“A Personal Touch” isn’t cheesy marketing or something reserved for “mom and pop” gimmicks. In our world of cyber-autonomy, a personal touch can be just the thing to change a casual visitor of your blog to a customer that is willing to invest in your product.
The truth still remains that when people visit your website, they are looking for information. However, there is no rule saying that information is the only thing you give back. Readers want to connect with a blog or blogger, to find some humanity to the faceless Internet page before them. In order to step up to the plate and deliver a well rounded, personalized blog, just review these tips below.
You, Yourself and I
Using the words you and I can go a long way in blogging situations. Use I to fill in personal anecdotes on a certain topic, or maybe create a post with a bunch of interviews of different people with a similar issue. Letting your readers know that you’re as involved as they are makes a huge difference over third-person lectures.
Use images
Break out a camera or gather around iPhoto and unleash your inner model. Or, pick a nice, professional picture from Facebook. Perhaps a group shot as well. Seeing the people behind the blog creates a sense of comfort and familiarity for the reader. If they can put a face to the words, it makes what you’re saying more believable and trust worthy.
Also use images to enhance your blog’s layout. Place a related stock image photo in the middle of the blog post to break up the visual monotony of the black and white words and to add a splash of personality. This will help your audience development efforts.
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Use video
We all couldn’t be more aware of the changes in our brains because of technology. News articles and scientific reports have been informing us for years on the quality of our processing skills and our inability to focus. With so many things going on at once, perhaps a long-winded post isn’t the best way to connect with your readers. Take a page from out of SEOmoz’s book and use video.
Every Friday, the team posts a video under the category “Whiteboard Friday”, where a company worker details something new about their industry. It could be anything from elaborating on a topic or highlighting a new strategy, but the important thing is that they are making it personal by having actual employees deliver the message. To make it handy for visual learners who what to read along, the text is always posted below the videos.
Biography
Memoirs are a hot genre in the book business for a reason: people like connecting on a personal level, simple as that. Make sure you have a bio and a link to a page containing the bios of any other blog writers. Update the text frequently and don’t be afraid to brag here a little. Showing people your experience and your accomplishments adds to the credibility of your blog and shows them that you’re a person too, just like them.
Want more? Check out these tips and tricks from Darren Rowse, the founder and editor of ProBlogger.net in his series on Adding a Personal Touch to Your Blog.
Even more? Visit Mequoda’s White Paper on Blogging for Marketing 101.
