Blogs are rapidly overtaking commercial websites as the most commonly used “point of entry” for new and existing customers. By offering fresh, relevant content and utilizing social media sites for driving traffic, marketing-oriented blogs have the potential for reaching hundreds of new customers every day. Also vital to engaging visitors and encouraging their interest enough to make a purchase is the ability for the creator of the blog to make it an interactive experience for the visitor.
Even though spammers and trolls are two of the most annoying entities haunting cyberspace, don’t make it too difficult for visitors to post comments. Having them go through the long process of registering and typing in a bunch of personal information will only deter potential visitors from remaining on the page. Instead, allow visitors immediate access to a comments section and regularly monitor your page to delete useless or spammy posts.
If you hire blog writers to write your blog, ask them to include open-ended questions in the content, such as, “How do you feel about the newest addition to our product?” or, “Would our service accommodate your needs as it stands at this point in time?” People love to voice opinions but sometimes a little nudge is needed to foster productive communication with visitors.
Online contests and polls are also enticing methods to use for promoting customer interaction. People are more apt to return to your blog to find out if they won the contest or to see where their opinion stands among other poll participants.
Popular Blog Plug-Ins
Blog plug-ins are easily installed and improve the reachability of your blog by simultaneously connecting with various social media sites. Twitter Tools is an example of a plug-in that allows you to connect to your company’s Twitter account so that anything you tweet is automatically viewable on the blog. Twitter Tools also lets you create a tweet whenever you update your blog. The tweet conveniently contains a link to your new blog so that Twitter users will know when you have posted new information about your product or service.
Disqus is an up and coming discussion platform that enhances your blog’s old system of commenting by providing information about breaking news, live events or other hot topics using a networked platform. This unique platform provides social integration, moderation, user profiles and spam tools as well as email notification and analytic capability.
How about engaging readers with an interactive video plug-in? Videos that let visitors choose from among several choices allows them to create their own “adventure”. For marketing purposes, interactive videos could spotlight a product by giving visitors a lighthearted look at what would happen if they chose one of two paths: life without the product or life with the product.
Although it is essential to hire blog writers that have plenty of experience in the copywriting industry, knowing how to attract the attention of jaded internet users with the right interactive techniques and “widgets” will greatly improve a company’s chances of standing out in the huge realm known as the “blogosphere”. Blogs that talk about a product or service are often fixated on certain themes that can quickly bore subscribers and make them leery of returning to read the next blog installment. Animating a blog with interactive elements that galvanize readers into providing their opinion, feedback or ideas concerning the product or service being marketed by the blog is a great way for a company to enhance customer service and make them feel like they are an important “member” of the company.
Kimberly M is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
