Is your blog “Selling” too much?
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One way or another, despite whether you’ll admit it - your blog is selling something. It might be selling your advice or expertise, your company’s product or service, or maybe it’s just selling everyone on your wittiness. Some blogs are over about this and put it right out in front. They make no apologies for the fact that they are trying to sell you their product. Others take a more subtle approach and want to use the blog as a way to build trust and credibility - extending the purpose of the website beyond a marketing/sales tool. Unless you are the latter, one of the things that should be revisited by your blog editor regularly is whether your blog is “selling” too much. In my experience, when you want to sell something, no matter how badly you want to avoid it, that will come across.
Business bloggers and entrepreneurs fall victim to this far too often. It makes sense - the ultimate goal, either directly or indirectly, is to improve sales. You were likely chosen for your skills in this area. But now, you’re trying to build the blog readership and “selling” too hard will backfire quickly and work against your ultimate goal. Most readers are sophisticated enough to know that any company blog will work in the company’s favor - but it done correctly it won’t matter. If you blog the right way, your business blog will be a resource to customers, potential customers, and your competitors customers that will keep you top of mind as a leader in your industry that can be counted on, and one who genuinely wants to help customers succeed. If you blog the wrong way, you’ll lose credibility. Immediately.
3 way you can tell if you’re over selling?
1. Have someone else read before a post goes live. Sometimes an extra set of eyes is all you need. Ask if they felt they were being sold to.
2. If your post ties the topic back to your product too frequently, you’re probably over selling.
3. Does the summary paragraph of the post feel like it should end with, “…and that’s why you should buy what I’m selling.”
If you execute your blog effectively as a resource, over time you can eventually throw in a post occasionally that will tout your product overtly and it wont hurt you. But first, take the time to carefully establish your position as a trusted resource and your blog will build the kind of credibility that will help your marketing strategy long term.
