To some people starting a blog can seem to be the hardest thing they have ever done. It's kind of like public speaking in a sense, and we all know how that feels when it's our first time. But the truth is that there is actually no correct way to write a blog and if you read other people's blogs you will notice they all have a different writing style or personality if you will. This is because everybody is different and hence so are their blogs.
When I first started blogging I felt as though people were going to laugh at what I had written or at the very least think I was an idiot for trying to write a blog when I sucked so bad.....and they probably did, but if I had let these kinds of things stop me from blogging, I would just continue to be a bad blogger because I would never get the practice needed to become better at it. Put simply, keep blogging and you will get better and better every blog you do.
Attracting readers and retaining them
In order to attract and retain loyal readers, you need to keep your blog content interesting and useful. Put yourself in the shoes of your readers - if you came across a blog and the content was boring and served zero purpose.....would you return to read future blog posts? You probably wouldn't even finish reading the post you were on! The simple fact is that people like to find value in blog content, otherwise there is point wasting time reading it.
Keeping the readers coming
I know that some bloggers teach that you only need to update your blog once per week, but I beg to differ. I believe it to be more effective in keeping your readers interested if you make at least one blog new blog post everyday. This way you are providing activity, which will help attract more readers due to constant fresh content on a daily basis..... Would you pay for a newspaper if it was only published once every week? I wouldn't think many of you would. So keep updating everyday...go on, go make a blog post right now! I'll still be here when you get back :)
Attract extra traffic to your blog
There are a number of strategies available that may increase the traffic to your blog. The first one is to post insightful and, if possible, useful comments to other like minded blogs and if the terms of use of the blogs you comment on allow it, also include a link to your blog at the footer of your comment to help people find your blog if they want to read more about what you know. The second method is to sign up to forums that relate to your blog topics. Signing up to forums will give you access to making comments and replying to the posts of other members of the forums. This will give you an open door to promote yourself as knowledgeable in your field and could also build you up to be seen as the person with all the answers in your field. The third method I have used is paid advertising. Although I do not recommend paying for advertising if your particular blog is not generating an income. I mean, this would just be plain and simply wasting your hard earned money.
Now you have the basics! if you haven't already started, go start blogging right this minute. Go on log into your platform and start typing until you can't type any longer. You will be surprised at what you are capable of writing.
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Monday, 29 April 2013
Successful Selling
Have you ever wondered about at what point a potential customer decides they are going to hand over their money for a product or service? I have been thinking about the psychology of a successful sale for about two months now and it has finally occurred to me that there are steps that if followed, will actually cause a customer to hand over their hard earned money in return for a product or service that they them selves did not know they wanted until the sales person helped them to realize it. I mean, its quiet amazing really, when it only takes few simple steps to guide someone in the direction of parting with money when they don't even know that it is actually happening.
Here are a few steps to help close a sale
Step #1
Gain the trust of the potential customer. You can gain a persons trust by approaching them with a topic unrelated to them buying from you, for example, 'hi how are you going today'? 'it is so worm outside today don't you think'? Once you have the persons full attention you can start talking to them and asking questions that help you identify what the person is actually wanting and needing from their purchase. Make sure you have a smile on your face and act reasonably enthusiastic.
Step #2
Point the potential customer to the products or service that you have identified they are needing or wanting. This can be achieved by explaining the features and benefits of the product whilst at the same time taking note of the reactions and body language of the potential customer. Sometimes a customer will purchase at this stage if they already had a fair idea of their own wants and needs, but most of the time you will need to progress to step #3.
Step #3
Show the customer that you can relate to their situation and why they are in the market. Show the customer that you have had a similar experience to theirs and that you resolved your experience through a similar product as the one you are trying to sell. Usual they will feel that there is a connection between their own situation and your which gives them a sense of trust towards you. In a majority of situations at this point the customer will start flashing money at you.
Step #4
Once you have reached this stage it is safe to say that the customer remains unsure of whether or not they are going to purchase from you. This could be due to many reasons but more often its because they are still unsure about the product you are trying to sell them. To overcome any doubt remaining in the customers mind, start mentioning positive points about the product, for example, 'have I told about the blue-tooth hands free technology in this vehicle'?
Step #5
Offer alternative payment options if available or point out the value for money. Most of the time the customer will only drag the sale out to this stage if they can't afford the product or fail to see the value. If you still don't get the sale, chances are that the customer has no intention to buy at this point.
These steps may not work every time but I have had close to a 70% success rate using this method, which I think is great.
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Friday, 26 April 2013
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