The art of humanizing and connecting with a reader through a blog OK, guys and dolls, let’s get into the meat of how to connect on a personal and human level with your audience in each post. Blogging is a very personal media channel. People want to learn more about you, your expertise and your life. The rub is, they don’t want you to just come out and tell them about yourself. You need to create a soap opera in your blog posts where you disclose personal things about yourself in small doses. That way it makes people feel as though they have come to know you slowly. Basically, think of a blog as one big date with your dream mate. You don’t go telling your dream date your life story- the good the bad and the ugly on the first date. You slowly let them into your life one date at a time. That is exactly the way you should blog.
Example:
The following excerpt is an example of how to humanize and personalize your blog post. As some of you may know that have spoken with me, I am a competitive fitness/bodybuilder in my spare time so the paragraph below is how I would leverage my hobby into a post to create intimacy while maintaining mystery and professionalism.
“Blogging, just like bodybuilding requires discipline. Frequency is the key. If I were to stop training in the gym tomorrow, I may keep the definition in my abs and quads for a few weeks or months, but eventually they would revert to the gelatinous mush from whence they came. Same thing with blogging. You can clearly watch your traffic statistics and comments increase with frequent blog posts, but if you stop or become inconsistent with your posts, your traffic will drop off rather quickly. You need to flex your blogging muscle frequently to drive and maintain the results you are looing for...”
Leveraging experience to create comfort:
Fact, very few people are going to read and remember everything on your “about” page. So, remind them of key facts about yourself through posts. For example, I frequently include that I am an SEO specialist, web programmer or Fortune 500 consultant in my posts. That makes people feel more comfortable with my expertise. You should take the time to reiterate your experiences and education or certifications in your posts. That being said, you don’t want to do it in every post or post all your commendations in one post. Just one or two in a post is good.
Ideas to leverage expertise in a blog post:
For example if you just attended a seminar that increased your knowledge in one area, mention it and write a post that showcases that knowledge.
If you won an award, mention it. Don’t toot your own horn, just mention it briefly in a post about something else. For example, “at Conference X, while accepting the X Realtor award, I learned….”
If you have helped sellers work through difficult situations to sell a home, discuss that (it won’t sound preachy if you talk about solving problems with specific examples). It makes people feel like they know you and you know their problem and have the expertise to solve that problem.
Leveraging hobbies and interests to create intimacy:
As a real estate professional, you need to develop a level of intimacy with your visitors just as you would while touring homes with a buyer. One of the most effective ways to do that is to leverage you hobbies and interests in a post.
Ideas to leverage hobbies and interests in a blog post:
If you are a soccer mom, mention it along with the local soccer facilities in a post about what your town has for kids. Do not go too deeply into your child’s amazing prowess at the sport, just tickle the reader with a small slice of your life. By telling a reader you are a soccer mom- you just connected with all the other moms out there- you have said-“You can trust me because I am like you!”
If you are a boater and are selling a waterfront home, mention the recreational boating clubs in the area and your personal recommendations on where to rent a slip. Again, don’t go into what a great weekend you had on your sailboat and how your wife went overboard after one too many margarita’s. Don’t get that personal. You still want to maintain professionalism and, in this example, a wife.
If you are a golfer and have a golf course home for sale, be sure to connect with your potential buyers by posting about all the great local pro shops and which pros you recommend. Stay away from disclosing your amazing handicap. People like humble people.
Mary McKnight
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Exactly Mary! displaying our individuality allows readers to connect with us. If we stray from who we really are and protray ourselves as something we are not, we will end up unhappy with the relationships or circumstances we put ourselves in!
Good post.