you suppose the folks in the sunlit neighborhoods think about the parts of town that can’t see the sun?

My guess is they don’t think about each other.

Sunshine, traffic jams, economic situations, social media conversations — we tend to think what we experience is what is happening everywhere.

That’s why I like airplanes. They remind me to look for the bigger picture.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

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Hello friends, well people I know, I have something to tell you. We friended each other on a social site a few months ago. Last weekend, I might have unfriended you or unsubscribed to your list. I’ve been talking to people who’ve been doing the same thing.

The blogosphere has grown bigger and more social than most of us have time. It’s a fact. As much as we’d like to stay friends with everyone, we all have a threshold of noise. When waves of information and conversation pour over our threshold, we need to raise the wall and reasses where we’re spending our social time.

In my conversations with social networking people I find more like me than ones who are not. I’ve asked them what leads them to “unfriend,” or “unsubscribe.” It seems that we have the same reasons for quietly bowing out of your informational stream.

It’s time we let you know what they are.

10 Reasons Why We Unsubscribe or Unfriend You

We all approach to online conversations differently, and we all have different thresholds for noise. Unfriending people from your social stream can feel like breaking up. It’s good to keep in mind that a slew of variables can mitigate the choice of who stays on our “following” list.

This list couldn’t be all of the reasons someone might want to stop seeing you their stream. It’s only 10 reasons I’ve heard over and over again.

1. I don’t know you. ahem. Maybe we met in passing and added each other. But we haven’t said a word since.
2. You don’t @folks who tweet you. Your tweets are clever remarks @yourcircle of twitterbuds. Following you seems like being a fangirl.
3. You talk @everyone about anything!! I’m jumping over you to see what other people are saying.
4. You like to argue. I don’t.
5. You talk about things I’m not interested in. We get along great, but the subjects you tweet aren’t my life’s passion.
6. You tweet as if you don’t know people are listening, as if your life is a stage and your thoughts are high drama.
7. You only plug your blog posts. That’s not conversation. That’s twitterfeed.
8. You talk . . . ahem (whine) . . . about all of the work you have to do, but you twitter all day.
9. I’m only hearing half of your conversations, because I don’t follow your 1000 other friends. .
10. You constantly discuss your social media clients, but haven’t used the @ sign ever.
11. You only talk about yourself. I’ve been gone for eleven months and you just noticed yesterday.

When the list we follow is small and focused the direction that we are, the conversation we attract is rich and compelling. It’s filled with opportunities for connection and collaboration. The more we know about who we follow and why we follow them, the more we can build a supportive network of friends and colleagues.

How do you decide who you’ll follow? Is it time to slim down your list?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

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about our personal humanity.

Every day I get up and turn on the coffee. Turn I on the computer. Shortly thereafter, an IM pops up with someone who wants to turn on a conversation. Some days have begun before I have a chance to sit back and find out who it was is that left my bedroom.

Yesterday, Terry wrote his thoughts about how we interact with our digital world. He asked that we

Do a little math in [our] head every now and then. Do it all for the sake of humanity.

I was writing my comment on Terry’s post when a call interrupted my thoughts. Ironically it was Terry on the phone. He only had a few minutes so our talk wasn’t long. I didn’t tell him that I’d read what he wrote. After that my day overcame any thinking I might have spent on what he said.

This morning Jon made a beautiful observation about how

everything but the kitchen sink is running through [our heads.]

He explained that being overwhelmed might be something we can all find our way through because . . .

we’re human.

In a world of time and space and technology, hold tight to your humanity. It may feel fragile and weak, but it’s there where we refuel. It’s there where we get our strength.

Technology and illusions may lead us to images of super human accomplishments, but every human can only do what is humanly possible.

Stand in a huge quiet space that no humans have touched and think about that again. Say it aloud.

Every human can only do what is humanly possible.

What’s humanly possible is already incredible.

Go be incredible. Incredibly human is enough.

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Here’s how it works.

It’s like any rambling conversation. Don’t try to read it all. Jump in whenever you get here. Just go to the end and start talking. EVERYONE is WELCOME.
The rules are simple — be nice.

There are always first timers and new things to talk about. It’s sort of half “Cheers” part “Friends” and part video game. You don’t know how much fun it is until you try it.

Did You Save Room?

So many summer events are about food. We meet with friends, family, and coworkers at weddings, barbeques, and picnics, at conventions and conferences. We share great times over food. Tonight we’re talking about grand and simple desserts:

• do you save room for dessert?
• what’s your favorite dessert?
• what’s the most spectacular, weird, or outrageous dessert you’ve ever seen?
• what dessert rules do you have, did your family have when you were a kid?
• does the perfect dessert exist?

And, whatever else comes up, including THE EVER POPULAR, Basil the code-writing donkey . . . and flamenco dancing (because we always get off topic, anyway.)

Oh, and bring example links to share —

–ME “Liz” Strauss
image: sxc.hu
Related article
What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?

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Did You Save Room?

So many summer events are about food. We meet with friends, family, and coworkers at weddings, barbeques, and picnics, at conventions and conferences. We share great times over food. Tonight we’re talking about grand and simple desserts: Do you save room for dessert? What’s your favorite? What’s the most spectacular, weird, or outrageous dessert you’ve ever seen? What dessert rules do you have — did your family have when you were a kid? Does the perfect dessert exist?

Oh, and bring example links to share —

The rules are simple — be nice.

Do be nice. :)

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related article
What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?

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I look out on an empty harbor under a sky of forgotten blue. The day is barely started. The sun is making a slow climb up. My eyes are is taking a narrow, half-open view.

I hear the cars on the road below me, but they’re only so much noise — they remind me of a vacuum running in a hotel hallway some years ago. I try to recall yesterday’s walk in the sunshine, but I find an empty space inside that thought. Someone, lots of someones, are missing. I notice everyone who is not among them.

No runners are running. No walkers are walking. No people are standing waiting for their dogs. I don’t see people listening to ipods riding bicycles or skating by. Nowhere are talkers incessantly talking to listeners intently listening as they forget to be watching and unconsciously force others to move out of their way.

No one is sitting on benches thinking or sleeping. I can’t find the dreamers dreaming or the critics criticizing. No railers are railing or flailers flailing.

When you’re not here, your face, your mind, and your heart leave a hole in the picture.

Only you can fill the you-sized place in the universe.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

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If you haven’t heard about it . . . a very nice man by the name of Ozh did something even nicer — he made a plugin named after me. How beautiful is that?!! As Ozh says

Liz Strauss Comment Counter is a highly configurable “internet badge” that shows the number of comments your WordPress blog has. Use it either to show off how social your blog is, as an incentive for commenters to be part of it, or just because it’s fun :)

See for yourself!!

The dashboard is cool.

The colorwheel is fun!

Of course, presets come with.

I’ve got to get me one!

Find out all you need to know from Ozh!! Go check it out and do tell Ozh hello from me!

Thank you, Ozh! It’s almost too cool for comment!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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These days we hear a lot about work/life balance. I’m not sure I know what that means. We don’t keep life in one box and work in another. I’m sure that time I work counts as part of my life.

Every minute I breathe is a minute of my life I’m investing.

We only get one life and most of us work 30-50% of our waking hours. Do the math. Check the facts for an average person age 25 – 54.

Time available: = 24.0 hours
Time spent:
Working = 8.2 hours
Sleeping: = 7.6 hours
Leisure = 2.6 hours
Eating / Drinking = 1.1 hours
Household chores = 1.0 hours
Caring for others = 1.1 hours
Other = 2.4 hours
NOTE: Data include employed persons on days they worked, ages 25 to 54,
and who lived in households with children under 18. Data include non-holiday
weekdays and are annual averages for 2006.

If this “average day” does not sound like a typical day in your household, it is because these numbers are for all persons in the U.S. age 15 and over, and for all days of the week combined. The information can be further analyzed by age, sex, employment status, day of the week, or presence and age of household children. [from the American Time Use Study]

If we’re spending 2, 3, 4 hours a day on social networking, where are we finding the time?

How do you spend your time?

How do you see online behaviors fundamentally changing the ways we spend the time of our lives?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

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