Successful Blog

Connecting with the Offline Customer: A Non-Blogger’s Perspective

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by Scott McIntyre

Scott McIntyre — The Avid Blog Reader Without a Blog

It is a little daunting to be out here for the first time, writing in front of you all. But I’m not too nervous because I know that you’re friendly folk. You see, I’ve been waiting around these parts for a few months now, watching what’s been going on with great interest. I’ve mostly remained in the background, only once or twice venturing out into the open space of the comments section.

Then, one day, Liz posed a question on the search for the non-blogging customer, and I just couldn’t stop myself — I bolted from the sidelines and let my presence be known. At last, I had something to add to the conversation! This was an issue that I knew about first hand — for I am one of that apparently rare breed — the avid blog reader without a blog.

When Liz invited me to share with you my non-blogging perspective on the blogosphere, I readily and gratefully accepted. While exploring many blogs, I have studied both the ‘art’, as well as the ‘technical’, aspects of blogging.

I have educated myself on the often bewildering, unique features of blogs. I can speak the lingo — I know what a ‘post’ is, I can explain ‘RSS’ and the benefits of ‘subscribing’. Heck, I even get what a ‘trackback’ is!

It’s been rewarding to spend time browsing and stumbling through a diverse variety of web pages as part of my active use of Social Media . . . and I’ve done this without the vehicle of a blog.

Over the coming weeks, I’d like to pass on my observations

  • to help you identify issues associated with targetting offline customers
  • and to offer suggestions on methods you can use to connect effectively with this group.

Together, we will highlight the challenges involved in finding and attracting the non-blogger back to an online business and find solutions for success.

But, first, let me explain on how I became such a passionate advocate of blogs.

Discovering The Blogosphere: My Journey Begins

Though I’ve always been a keen Internet user, I only clicked on my first weblog in March, earlier this year. Ironically, my introduction to the blogosphere wasn’t by way of a gentle, general interest blog but via the ultimate in “How to Blogs” — problogger.

I was fascinated to read Darren’s clear explanations and advice on blogging, and those of his readers. The more I delved into his archives, the more I realised the tremendous value of blogs. It was like finding a never ending supply of constantly updated magazines, delivered daily to the letterbox of my feed reader.

The biggest revelation was to witness how the audience is able to interact with the blogger, and with each other, through the community of the comments section. By doing so, readers are shaping and influencing the very content itself. I soon went searching for countless other blogs, subscribing to many as I went.

Certain blogs have made my experience easier to our mutual benefit. For example, I am more likely to hang around, or sign up to, a blog that has

  • a user-friendly design,
  • first class content,
  • a lively comments section,
  • and other elements which embrace all readers — bloggers or not.

It is clear that Liz works hard to ensure that the S.O.B. community here is accessible to everyone regardless of their familiarity with blog ‘netiquette’. That’s the reason why I felt compelled to contribute in the first place.

Back then, little did I realise how enthusiastic I would become about this dynamic medium, and by how much I would want to learn about the ‘mechanics’ of blogging. Nor could I ever have anticipated how strong my desire would be to encourage as many other non-bloggers as possible to discover blogs for themselves.

Why Don’t I Blog?

After espousing the brilliance of blogs, you might reasonably ask why I don’t blog myself. It’s a valid question. The more I read blogs and see their potential, the more I am drawn to becoming an active participant as a means of expressing myself. It just hasn’t happened yet.

In many ways, the very fact that I am writing this post today is a novel idea on Liz’s part. Usually, only bloggers do guest posts.

The best analogy I can use to describe my interest in blogs is to compare it to that of an automobile fan who can drive, but doesn’t yet possess their own automobile. There’s no reason why he or she, can’t become au fait with how a classic engine works or travel round automobile shows, admiring the gleaming models on display.

Just as you don’t have to write for, or own, a magazine to be able to read one, you don’t actually have to be a blogger to enjoy browsing through blogs.

I’m Scott McIntyre. I’m an avid blog reader without a blog.

If you’re a non-blogging reader, leave a comment to let me know you’re out there. If you’re a blogger, what advice do you have for non-bloggers, who want to be part of your blog?
–Scott

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Scott is a freelance writer based in Scotland, who only recently discovered the wonders of the blogosphere. A former policy manager with the Scottish Government, his background is in business and Human Resource Management. Scott’s interest in writing developed when, at the age of just 15 and still at school, he edited and wrote for a newspaper column. He is on a personal mission to live a colorful life, and to write about it along the way. You can find out more at LinkedIn, or be one of the first to follow Scott on Twitter.

blogtalkradio 12EST … 11CST … 9PST Today! Lorraine and Liz Talk about Fiercely Loyal Fans

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Getting Fiercely Loyal Fans

Powerfull Living with Lorraine Cohen

Today on the Powerfull Living Show at blogtalkradio, I’ll be talking with with Lorraine Cohen about how to form client and customer relationships in 7 key ways.

Listen in, if you have a chance.

PS You can call in to join the conversation by dialing

646 716 7937

–ME “Liz” Strauss

How Smart People Can Be So Dense, Difficult, and Frustrating

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Thinking about What I Think About

think_different

It was Valeria who challenged me and Joe who challenged her. The challenge was simple enough. Choose something that I have a negative response to and find a way to give my view a new spin . . . think “different” . . . change the way we’ve thought in the past.

When she put forth the challenge, Valeria said,

I tag Liz Strauss at Successful and Outstanding Blog(gers) — because she can think different.

which added a bit to the mix. My natural inclination to make things interesting was — BAM! — kicked up a notched because of what Valeria said.

For a whole day, I walked around
thinking about what I think about
so that I might think about
how I might think about
what I think about in a new and different way.

Naturally, my worry was that if I start out as someone who thinks differently, would my “think different” response end me up an answer that looks the same as most people already think?

Think about it. The question was mathematical. Does different + different = same?

I’ve resolved the issue, I think.

The Rules of the Challenge

Write a new blog post in which you “think different”. Interpret the challenge phrase the way you want. (Thanks, Joe, for letting me borrow yours.)

  1. State that the post is a part of the Think Different Challenge and include a link and/ or trackback to this post so that readers know the rules of the challenge. Feel free to use the above banner (inspired, of course, by Seth Godin).
  2. Include a link and/or trackback to the blogger who tagged you.
  3. At the end of your post, go ahead and tag some fellow bloggers. Don’t forget to email them to let them know they have been tagged.

People Really Do Think Differently

All of that thinking made me realize that I really had only one think different topic that was truly close to my heart . . . we too often forget that, from the very start, people really do think differently.

Let’s think this through . . .

When we solve a problem, make a plan, or try to teach something, we offer our thinking process using the order and logic we find natural. Listeners who can arrange ideas in the same way track what we’re trying to communicate.

Folks who think the same way as we do are smart, savvy, and quick on the uptake. Now, really, wouldn’t the world be a better place if everyone was as smart as we are?

Truth is, for all practical purposes, most everyone we meet is smart enough. We’re all just smart in different ways. The difference is in how we construct ideas.

Yep, it’s a fact that different brains construct thoughts in different ways.

  • Some folks have to see things; then they can do things; then they can talk about them.
  • Some folks have to see things; then they can talk about things; then they can do them.
  • Some folks have to do things; then they can see things; then they can talk about them.
  • Some folks have to do things; then they can talk about things; then they can see them.
  • Some folks have to talk about things; then they can do things; then they can see them.
  • Some folks have to talk about things; then they can see things; then they can do them.

Agree on the right order and the communication goes smoothly. Choose an order that’s unnatural to the listener and he or she will have trouble following the ideas.
That person will probably not “get” what we’re saying.

That’s when we start to think something like . . . the listener is . . . um, er . . . dense, or inattentive, or just plain difficult. After all, other folks “get it” when we say what we’ve just said. So it must be the listener not the message — right?

I’ve been “dense, inattentive, and just plain difficult.” So have most of my friends. We know because of inane conversations like this.

“I’m not following you. I don’t understand.”

“You can’t be so smart and not understand. You’re just being difficult.”

“Busted! It’s a plot to frustrate us both to no end.”

“Oh. What part don’t you get?”

By the way, I’ve been on both sides of that conversation. I suppose most folks probably have.

Presenting the information in a different way usually works, especially when the listener gets to ask for the data in the order that he or she constructs ideas.

Think “different” about how people think.

People really do think differently.

Don’t you think?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

How I Tripled My Traffic in Less than an Hour

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Watch Yourself!

“GET” STICKY!

Do you watch how you do things? Do you ask other folks whether they go about things the same way? When you find the places that they do things the same way, it could be that you’ve found something that most people do.

It was by paying that kind of attention that I tripled the traffic on my writing blog in less than an hour. No kidding! It had a similar effect here — traffic nearly doubled.

What I Watched: How do I use blog archives on other blogs — in a certain way or a certain order?

What I Found:

  • It depends. Often I browse archives from old to new — ideas build on each other over time. Other times I read for certain topics.
  • Folks I know do the same things in pretty much the same way. I found out through informal conversations. A blog post could have gotten the same information. When the issue is small, I use what I already know.
  • I devised a way to organize my archives to meet all of those needs — I made sure that besides the date archives, folks could access a list of Popular Posts and find posts that were part of a series. It took less than an hour. (I did this first on my writing blog — See the sidebar. Then I did it here — See the Popular Posts and Successful Series pages.)

The day I did that my pageviews were three times higher.

Ever made a small change that had that kind of impact?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
I make business sticky. Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar. Call me.

Related:
See the Customer Think Series on the Successful Series page.

Would You Rather Be Martha Stewart or David Armano?

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Before You Choose . . .

“GET” STICKY!

Did you read David Armano’s post on corporate stumbling this week? He cites an article in GlobeandMail about how Martha Stewart made a beautiful website that no one wanted to visit. He points to simlar mistakes made by Coke and Bud, and then explains “what really motivates users.”

  • There are literally millions of enthusiasts out there producing quality content in highly search engine friendly formats.
  • Not only is much of their content easier to find on the Web—it’s engaging, relevant,
  • and the people who produce it actually talk back to us.

David “gets” what’s “sticky,”

. . . it’s the content that will keep us engaged, and coming back for more. It’s the special sauce that can take a consumer and make them an active participant.

So will you be Martha Stewart or David Armano? The choice is yours.
How will you make yourself sticky to the customers already want to love you?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
I make business sticky. Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar. Call me.

Related:
See the Customer Think Series on the Successful Series page.

QA QnA: Tom Vander Well Is Magic

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relationships button

Yesterday, I had coffee with Tom Vander Well of QA QnA. We sat right across the street from Sears Tower. He was the bigger deal. I was so looking forward to meeting him. Not many folks in the Customer Service Industry have figured out the power of blogging. Tom is one in a fine group that knows the business.

Tom company’s C. Wenger Group does data-based assessment of how the customer feedback loop works. The special magic is that his company sees the people and hears the words behind the numbers that they collect. That’s why they have some of the most impressive clientele in the Midwest — names that are on that Fortune list.

No matter what your work is, it really is customer service. You should be reading Tom Vander Well’s blog.

Tom Vander Well

Proof of his real customer-centered, relationship focus, though, lies in the gracious company Tom was. In my excitement at a long-awaited chance to meet-up, I rattled on like a box of birds about business and blogs. [blush]

Thank you, Tom! Please know the longer you know me, the quieter I get. Really.

Despite the picture he took, don’t get the wrong impression about what he says I lost at Panera. I had to tell him something that the folks back in Des Moines didn’t know yet.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!