Blogs As White As The Meat Of A Coconut

To get your point across effectively, advises Dale Carnegie, "compare the strange with the familiar."  Carnegie tells the story of some missionaries trying to translate the Bible into the dialect of a tribe in equatorial Africa.  The missionaries came upon the line "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow."  Realizing the natives had never seen snow, the missionaries changed the line to read "They shall be white as the meat on a coconut."

Even if the target audience for your business blog isn’t African natives, Carnegie’s advice is apropos.  Searchers come to your blog to find answers, but, remember, they lack your knowledge and expertise.  To help readers relate your products and services to their own needs, you must communicate with them in their terms.  Drawing a comparison with something familiar is a great technique, all the more useful if you’re in a highly specialized profession or line of business.

I found a perfect example of this is a blog about a bioceutical product that helps calm fear of public speaking. In explaining the human fear mechanism, the blogger compares the human brain to the central post office. "From this shipping hub, millions of messages are transmitted to the cells of our bodies, directly and powerfully influencing our emotions and our physical reactions. These neurotransmitters are inborn and unconscious.  In fact, while our cells are "reading the mail" from the brain, our minds ‘turn off’, to allow our bodies to obey brain orders automatically." The familiar image of a post office and reading the mail makes it easier for readers to understand the unfamiliar – neurotransmitters.in the brain.

Going from the simple to the complex, and from the familiar to the unfamiliar is a perfect strategy for business blogs.  It sets you up as the expert, yet allows your potential customers to feel smart as well as understood.  Readers understand they’ve come to the right place!

.