Advice to the Front in Blogging for Business

“If you buy new tires, put them on the rear side,” begins a truly great blog post by Allstate Insurance. Mind you, I‘ve been a customer of an Allstate competitor for 40+ years, but I know a good business blog post when I read one.

        I applaud six important things about Allstate’s “New Tires to the Rear” post, and, as a corporate blogging trainer, wanted to point those out:

• It’s written in “I-you” format.  Personal. Direct. “I understand the pain….I’m here to tell you…” In first person, blogging for business can in reveal the personality of the business owner or of the team standing ready to serve customers.
• It offers advice readers can use.  Right away.  They don’t even need to click.
• It explains the writer’s point of view. “On a rainy day even a small puddle could cause your car to spin out.  Rear tires provide stability.  If they’re worn, even if the new fronts provide plenty of steering ability, if the rear tires are floating, you’ll spin out.”
• It establishes the business owner as an expert. “I have ridden with thousands of drivers in demonstrations…almost all spin out when the car had newer tires on the front and half-worn rubber on the rear.”
• It deals with readers’ objections and questions even before they are asked: What if I have electronic stability control features on my car? “Even electronic stability control – a system that can help to automatically bring you out of a spin – can’t help if the rear tires are completely hydroplaning.”
• It’s opinionated, definitive.  “No more ‘even ifs’.  If you buy only two tires, place them on the rear axle.” Whether it’s business-to-business or business to consumer blog writing, the blog content itself needs to use opinion to clarify what differentiates that business, that professional practice, or that organization from its peers.

New tires may be best on the rear of the car, but advice takes front and center in blogging for business!