Blog the Half Empty Along With the Half Full
Is the glass half empty or half full?”
That’s a common expression, a proverbial phrase, generally used to indicate that a particular situation could be a cause for pessimism or optimism. Dr Lillian Zarzar, MA. CSP, international speaker, author, and coach, views the “glass” a different way – it’s always both, she says – full and empty. Science doesn’t lie, Zarzar tells her executive coaching clients. In every situation, there is some ratio of negative and positive. We each have the power to make choices, finding our own compromise between the positives and negatives that co-exist in every situation.
In blogging for business, it pays to embrace the “empty” part of the glass along with the full as well. True stories about mistakes and struggles (those of the business owners as well as those of their customers and clients) are actually quite humanizing, adding to the trust readers place in the information and advice being offered. What tends to happen, I explain to content writers, is that stories of failure create feelings of empathy and admiration for the entrepreneurs or professional practitioners who overcame the effects of those “negatives”.
“Is your brand real enough for the next wave of consumers?” Jamie Gutfreund asks in Forbes, describing today’s consumers, who prefer reality to perfection, and who consider taking risks an important part of life. In blog marketing, therefore, real life issues and challenges are riches to be mined. Often a new Say It For You client has been so swept up in their own attempt to keep their glass “full”, they can’t see how valuable finding – and sharing – the “empty” part of the glass can prove to be. That’s precisely where the “outside eye” of a professional blog writer can help shape a message that is compelling because it is “real”. I call it “telling how you tripped at the Academy Awards.”
In business in general, a cost-benefit analysis is a glass-half-empty-half-full process. An individual or a company evaluates a decision about a product or a project, comparing the enjoyment and benefit to the “give-ups” required – the dollars that will need to be spent, the time and effort it will take, etc. When it comes to blog marketing, while it’s undoubtedly true that blogging drives web traffic and helps promote an entrepreneur or profession practitioner’s products and services, a significant commitment of time and effort is certain to be needed. So, what happens? Socialtriggers.com notes that most people who start blogs quit within the first three months, leaving their blog marketing “glass” totally empty!
Another interesting application to blog marketing of the glass analogy is that marketing content typically represents the point of view of the seller, with the blog readers representing potential buyers. In creating content for blogs, we need to keep in mind that people are online searching for answers to questions they have and for solutions for dilemmas they’re facing. But searchers haven’t always formulated their questions, and so what I suggest is that we do that for them, anticipating blog readers’ negative assumption questions. If we can go right to the heart of any possible customer fears or concerns by addressing negative assumption questions before they’ve been asked, we have the potential to breed understanding and trust.
Blog the half-empty along with the half-full!
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