Blog to Win Business: How to Enchant Readers and Woo Customers by Henneke Duistermaat

Author:Henneke Duistermaat [Duistermaat, Henneke]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Business Blogging
Publisher: Enchanting Marketing Ltd
Published: 2014-02-20T14:00:00+00:00

Promise your reader your blog post is worth his time

To build your authority and achieve your goals as a mentor, you share your knowledge, help your reader improve her skills, and even encourage her to change her habits and beliefs.

But why would she listen to you? Why would she make an effort to read your blog post and follow your advice?

The answer to the big why question is what Chip and Dan Heath call a destination postcard in their book Switch. A postcard shows your reader a picture of where he’s heading and promises a reward for following your suggestions. In the example opening paragraph above, the reader learns that he can become more positive and relaxed by implementing a simple trick to manage to-do lists.

By pinpointing a specific problem and promising a reward for following your advice, you’re opening up the gap between what is and what could be for your reader. You show your reader his current state of feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, you point out what specifically is contributing to this frustration (the to-do list), and then you tell him his destination—feeling more positive and relaxed.

No matter what topic you’re writing about, you can promise your reader a sunny destination. As an interior designer, for instance, you can contrast a current state of chaos in a living room with a promise of a room where there’s enough storage for everything and where the reader feels calm and relaxed. If you offer IT support to small businesses, you can talk about the frustration of downtime versus a smooth running system that’s free from attacks and spam. As an online bathroom retailer, you can address the sense of confusion when choosing a new bathroom and promise a step-by-step guide to designing a bathroom that fulfills the needs and desires of the whole family.

Your reader isn’t just reading your articles for the joy of reading. He doesn’t want to waste his time—he wants to get something out of it: a simple tip he can implement today or an inspirational thought that makes him feel better or more confident. That’s what you want to promise him in your opening paragraph. You want to make him curious enough about your tips or your solution that he reads on.

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