Use Proof In Your Blogs To Build Belief

Posting blogs is how businesses take advantage of the main reason people use
the Web – to find stuff.

The idea behind blogging is that, rather than running traditional ads for your brand of hats, or vitamins, or travel, you provide lots of information on the history of hats, on why vitamins are good for you, and about exciting places to go on safari.  Consumers interested in your subject, but who never even knew your name, come to see you as a resource. When blog readers follow your “calls to action” by phoning your business, faxing in a request or an order, signing up for your newsletter, subscribing to your blog through an RSS feed, or by proceeding to your shopping cart to buy your product or service, you know your blog marketing strategy is working.

But there are millions of other blogs out there for searchers to find, so what is it that can transform yours into a powerhouse?  Fellow blogger Michel Fortin answers that question in one word: PROOF!  Fortin believes that, while some blogs miss the mark because of poor customer targeting or shoddy copy, most blogs miss their goal due to lack of proof.

People are skeptical, he explains, today more so than ever before.  That’s why you need to prove your case, says Fortin, not just tell it or sell it – prove it! If there’s reasonable doubt, you’re going to lose the sale. Your blog is there to make ‘em believe.

There are several kinds of proof you can use:

Factual proof:  Offer statistics about the problem your product or service helps solve

Reverse proof: Compare your product or service with others that are on the market.

Credentializing proof: Tell about your years of experience, degrees, newpaper articles you’ve written or that have been written about you. 

Evidential proof: Clinical trial results, testimonials.

Often in these blog posts, I’ve discussed the fact that frequency is one of the criteria search engines use for ranking blogs and websites. Most blog mavens advise a minimum of three posts a week, with more being even better. It’s interesting that Michel Fortin himself posts blogs just once a week, explaining that “consistency is more important than frequency.”

One aspect of blogging on which Fortin never compromises is conversion. He’s alluding not to religion, but to converting blog readers into believers. 

Lesson for today: Only blog believers become website buyers.