The Art of Conversation

A blog is a great marketing tool…but not such a  great advertising tool.

Advertising is the process of selling your product or service to someone at a distance.  In order to do this, you need to determine that person’s needs and talk about the benefits of your product or service (how you meet those needs).

When you take a larger view of marketing, however, that encompasses everything that happens in getting your product or service to market. And a blog can fill a void that many businesses have trouble bridging. By having a conversation that creates a relationship with your customers.

Don’t Talk About Yourself

Of course, one of the keys of having a good conversation is that you don’t talk about yourself too much. You try to talk about the other person, or subjects you have a common interest in, right? And if you end every conversation with “by the way, would you like to buy something,” pretty soon, no one is going to want to talk to you anymore.

Shut Up and Listen

You can’t have a conversation all by yourself. As you blog, make sure you take time to reply to any comments people leave for you–real, meaningful replies, not simply “thanks for commenting.”  TALK to your readers.

Challenge Assumptions

Get people thinking about long-held beliefs. Ask if they’re still valid. Chances are the world has changed dramatically since they were formulated. Push the line. Get out of the box. I’m not saying you have to go all “shock jock” on them…but don’t make it an easy, comfortable read.

Paint Pictures

Conversations are typically stories. Your blog is no exception. Don’t simply rattle off a list of facts, or the mundane minutia of your life. They’re giving you their valuable time. Make it worth their while.

IMAGE CREDIT: Courtesy of SXC.hu