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Offline Customers: Do You Build Relationships With Non-Bloggers?

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by Scott McIntyre

Scott McIntyre — The Avid Blog Reader Without a Blog

Last week, I offered a few ideas on how you can make commenting a little easier for your non-blogging reader and asked whether you make room for non-bloggers to comment? Having a lively, inclusive conversation with all of your readers- whether blogger or not- is a goal that many of you are working towards.

To recap briefly, I suggested that your blog comments section can be made more user-friendly by including guidance that describes what ‘Having your say’ is all about. I also mentioned that welcoming a non-blogger’s first ever comment with an acknowledgment email is likely to encourage them to come back again. Finally, if you offer a little coaching on what makes an ‘ideal’ comment, you can draw in the offline customer and encourage them to become fully involved in your community.

I was delighted to read in your own comments that so many of you are passionate about building vibrant communities. It was great to hear from those of you who recalled your perspectives as non-bloggers. After all, even the most seasoned blogger was once a fresh-faced non-blogger!

It can be a very enlightening exercise if you consider your blog and its content through the eyes of that information hungry, inquisitive but tentative, first-time visitor…

If you intend to connect with offline customers as part of your blog’s strategy, it is useful to research what this target audience is looking for. For example, what are their specific needs and how can your blog satisfy them? What questions might the non-blogger have and how can your online offering answer them?

While one-off visits are fine, the ultimate aim is to build an ongoing relationship with the non-blogging reader.

Today, I’m going to consider what the offline customer is likely to be searching for in a worthwhile relationship with you. I’m also keen to learn of the kind of things you, as bloggers, hope to gain from these mutually beneficial interactions. It would be great to hear from you in the comments section below.

What Benefits Are Important To Non-Bloggers?

By spending some time working out what your ideal non-blogging audience wants, you will be in a much better position to first attract- then win over- this target reader. Alternatively, you may come to the equally valid conclusion that your content is not suited to this demographic. Of course, deciding this sooner rather than later will save you from investing resources without any decent return.

The following five basic questions will help you to focus in on what benefits the offline customer is likely hoping to gain from your blog. In any relationship, however, knowing what you both hope to achieve is the first step to building a mutually beneficial interaction. Anything less than a two-way engagement is likely not going to end up in long-term satisfaction for either of you.

  • Do you offer the non-blogger quality content?

    The most basic need for someone looking for valuable information online is that it provides first class answers to their questions. With the sheer volume and variety of pages on the internet, it is inevitable that a large proportion of these will be sub-standard and unlikely to satisfy. By ensuring that what you offer always seeks to be well researched, informative, and reliable, those non-bloggers being inundated with places promising to give them what they require, will recognize the obvious value in what you are providing.

  • Do you supply the non-blogger with a fresh source of information?

    The internet is awash with second rate, cloned articles and boring posts which offer no new points of view. It is not enough these days to simply repeat and copy the opinions of others. The quality conscious non-blogger is really desperate for some original thinking around those topics which interest them. If you can be the blogger who speaks to them in an original voice, you will definitely stand out in the crowded blogosphere by regularly giving innovative articles which offer consistent value over time.

  • Do you create an attractive place for the non-blogger to visit?

    I’ve mentioned previously how important it is to have a well designed, easily navigated, and user friendly website. Should your online offering have features which are difficult to understand and negotiate around, there is a risk that the non-blogger with little prior knowledge of blogs will be confused enough to just click away and continue on to somewhere else more sensitive to their lack of expertise.

  • Do you build a welcoming community for the non-blogger?

    As you’ve probably realized by now, I personally believe that a vibrant comments section and lively readership are two of the main factors which distinguish a blog from any other type of media. It is a very powerful benefit to the offline customer if you can demonstrate that it is possible for them to play an active role in shaping the content they are reading. Non-bloggers are excited at the potential offered by blogs- if the blogger takes the time to point out the advantages and helps to make their participation easier.

  • Do you encourage the non-blogger to return?

    A one-time only customer is never ideal for an ongoing, profitable business. Whatever you might be offering online- be it information, products or services- the perfect scenario is to create such a positive buzz that the first-time visitor returns again and again. A good way to do this is to promote upcoming content and special features you are planning to run on your blog. Having a series of articles, for example, is a perfect way to stimulate the interest of someone and get them to come back. No one can resist the benefit of a promise of good things to come!

The above questions can help you begin to assess what it is that the offline customer hopes to gain by embarking upon a relationship with you. If you are, in turn, able to provide these benefits, your blog will become a much desired destination for repeat visits. Along with this, if you decide your own aims for connecting with the non-blogger and can communicate these effectively, your first meeting will most probably be the beginning of a worthwhile engagement for you both.

If you’re a blogger, leave a comment to let me know what you would like to achieve from a mutually beneficial relationship with a non-blogger? What do you believe to be important considerations as you seek to build these two way interactions?

If you’re a non-blogger, tell them what you are actually looking for in a long-term relationship with their blog.

–Scott McIntyre

Related
Last week: Week 9: Offline Customers: Do You Make Room for Non-Blogger’s to Comment?

See the entire Blogging for the Non-Blogging Customer Series on the Successful Series Page.

Offline Customers: Do You Make Room for Non-Bloggers To Comment?

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by Scott McIntyre

Scott McIntyre — The Avid Blog Reader Without a Blog

Last week, I explored the different ways in which your online offering can be the source of exactly the information the information hungry customer is searching for. At the wider level, correctly targeting your potential audience makes it more likely that your blog will appeal to those readers you want to attract. And, more specifically, if you’ve decided to follow a strategy of connecting with non-bloggers, it helps if you do a little research beforehand to work out what the needs of non-bloggers might be.

By taking time to assess exactly what type of information your target non-blogging reader wants, you will be in a great position to begin the process of winning them over. If your blog can meet their needs, either as it exists currently or with some adapting, then your site is more likely to be the destination of choice for the non-blogger.

I’ve previously suggested that the community you and your readers build around your blog is definitely a major draw. A vibrant comments section is a wonderful place to be.

But imagine that you’re a non-blogger stumbling upon your comments section for the first time. You’d like to join in the conversation, and you might ask yourself, “What am I supposed to say?” or, even more importantly, “What am I not allowed to say?”

So, how do you help the offline customer understand how to comment on your blog? What do you do when they say things that you’d rather they didn’t? I’m keen to learn of your suggestions in the comments section below.

Today, I’m going to look at how you might best explain commenting to your non-blogging reader, and what you can do if the comments they leave aren’t quite the ones you’d hope for.

Helping Non-Bloggers Understand Comments

Once your strategy and hard work has been a success and you have attracted the offline customer to your online offering, this is the first step in encouraging them to become part of your community. It would be an ideal next step if you could draw them even further in by having them leave a comment on what they’ve just read.

In most cases, it takes quite a few visits before the non-blogger is comfortable enough to leave a comment of their own. By observing the nature of what your other readers say as part of the conversation over a period of time, the non-blogger can see what is acceptable.

While leaving comments on other blogs is second nature to those of you who blog yourselves, it can be a daunting thing to do for the offline customer visiting a blog for the first time. They might be concerned that what they have to say won’t be regarded as important Or, they may not want to join in for fear of being embarrassed.

The following few questions might help you come up with answers to how you manage comments in a way which not only encourages the non-blogger to have their say, but also allows you to deal with inappropriate comments and so promote an attractive, positive comments section- for both bloggers and non-bloggers alike:

  • Do you have guidance on comments?

    I know that many of you have a Comments Policy that you use to help your readers understand what is, and isn’t acceptable. This kind of information can be of immense use to the non-blogger trying to understand the concept of comments. In a Comments Policy, you can describe the comments ‘culture’ you aim to promote and suggest how the reader can add their own unique voice in a positive way. Similarly, you can also highlight what you view to be ‘unacceptable’ comments. The type of comment you judge to be undesirable is very much specific to your own blog and its audience. There is a balance to be struck between allowing free speech on the one hand, and not permitting offensive and negative remarks on the other. I’d be very interested to hear of your views on having a Comments Policy, and how effective you find them in encouraging positive comments.

  • How do you follow up first-time comments?

    Once a non-blogger leaves that all-important first comment, do you send them a message to let them know you value their contribution? Receiving an acknowledgement for having made your debut contribution is a very friendly touch and one that is likely to be well appreciated by your non-blogging reader. The very fact that you took the time to welcome them to your blog, can encourage them to comment more often. While contacting every reader after they’ve made their initial contribution might seem to involve a lot of time and effort, you only have to do it once… that first time commenter could become a very valued member of your community the next time they have their say.

  • What is an ‘appropriate’ first time comment?

    This can be a tricky issue to deal with. I’d guess that nearly all of you have some moderation on your blog to filter the first and, perhaps, second time comments that someone leaves. There are certain comments that you will, quite understandably, not allow to appear on your blog. The reasons can relate to factors such as: the use of negative language, profanities, or trolling (there may be other factors specific to your own blog). But how do you handle a first time comment from a reader who may not be familiar with the ‘etiquette’ of commenting? Perhaps, they haven’t said anything offensive but ,instead, they haven’t said it in the ‘right’ way. How would you deal with that kind of comment that may be from the reader who is a novice to commenting?

The questions above can act as a starting point to help you work out the best way to assist the offline customer to understand your blog community as demonstrated through your comments section. If your non-blogging reader has a clear understanding of what kind of comments are ideal and which are not, then all members of the community, blogger and non-blogger alike, will benefit from the positive aspects of a vibrant blog conversation.

If you’re a blogger, leave a comment to let me know what you do to help non-bloggers understand your own comment ‘culture’? How would you encourage non-bloggers to leave the ‘right kind’ of comment?

If you’re a non-blogger, tell them what they can do to help you to contribute to the conversation.

–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?
Week 8: Offline Customers: Do You Meet The Needs of Non-Bloggers?

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

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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:

  • 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?

Engaging the Offline Customer: Do You Talk with Non-Bloggers?

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by Scott McIntyre

Scott McIntyre — The Avid Blog Reader Without a Blog

Last week, I considered which features of your blog itself can create a positive first impression and be welcoming to the offline customer.

To briefly recap, I suggested that it is of benefit to both you and the non-blogger if they feel at ease on arrival at your site. By making it as simple as possible to navigate your pages, the first-time visitor is guided to your best quality content. This is further helped if you file that valuable information into relevant, streamlined categories.

It is also worth avoiding the use of too much ‘blog jargon’ which can confuse and make the blog experience ‘difficult’. And don’t forget to tell the new visitor, in easy-to-understand terms, of the value in subscribing to receive your carefully crafted content!

If you are mindful of all these elements, you will be well on your way to ensuring that your online offering is a place where the non-blogger wants to return.

So, how else might you develop a successful relationship between yourself and the offline customer? How can you begin to involve them in your community of readers? I’d love for you to share your views in the comments section below.

As I mentioned last week, the comments section is where the exciting activity takes place. There, your audience is able to have a conversation with you. The reader can shape the very content itself simply by leaving a comment. It’s a very powerful idea. But, how best can you encourage the non-blogger to participate in this dialogue?

Today, I’d like to consider five methods you can adopt.

Involving the Non-Blogger in Your Conversations

Imagine for a moment that you have come across your blog for the very first time. You eagerly read the articles. Then, you notice that lots of people have left messages with their views. ‘What’s all that about?’, you might ask. Even more bewildering is that box at the foot of the article asking you to share your views. What is the non-blogger going to do? Here’s a few things you can try to assist them to add their voice:

  • Don’t say it all.
    A comprehensive coverage of the issue at hand is one of the hallmarks of quality content. Your readers will be informed, educated, and provoked if you succeed in giving them the fullest background that they need. However, if every piece you write comes across as if you know everything about the topic, what else is there left for the non-blogger to say? Those other bloggers who leave comments know what commenting is all about. They are quick to join in. But, the non-blogger is likely to feel that their lack of expertise will not be considered valuable. If you leave enough words left to be said, then the non-blogger might just be brave enough to say them.
  • Ask questions.
    There is no more effective technique of encouraging a response than to ask a question, is there? There will most certainly be areas upon which your non-blogging reader has much insight to share. How can you assist them to do so? Ask them. This was how I first came to make my first ever comment right here on Liz’s blog. The writer of that article asked a question about which I believed I could help answer: How to attract the non-blogger to your blog? If you’re not used to it already, why not try posing relevant questions in your articles? You may be surprised at who shows up for the party!
  • Answer questions.
    One of the aims of your online offering might be to build your position as an authority within your niche. Being the ‘go to’ person in your industry can have immense benefits to your business. A good way of convincing your readers of your qualifications to be this person is your willingness to share your expertise with them. Ideally, either through your blog or via other communication channels, you can try to answer queries from your audience. There is, of course, a balance between doing this and the other demands on your time, but the advantages in your availability to reply to readers’ queries are considerable.
  • Reply to comments.
    I realise that every blogger has their own approach to this. Whatever method you adopt for interacting with comments is perfect- if it is what your reader expects. Some of you might reply to each individual commenter, while others ‘batch’ reply to comments. And there are some bloggers whose names never appear in their own comments section. Which approach do you think might appear most welcoming to the non-blogger and convince them that you want them to be part of your community?
  • Offer a friendly comments box.
    At the end of this article — and on yours too — there is the ‘Leave a comment’ section. From the non-blogger’s point of view, this can be a potential barrier to drawing them in. When you ask them to leave their email address, it is helpful to state that this will not be used by any 3rd party. When your comment box requires them to ‘Enter your url/ website’, some may leave their email address. I know that the majority of you have non-blogger friendly comments boxes, but with the addition of a few welcoming words, you might just gently nudge the offline customer into having their say.

As with any invitation to talk, encouraging the non-blogger to join in your conversations means making them feel that their input is valued. If you can help them to feel at ease with the idea of commenting, you both can strike up a long-lasting and fruitful relationship.

If you’re a blogger, leave a comment to let me know how you involve non-bloggers in the conversation? What might you do to encourage non-blogging customers to participate in your comments section?

If you’re a non-blogger, tell them what they can do to make you feel part of their blog community.

Next week, I would like to take a reader’s question and discuss it a little further here. So, if there’s a particular issue you’d like me to explore that relates to connecting with offline customers or non-bloggers, please leave a comment and I’ll aim to write about it in the future.

–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?

Welcoming the Offline Customer: Does Your Blog Create A Good Impression?

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by Scott McIntyre

Scott McIntyre — The Avid Blog Reader Without a Blog

Last week, I suggested ways in which your blog could potentially benefit from participating on Social Media sites, and highlighted 10 Social Media tips for connecting with non blogging customers.

From your comments, it seems that this is an area of promotional activity which many of you would like either to develop more fully or to engage in for the first time.

I know that Liz herself is passionate about helping us all to better understand the reality of Social Media. Liz suggests maintaining a degree of perspective about Social Media and to think about whether your online offering is what people are actually searching for.

So, what might offline customers be looking for when they come to your blog, or website, for the first time? What would you like them to discover when they arrive? It would be great to read your views in the comments section.

Today, I want to look at those features of a blog which can influence how a first time, non-blogging visitor reacts to your site.
Ideally, you want to create a positive impression, to be welcoming. Make the offline customer feel ‘at home’ on your blog from the outset and you’re well on the way to connecting with them successfully.

Is Your Blog Appealing to the Non-Blogging Customer?

For all of you, I’m sure your blog is the result of much strategy development, planning, and hard work. You’ve invested resources- time, effort, and money- into developing an online offering to attract your target audience.

From the overall design to the little finishing touches, you’ve thought long and hard about ways to make your readers’ experiences as positive as possible. This can be achieved by addressing issues relating to usability and accessibility, amongst other factors.

But I wonder whether you’ve ever taken the time to see your blog from the perspective of a non-blogger? Perhaps you’ve asked a non-blogging contact to review your blog and give you feedback? If you have, you may have been a little surprised at what they told you.

As I’ve mentioned previously, there are still many people who either do not blog themselves or have never been exposed to the medium of blogs. This sizeable group of consumers represents a potentially lucrative target market for your online activities.

Of course, the nature of your online business will affect how much you need to be concerned about addressing the needs of a first-time visitor to your blog. If your product or service is aimed specifically at bloggers, you can safely assume that they will already have a good level of awareness about blogs.

If your market offering, however, is non-blogging based then you might need to pay a little more attention to making your blog as welcoming as possible to visitors who don’t blog.

Speaking from my own experience, when I first discovered blogs earlier this year, I was puzzled by the concept behind them. The more I read and researched, the more I gradually came to enjoy reading blogs and to understand their unique nature.

Blogs can be bewildering to a non-blogger…

So, how can you create that ideal first impression, and encourage the non-blogger to come back?

I’m going to briefly consider 6 points below, and would welcome your ideas on any other factors which you feel might attract or put off the non-blogger who pays your site a visit.

  • Content

    Without doubt, providing first-class content is the main way to appeal to a non-blogger visiting your blog. Today’s information hungry consumer is bombarded with data noise on all fronts. Some of this information is brilliant, while much is of an inferior quality. If you can serve up useful articles which satisfy the needs of your target audience, the non-blogger will come back for more. By working hard to deliver regular content of a consistently high standard, you will set your blog apart from the countless other sites producing disposable information. In addition, both the style and readability of your content also plays a crucial role in how it appeals to the non-blogging reader.

    The style you adopt for your writing will be most effective when it speaks directly to your target reader and uses their language. The readability of your articles will affect how easy they are to make sense of. Non-bloggers are used to reading newspapers and magazines which use short and sweet headlines and break down text into bite sized chunks. They will likely expect this from your content too.

  • Ease of Navigation

    It can be a little overwhelming to find your way around the many pages which comprise a blog, if you’ve never browsed one before. There will be lots of good quality content within the structure of your blog which would be of great interest to a non-blogger. Most of it they will never have come across before. You can help to guide them to it by highlighting the very best of what you have to offer. This may be in the form of a section on your front page which points to ‘Best of’, ‘Favorite’, or ‘Popular’ articles. If you can instantly grab the non-blogger’s attention on their first visit, they will appreciate the value of the information you provide.

  • Categories

    When faced with a wealth of content, the non-blogger will likely welcome a helping hand to find the topics you write on. It can be quite confusing to be faced with a long list of categories from which they have to select an article of direct interest.

    It can also be somewhat difficult to find the information you want when it has been filed away under more categories than is absolutely necessary. To assist the non-blogger, it is an idea to cut down or combine your blog’s categories into only the essential ones which best index the content within. When faced with the choice of too many places to find an article, an impatient novice blog reader may not be willing to invest their time in tracking down your excellent content if its hidden away from them on first viewing.

  • Subscribing

    When you have successfully managed to attract the non-blogging customer back to your blog for the first time, once they are there what would you like them to do? One of your main aims might be to encourage them to subscribe and receive the content you have worked so hard to produce. The best way of convincing someone to do something is to clearly point out to them why it is in their best interests to do so.

    With subscriptions, this can mean highlighting your RSS feed and email options in a prominent place on your front page. But, a non-blogger is likely not going to have a clue about what RSS is, what a feedreader is, nor why they would benefit from subscribing to your blog above all others. You would be doing them a favor if, somewhere on your blog, you included information which explained these technical terms and the advantages of subscription to them.

  • Comments Section

    One of the definite attractions of a blog is the ability to be part of an enthusiastic community. Unlike any other form of media, blog readers can interact directly with the blogger and each other, as well as letting them shape the very content itself. The comments section is one of the best bits of a blog!

    You can draw a non-blogging reader into your community by providing content which asks questions. If a reader feels that they have something of value to offer the conversation, they will be moved to leave a comment. From my experience, however, very few non-bloggers leave comments. It’s an issue I am keen to explore. Why do non-bloggers not contribute more to blog conversations? If you’re a non-blogger reading this, I would love you to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

  • Blog ‘Jargon’

    As is the case with any community, individuals coming to it for the first time can be excluded by the overuse of ‘in-house’ language. The same is true of the new non-blogger visiting your site. If you are aiming to target offline customers, many of whom have had little or no prior exposure to blogs, excessive reference to blogging terms can be a little off putting. Why do you call it a ‘post’ rather than an ‘article’? What on earth is ‘link love’? Depending on your desired audience, too much ‘blog speak’ can make the fresh-faced non-blogger feel left out of the conversation. Balance and sensitivity to the needs of your readership is, as always, key.

Like the start of any beautiful relationship, creating the right first impression goes a long way to ensuring long-term success. By building a positive rapport with the non-blogger right from the beginning, you can develop powerful and productive partnerships that will benefit you both.

If you’re a blogger, leave a comment to let me know of the factors which you feel help create a positive first impression for non-bloggers? How do you make your blog appealing to non-blogging customers?

If you’re a non-blogger, tell them what they can do to win you over when you visit 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

Top 10 Social Media Tips for Connecting with Non-Blogging Customers

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by Scott McIntyre

Scott McIntyre — The Avid Blog Reader Without a Blog

Last week, I discussed the main benefits of building awareness for your blog offline– namely to enhance your own personal reputation within your niche industry, and to increase the visibility of your blog’s brand to the wider offline community.

Many of you are finding that word-of-mouth recommendation still can’t be beaten as the Number 1 way of bringing a whole new audience to your online businesses. Creating a positive ‘buzz’ is a powerful method of attracting customers to your products and services.

The sole aim of this ‘buzz’ is to drive people to your website and then to encourage the individual to take specific action- whether this be to purchase, read, or subscribe.

Increasingly, the ultimate place to generate ‘blog buzz’ is through the use of Social Media. Effective participation on these websites now plays a crucial role in any successful marketing campaign. Social Media is where the ‘It Factor’ is at!

Did you realize that non-bloggers are participating in social media too?

Over the past few months, I have become an active participant on several Social Media sites.

Some — Stumbleupon and Digg — I am particularly fond of. For example, by only being concerned with sharing the best quality content with the community, my Stumbleupon profile has a Google Page Rank 5. Reader recommendation sites such as these allow me to enjoy my own community and to establish authority and trust.

I am beginning to explore others — Twitter, Mixx, and the social bookmarking sites Delicious and Reddit — and become more involved to see what they offer a non-blogging reader.

During the fantastic times I have spent Stumbling and Digging, I have become familiar with how best to interact with these Social Media communities and to maximize the mutual benefits to both myself and my fellow members.

Today, I would like to suggest 10 key tips that will help your blog benefit from Social Media. As the topic is vast with so many facets to cover, entire blogs are devoted to exploring the subject. You might use what I write here to reach more non-blogging customers or to explain social media to folks just beginning to explore how to get more from their blog.

I intend to cover the more basic points below, and would be delighted to write a follow-up article to address any questions you have. It would be great to read your views in the comments section.

Using Social Media: What’s the Buzz About?

“Social media is an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and ‘building’ of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories, and understandings.” (source: Wikipedia)

Stumbleupon, Digg, Reddit, Twitter, Plurk . . . these are but a few of the Social Media mega sites that are defining today’s Internet and shaping our online behaviour for tomorrow. Quite simply, Web 2.0 and the concept of social community IS the Internet.

This is the arena into which your online business can enter if you want to compete effectively and win the attention and dollars of today’s quality and cost savvy customer. And, even if your primary goal isn’t to generate money, engaging in the Social Media environment has massive potential to expose your blog to a new audience of enthusiastic readers — some of whom may have little experience with blogs.

At its most fundamental level, any specific Social Media website is a gathering of like-minded individuals who have interests in broadly the same range of topics. Furthermore, the community members are motivated to share the best information available with each other.

So, how best can you get involved with Social Media? Here are my Top 10 Tips (they’re in no particular order because each one is important in its own right).

Top 10 Social Media Tips for Connecting with Non-Blogging Customers

  • Tip 1 Develop your Social Media strategy

    Without a focused plan of engagement, there is a danger that your use of Social Media will become a time and money resource draining activity. Many people use Social Media channels for fun and enjoyment. It’s a brilliant way to discover entertaining and useful content from all corners of the Internet. Many of the pages that come your way, you most probably would never have found on your own. That’s the incredible feature of Social Media – the community finds and delivers hitherto far flung information right to your browser.

    However, as a business you need to decide your aims for using Social Media before you embark upon this as a promotional activity. Your goals may be varied and interconnected- to enhance your reputation in the industry; to put a more ‘human’ face on your business; to generate sales; to increase your subscriptions, etc. Whatever you want to gain from Social Media, it is crucial to set out a framework to guide your efforts before you begin.

    In our case, it would be to find non-blogging customers, colleagues who work with them, and information about how to connect with them and their habits online.

  • Tip 2 Select the most appropriate community for your business

    The first step before you launch into any Social Media community is to check out whether what you offer is what the members are likely to want. Explore some of the sites out there to get a feel for the kind of content that is considered worthy of sharing.

    Each Social Media site is geared towards a particular type of user. For example, while generalizing slightly, technology based news stories tend to do better on Digg because those users like that content, while in-depth and lifestyle articles fare better on Stumbleupon because this appeals to stumblers. Of course, there are no hard and fast rules on what goes down well with these respective audiences.

    Good quality and intrinsically valuable content will do well on any Social Media site if promoted properly and along the lines of these 10 tips I describe here.

    We can choose the sites where our customers are most likely to find information they’d want to know. Keep in mind that non-blogging customers get to social sites via search engine as well as via word of mouth.

  • Tip 3 Fully research the Social Media community

    As mentioned above, any given community is a gathering of individuals with similar tastes and interests in online content. To plug into the collective consciousness, it is necessary to get to know what the people respond well to and what they reject out of hand. By knowing these rules of engagement, you can tap into the demand for your kind of material.

    While this talk of ‘collective consciousness’ may sound very new-age, really it is just a case of going where the audience you serve or want to serve is gathering and delivering your work to them.

  • Tip 4 Create an attractive, unique profile

    Striving to build a professional looking and trustworthy profile is something which will differentiate you within the Social Media community and encourage other members to view you as a source of good quality material. Translated into action, your credible profile will lead individuals to opt into following you – or befriending you. By doing this, these people are indicating that they want more of what you are sharing. The key is to leverage this support sensitively into spin-off benefits for your business.

    To achieve the best results, you should try to reflect either your own personal brand or that of your online offering in your profile. Every aspect of your Social Media profile contributes to your branding efforts – from the avatar or image you display and the type of pages you share to the comments and reviews you make on these pages.

    Keep in mind that non-blogging customers might not be up on the social media vernacular. Though some key words will help bring search traffic to you, too many will confuse the non-bloggers who come.

  • Tip 5 Build your network of like-minded mutual friends

    Any advantages from engaging with a Social Media community will only be fully realized if you search out members who are interested in the value you can offer. The whole rationale behind Social Media is in its social nature. People are there to share.

    By regularly using the website’s search facilities and by visiting the profiles of your fellow community participants, you can gradually build a network of like-minded contacts who want to derive mutual benefit from collaborating with each other online.

    Ask questions about connecting with newcomers and nonbloggers. Offer advice about the same subjects and the people will see you as someone who cares about that group of customers.

  • Tip 6 Participate! Participate! Participate!

    As with any gathering, people flock to those individuals who actively get involved in the proceedings. They might entertain us or make us think twice. They might give us a unique insight into an issue or provide us with advice that no one else can. The same principles apply to Social Media communities. Members are keen to follow those who give value back to others. Your online offering can do all these things.

    When applied to the Social Media setting, this means always working to discover the highest quality content and introducing it to your community. It also translates into helping your fellow user to assess the value of that content by indicating your approval of it by judicious reviews and comments. Be obsessed with being a filter of quality material.

    Be sure to share content that non-bloggers will value and content in which they recognize themselves and their situation.

  • Tip 7 Think not what the Social Media community can do for you, but what you can do for it

    No one especially wants to hang around with, or follow, someone who is all take and no give. The same is true of Social Media participants. It may be that, for perfectly valid personal or business reasons, you are unable to commit the resources to pursuing a Social Media strategy. If this is the case, it might be better to wait until you can before engaging in a half-hearted way. You need to make regular, value-laden Stumbles, Diggs, Tweets and Plurks before people notice you.

    Ask questions about how you can help others connect to businesses just entering this marketplace. Get advice from people who are obviously engaged in doing what you want to do.

  • Tip 8 Engage on a deeper level with your network

    Being surrounded by a group of like-minded individuals provides a tremendous opportunity for networking. If you invest in becoming familiar with their specific interests, you can identify potential new contacts to do business with – either as a provider or a supplier.

    As is true of developing any mutually beneficial networking relationship, one should approach it with tact and diplomacy. Look out for indications on someone’s profile that they are willing to be contacted, perhaps via a communication channel outwith the Social Media site. If they have a blog of their own, consider becoming a genuine and valued contributor. You should have the attitude of giving value, without asking for anything in return. Adopting this attitude to building any relationships in life, brings great rewards in itself.

    Offering to schedule a limited time — 15 minute — phone call to explore ways that you might be useful in helping each other often works. Context is important when reaching out, work from what the other person knows.

  • Tip 9 Offer and share only your very best content

    Every so often, it is fine to submit your own content for approval by the wider Social Media community. However, you should only do this once you have invested a significant amount of time and energy in understanding what is acceptable. Above all, you need to have built up a respected reputation (see Tip 4 above).

    The main focus of your community activity ought to be on contributing value to others. If you are passionate about producing knockout content for your own blog or website, some other quality-minded member will always want to share it.

    Again, share the content that’s meant for the customers and colleagues you want to attract.

  • Tip 10 Assess the success of your Social Media strategy

    And so, it is time to review how effective all your efforts have been in providing benefits to the bottom-line results for your online business. This is why it is critical to have mapped out your strategy before you embark upon any exploration of Social Media as a means of promotion, as outlined in Tip 1 above. You can find out more about how to analyze the impact of your strategy in Liz’s article on checking Social Media’s return on investment

Effective participation in Social Media communities can benefit your online business greatly, if you approach it in a carefully planned manner like any other promotional activity. Social Media-astute small businesses can level the playing field and take on the big boys in their industries. We can be fleeter of foot and react to the subtle changes within the Social Media community much more quickly than larger enterprises with their marketing / operational departmental bureaucracies.

Not only can you connect directly with blogging and non-blogging customers and attract new ones, you can also build very useful and productive working relationships and forge strong strategic alliances within your niche.

If you’re a blogger, leave a comment to let me know of your experiences of using Social Media? What advice would you give to use these tool to reach non-blogging customers?

If you’re a non-blogger who uses Social Media (and there are are many), tell them what they can do to engage with you via your Social Media community.

–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?