A blog can be an effective tool for communicating with your existing clients and reaching new ones, says Andrew Lionis, digital director of Wickware Communications Inc. in Toronto.
Blogging creates an online platform on which you can share your ideas and keep your name in front of clients and prospects. Blogs are simple to set up and maintain, and free of charge.
“Through a blog, you can become known as somebody with great information and great content,” Lionis says “That will expand your business and you’ll gain more clients.”
Here are a few tips to help you get the most from your blog strategy:
> State your objectives
A blog can have several purposes — from simply identifying you and providing your contact information to offering detailed information and insights. So, you must be clear about what you want to accomplish, says Scott Barlow, manager of private wealth strategy with Macquarie Private Wealth Inc. in Toronto. You can pack your blog with information, Barlow says, “trying to attract people to it through your knowledge.”
Setting goals for your blog will keep you on track and allow you to measure its success.
For example, your goal might be to receive a certain number of hits, or to receive a certain number of phone calls from prospects as a direct result of the blog, Lionis says.
> Decide on content
Think about the issues you want to cover in the blog and where that information will come from.
“Choose a topic that you enjoy researching,” says Lionis. “Something you can talk about, and that you’re an expert in.”
Keep your blog timely and bursting with information. You can post information from other sources, such as your own newsletter or your firm, says Donald Robichaud, president of Kelowna, B.C.-based Floodlight Consulting. “A lot of financial institutions, especially in the advisor field, have tons of information that’s sent to them on a daily or a monthly basis.”
Be sure to cite the source of any information you use and to acquire permission before posting material for which you do not own the copyright.
> Keep it conversational
A blog is a conversation between you and your readers, so remember to keep the tone of your writing casual.
“It’s not a ‘press release’ operation,” Barlow says. “It’s an informal piece of communication. You’re trying to create an ongoing dialogue”
> Be consistent
Update your blog on a regular basis to maintain your readership and credibility. Blogs take a lot of time, so prepare for it, warns Barlow, who suggests writing once a day. If you go on vacation and forget about it, you might lose readers when they see there is no new content, he says.
The main point is to be consistent, whether you update once a day or once a month. Lionis suggests sticking to a schedule, such as writing every Monday. That way your readers “know what to expect and when to expect it.”
> Expect comments
A blog is a means of interacting with clients, which is why it’s a useful component of a marketing strategy, says Robichaud. And a part of that interaction is reader comments — some of which you might not want to made public. You can maintain control of the comments by clicking the “review before posting” button. That way, you can screen all comments before they appear.
> Chat, don’t sell
And remember: a blog is a conversation, not a commercial. Says Robichaud: “The blog should not be use for hard selling. That is the kiss of death.”
IE