Guest Article by Dr. Rachna Jain
If you’ve been marketing online for any length of time, you will know that the more “YOU” that exists in your site, the better. Marketing online is about building relationships. It’s difficult to build a relationship with anyone unless you’re truly being yourself. Aside from this, there are other professional and personal reasons to put more YOU in your site. Let’s tackle the professional reasons first.
If you are running a blog, you, presumably, are doing it for one of three reasons. Either you want to get known in your field (fame), you want to make money from your knowledge (fortune), or you want to build relationships with others in your niche (friends). Sometimes, you are seeking all three. It is easier to build your fame, fortune, and friends when you are being yourself. If people like what you have to say, they will read it. If your customers like what you can do for them, they will buy it. If you want to create alliances, it’s easier to do when the other party knows who you are and what you stand for.
From a personal standpoint, it’s easier to develop your content when you base it on yourself- your own experiences, your own preferences, your own suggestions. This doesn’t mean, of course, that you write a blog which is only self-focused. One method that I’ve found to work very well for building fame and friends (and the beginnings of a fortune!), is to blog about something I’m experiencing in my own life or business, but in a way that allows the reader to learn from it too.
So it’s the difference between writing a personal diary “I did this… and this… and this..” to writing a personal account- which your reader then benefits from. (This is very important–don’t skip this part!)
Think of how your life experiences could be a teaching tool for your ideal clients. If you sell professional consulting services, as I do, part of building expertise and credibility in the niche is sharing how you’ve solved the very same problems your clients are facing. By sharing your solutions through your blog or other marketing, you help attract clients who are seeking those solutions too.
So by putting more YOU in your blog, your clients, business alliances and joint venture partners know exactly what they’re going to get. When people understand what you’re offering, they can easily opt in. With understanding and opting-in, your sales and marketing process becomes almost effortless.
So if you’ve been hiding yourself in the name of being professional, it’s time to rethink this approach. By sharing your own insights, suggestions, and ideas, your blog (and bank account) will benefit.
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