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Adding opportunities for prospective customers to interact with your business in a positive way allows you to gain trust as an online entity. Trust is fundamental when doing business online because without it many prospects?are unwilling to make that final step and part with their hard earned cash. By utilizing tools such as blogs and newsletters you can help cultivate a sense of trust that will encourage prospects to turn into customers. It’s something that I like to call pre-customer service.

Think of blogs and email newsletters as a means of chatting with your customers. In a storefront you would be able to encourage buying behavior by walking up to them and answering questions they may have about your products. Online you would do this by providing detailed information that is readily accessible.

You must go beyond providing a basic description in a catalog website because in many cases these are simply detailed sales pitches. Would you simply read off the side of the box to a customer in the store? Probably not. Most likely you would provide product comparissons, or describe different situational uses of the product. It’s these types of “store based” questions that will comprise the information you would put in your blog or newsletter.

If you’re using these techniques to enhance your storefront business you have a great opportunity to encourage casual browsers to buy. Consider how many people who come into your store who say “No” when asked if they need help and then they leave the building empty handed. Perhaps they like what they see but the time to purchase is not right. Maybe they do have questions but they feel uncomfortable asking. Instead of just walking away, hand them a business card that simply has your website address on it and a few highlights about what they can find there such as demonstrations, upcoming sales, and your email newsletter. In that way, you can turn the shy prospect into a customer, and then stay in the forefront of their mind when they are ready to purchase.

If you’re like me, you put the needs of a client in front of your own. Deadlines are looming and you have to make a choice between doing stuff for you, doing stuff for your family, and doing stuff for the people who pay you. Your family and your clients sometimes struggle for that top spot, but the bottom line is that your needs get put on the backburner. Only they’re not really your needs are they? They’re the needs of your business.

You are not your business.

It may seem obvious, but it’s an important distinction to make. Without it, as freelancers, we become both overwhelmed and underwhelmed. Take on too many clients and we feel that everything is spiraling out of control. We experience burnout, panic, and provide less than quality products for our clients. Take on too little work and we lose faith, damaging our “business esteem” and sending our writing career down the drain. The key is to separate yourself from the business and treat it like the entity it is… a business.

Think about it: If you were to look at your business as a prospective client what would you differently? Would you schedule marketing tasks along side the ones you do for your clients? Would you research keywords and readership trends for your website? Would you have your own deadlines for content creation for newsletters and press releases? If you would do these things for a client then do them for yourself.

Then, as the client, look at the quality of work you create. Is it worthy of higher pay? Is it reaching the right people in the right way? Or do you need to sit down with yourself and have one of those unpleasant chats about moving on? If you can be honest with yourself about these choices and decisions then you will be doing your business and your paying clients a favor.

Looking at your output as a business owner allows you to make abstract decisions about your work and how you should move forward. In some cases this will give you the freedom you need to do what’s right for your self – you become one of your high priority clients! Schedule in your blog posts like you would for a client. Edit your newsletters and polish them like you would for a client. Be your own best client and you’ll be amazed at what you can do.

Why your business doesn’t need a blog

Chance are, if you have made the jump to the internet you have a static webpage. That is, you have a website with several pages that sum up your products/services and provide a means to request a quote. If you have a small local clientel with enough work to keep you happy you do not need a blog. But if you are in need of expanding your client base or boosting your profits a blog may be a good first step into social marketing.

Blogging is simply a means of communication

Consider a blog post a way to “soft sell” your products or services to many people at once. It’s not a daily chant of “buy,buy,buy!” Instead, a blog allows you to chat up customers about what you love most: your products/services. If you own a comic book shop for example, you could blog about the latest releases and give your reviews. If you own a bookkeeping business blog some business tips that will make work easier for the client and tax time easier for both of you. Housekeeping service? Then you can blog some tips on how homeowners can keep their homes looking their best in between cleanings. Blogging is a chance to make an impression and turn a query or interest into a sale.

But I don’t have the time or experience to blog

The extent to which you use a blog to promote your business depends on what you want to accomplish and what means you have available to do it. At WeeWebWorkk we offer services for all levels of expertise. I can host your site for you and get it started with a free layout. I can consult with you via phone and then ghostwrite blog posts based on our conversations. Or I can post material that is beneficial to your clients based on the specific industry you are in. Or, if you prefer, follow the free WeeTutorials and develop your own business blog.

Remember, a blog is a form of communication between you and your clients, so be sure to use it wisely.