How to Get More People to Drink Your "Kool-Aid"* A Lesson in Blog Branding

“I’d rather fight than switch.”---Cigarette commercial slogan from the ‘60s

Make no mistake about it. Blog readers are “consumers”.
They seek value for their time, “products” that solve problems and pretty packaging.
And they want a rewarding experience from spots that they frequent.

And why shouldn’t they? These days they have a myriad of choices. Hello? Google “writing blogs” and you’ll yield more than a million search results with some pretty awesome sites. All the more reason why “brand loyalty” is important to keep today’s busy reader captive and coming back for more.

You want loyal readers because they’re your best form of advertising. Loyal readers are the first ones to typically purchase products and services and to tell others, and they are your biggest cheerleaders and support network.

With this in mind, here are six savvy ways to foster brand loyalty through your blog.

1. Understand that there is a psychology to selling.
Whether you’re peddling words or widgets, success depends upon studying and identifying your target audience, their habits, their needs, and how to reach them. And then delivering!

2. Don’t just disseminate information, strive to solve problems.
Though many blog readers visit sites for their entertainment value and vent sessions, a vast number are also seeking ways to solve common problems. If you’re able to accomplish this in your blogging efforts, you’ll definitely “win friends and influence people.” Are you an expert in time management? A technical whiz? Versed in SEO lingo? Share. Helping others increases your value and builds relationships in the blogging community.

3. Appeal to their senses.
Though content is king, appearance is equally important. Think of your blog’s design as the equivalent to “curb appeal” in marketing a home.
If visitors can’t get beyond the initial appearance, there’s no sell.
Which is why you need to have them at hello. Make sure your site is easy to navigate, void of excessive “clutter” (unnecessary words), has attractive, complementary colors, and easy to read fonts. An attractive photo of yourself also enhances the layout and comes across as more personal.

4. Establish a reputation for excellence.
There’s great truth to the adage, “Excellence is its own reward.” Be known for going the extra mile. Achieve this by providing quality, generous posts with great take-away value, void of grammatical errors and typos. Take away value can be established through including additional resources, job leads, book reviews, contests and give-aways. Additionally, make sure that you deliver on what your post’s titles promise. Remember, excellence breeds confidence.

5. Be a virtuoso!
In a sea of many, unless your “voice” is different, you won’t be heard or distinguished as you-nique. Your online voice is a combination of your communication style, your perspective, your tone, and your choice of words.
It’s okay to follow the advice of experts you admire, but be original. Write your own stories and tell them as only you can. Authenticity rocks.

6. Provide good “customer service.”
You can have a design to-die-for and content that causes folks to stand up and take notice, still, if you neglect to respond to readers’ comments, or ignore questions posed, you’ll lose some of your fan base. Blogs are supposed to be interactive by their very nature.

If you want more readers to buy into your brand and invest their time and money, follow these timely tips.
Fostering brand loyalty is the key to longevity and prosperity in today’s blogging game.

And who wouldn’t want followers that would rather “fight than switch?”
Your turn. Thoughts? What's your blog's brand?

IMAGE CREDIT: SPFF