This article follows on nicely from my previous one, Blogging Isn’t A Two Way Street, in which Judi left a thought-provoking comment:
As I read your post, I kept thinking how do I learn more about the 90% to better serve them if I never get input from them.
Bloody good question that, which I attempted to answer in the comments section. I quickly realized that the topic deserves an article of its own, which brings me here.
The fact is, it is very difficult to know what the ‘90%’ really want from you. What you need to do is have a very clear idea in your head as to who you are targeting, what you want to offer them, and how it will benefit them. In that way, the 90% becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.
But there is another layer beyond that, but thankfully, it makes your life a little easier.
There are three different ‘types’ of people that will hit your blog, and you only need to worry about one of them. Let’s address each type in turn:
1. Bouncers
Bouncers, as you might expect, will hit your site and just bounce straight off. They’re just plain not interested. Most likely they thought your blog was going to be something it is not, or they have absolutely no interest in your topic and just happened to hit your blog randomly.
2. Groupies
Groupies already love you. There are many reasons why your blog might attract groupies – they could have been referred from a trusted source, they may have read and loved a guest post you did, or they might simply hit your site and feel like it has been made for them.
3. Fence Sitters
Fence sitters are perhaps intrigued by your blog, but certainly not sold. They have an interest in your topic, but are yet to see what you offer that makes taking a solid interest in your blog worth their time.
Who Should You Cater For?
You can ignore the bouncers. There’s no point trying to sell ice to Eskimos. And whilst you should of course love your groupies, you do not need to worry about them – they will take care of themselves. It is the fence sitters that should get your special attention.
Imagine a user car salesman that spends 45 minutes trying to sell a car to a guy who was ready to sign a check after 5 minutes, whilst undecided customers come and go. You run the risk of losing the fence sitters because you are trying so hard to please your groupies, who already love what you do!
So how do you turn fence sitters into groupies? Simple – you need to IEM your USP (apologies for the acronyms).
For the uninitiated, USP stands for “Unique Selling Proposition”. Otherwise known as “what sets you apart from the crowd”. Yes, the concept has been beaten to death, but with good reason – it is vital to the success of your blog. So let’s explore the three ways in which you need to exploit your USP – Identify, Establish, and Maintain.
1. Identify
It helps if you have a good knowledge of your chosen topic. Having true passion for your topic is a huge selling point – it will shine through in your writing, and can be infectious. Alternatively, you can think outside of the box and approach a topic from a unique angle. Finally, you can broach as yet unexplored territory. Although this may seem impossible, the world is developing at a rapid rate – there are always new things to talk about. And blogging is the perfect way in which to do so (i.e. it is instant).
2. Establish
Once you have identified your USP, you need to establish it. Not only do you need to create content that reflects your USP, you need to actively ‘sell’ your angle. It is not enough to just “do it” – you need to promote your USP.
The internet is far too crowded a place to rely upon the quality of your content alone. You need exposure. I could talk to you about marketing but that is not the purpose of this article. But the inception (or re-launch) of your blog should be irrevocably intertwined with your USP, placed front and center, in bright neon.
3. Maintain
You may have written that ass-kicking manifesto a few months back that laid out exactly what your intentions are, but 95% of new visitors probably won’t even read it.
You constantly need to revisit your USP and ensure that your message never gets lost in the noise.
Conversion Of The Fence Sitters
If you can successfully establish and maintain your USP, you will have a much better chance of converting your fence sitters into groupies. Because ultimately, all they want is a reason. You’ve got them on the hook – you just need to reel them in.
If you successfully inject your USP into the DNA of your blog (apologies again for the acronym fest), you can rest assured in the knowledge that you have done all you can to convert the fence sitters. If they are still not convinced after that, then they were probably closer to bouncers than groupies to start with. Or perhaps they’re not just enamored by your angle. That in itself is fine – I’d rather appeal to a small bunch of groupies then attempt to keep a large bunch of fence sitters in check.
Over To You
What is your take on this topic? Do you agree with my theories? Or do you follow a different path? Let us know in the comments section!
Images courtesy of Robert Park, macwagen, Tom Rolfe, Esther Dyson, Lee Carson and Incase