Customer engagement is one of the key challenges facing business today.  It is equally important for both small and large businesses wishing to build and enhance their online brand.

Engaging your customers in a two way conversation has always been an excellent way to build customer relationships and now using your business blog you can do this online.

The old style typical static website, which many businesses still have, will only allow you to make ‘announcements’ to your customers and prospects – your business blog allows your customers and prospects to engage with you and share in the conversation.

Blog marketing is different!

Good blogging involves talking to your audience and allowing them to respond and have a dialogue with you.  Key aspects to successful blogging are listening and learning. Use the experience gained from past blog posts to help you improve your future blog posts, starting with the next one!   With blogging you have to regularly and constantly engage with your audience in order to create and build relationships that are mutually beneficial.

Don’t be afraid to join in!

Visit and actively engage with other related blogs in the same industry and niche as your own.  By actively engaging with other bloggers on key business topics you can build a strong following for your own blog. Engaging with other blogs will also help you better understand your audience’s perspective when they are engaging with your blog.  You will be able to get a better feel for what the ‘hot topics’ are, what information is being sought and what answers are being given.  This might help you introduce a new perspective to the discussion which will set you apart as an authority on the subject.

Conversation is king!

Conversational marketing (Social media) is very different from traditional marketing. To succeed with conversational marketing you need to create and improve your customers’ understanding of your business and you. It is really not about simply delivering a sales message – It is about listening and talking, having a two way dialogue, not about making announcements.

Focus on the benefits

Customers will understandably always want to know what you can do for them, how much it costs and what difference it will make to their lives. You must concentrate on the benefits – let them know exactly how your products or services will benefit them.

Many business owners, managers and blog posters have a real difficulty in being able to distinguish between features and benefits.  Your communication should focus on the benefits that your customers and prospects will enjoy as a result of your offering.  Don’t fall into the trap of wasting time explaining the features of your products or services.

View point

With online marketing it is important to try and anticipate your customers’ experience from an emotional point of view:  

• What frustrates them?
• What interests them?
• What are they looking for?

By your understanding of what makes a great customer experience, from an emotional point of view, you can achieve a dramatic improvement in your business revenue.

Business blog marketing is one of the best ways to engage with your customers and prospects.  Blogging will also help you to brand yourself as the expert in your industry and niche.

If you own a business that has a website or has any aspirations of generating leads and enquiries via the internet you must have a business blog – it is as simple as that!  If you need help either with your blog creation or your blog posts contact wsiims today.