Many bloggers reach a point in their business where they began to ask serious questions. They wonder if this is worth their time. They wonder how much longer they can keep blogging as a ‘non-profit’ business. This is the moment of truth that either weeds them out or makes them stronger. If they choose to learn and stick with it, they’ll start learning about conversions and trust. How do you build trust on your blog? I have struggled with this as I have been building up the trust to my blog http://ppc.org. This post will answer this question and go over some of the pain points I have have in developing my blog as a brand. Here are some of the pain points that I have discovered and will guild you through:
- Getting your name out there
- Delivering the goods
- Employing trust builders
- Being personable and like-able
Let’s begin
1. Getting your name out there
Too many bloggers are selfish with their content. If you have something to share, get it out there. Among the many benefits of guest-posting, the one I want to focus on, is building a reputation among the blogging community; especially in your industry. To put more simply, by guest-posting, people start to become familiar with your name & brand. Not just any ordinary guest-posts will do the job. Muster up some courage and solicit guest-posts from the biggest names in your industry.
2. Delivering the goods
Does your blog deliver the goods? If you’re doing SEO, does your page match what you tell readers in the title & description tags? If you promise a free white paper, are you making it easy to find and download? Way too many bloggers are jinxing themselves and their business by not delivering the goods. Does your content solve real problems? Every industry as its core issues, struggles, and desires. Identify them by doing keyword research, hang out in the comments section of the big name blogs, and see what people are asking in Yahoo answers.
3. Employing trust builders
Social proof, testimonials, privacy policies, terms & conditions, and security seals are all examples of trust builders. They are incredibly important, especially if you’re selling a product on your blog. Nobody wants to be a guinea pig. Social proof and testimonials show that someone has trusted you with their credit card information. Privacy policies tell users what you’ll do with their information. People don’t want to give you their info until they know you won’t sell it off or spam them.
4. Being personable and like-able
Every writer goes through an awkward phase where they are trying to find their voice and writing style. They’ll do funny things like:
- excessively use CAPS
- use colors in their posts
- act all perfect
- condescend their readers
There are more, but these are the ones that clearly don’t build trust. Readers associate with people they like. If they like you, then they trust you with their following and their wallet. It pays to become a like-able person. For this I recommend you talk to your readers like you would talk to your friend if the two of you were just sitting on the couch together. Start applying these teachings and you will build trust on your blog. I guarantee it.