13 Blogging Dos and Don’ts For Building Business Relationships

There are literally hundreds of blogging dos and don’ts posted all over the internet. Many of them are technical in nature or provide betters ways to “market”.

This list is geared towards the more human side of blogging and is focused on dos and don’ts that help foster relationships with your blog visitors, subscribers and other bloggers.

Do put Archives & Categories in the sidebar or footer. Many times when visitors come to your blog they want to know what else you blog about. Give them easy ways to browse so that you can engage them and keep them there longer.

Do have an opt in and an RSS feed. Make it easy for people to follow you or choose to hear from you again. Even better, offer something for free when they subscribe. I suggest having both of these. Some may just want to subscribe to your RSS, so offer both. Give people the choice of how they want to hear from you.

Do define your area of specialty clearly in your header. This informs people of exactly what you do. If your tag line is too general, you won’t capture your target market’s attention. Not being specific will either cause people to leave (because they didn’t find what they were looking for) or will keep the wrong people at your site.

Do create banners ads for your own products and/or services. This tells people what your business offers. Products you sell are your business. Featuring other people’s products suggests that they are the experts, not you. You want your visitors to think and know you are the expert. First impressions make an impact that are difficult to change.

Do highlight other places you’ve blogged at. This reinforces your expertise and builds relationships with other bloggers. Relationships can and should be both vertical and linear.

Do invite guest bloggers to post. This also helps build relationships with other bloggers and shows visitors that you are part of a bigger community and that it’s not just you (solo-preneur). It’s a bonus to show different points of view and get free content.

Do show social proof. Examples of social proof are number of subscribers, testimonials or Twitter comments. Showing social proof lets people know what others think of you.

Do reply to every comment. Use plugins to notify commenters of responses. One plugin for this is called “Comment Reply Notification.” When you reply to someone whose left a comment, it makes them feel important. You took the time to spend a minute on them directly by responding; something they’ll remember.

Be yourself. No one likes fakes. Fake Gucci watches can be nice but they don’t last. I know I’ve had one before and it’s sitting in my closet. It broke the first week I bought it. The real thing lasts longer and is much better quality. This the same for relationships. Be real. Be yourself. Some will like you, some won’t. So what?

Don’t stop and start. Start and keep going. Create an editorial calendar and schedule posts ahead of time. Inconsistent posting is like not calling a friend for a year and expecting your friendship to remain the same.

Don’t make it difficult for visitors to get your free stuff. Make reports, ebooks or white papers easy to download. Ensure videos are streaming so they don’t have to wait. Having double opt-in can be confusing for some people. Be sure to explain the process clearly. They are more likely to follow through and confirm.

Don’t sell in an email. Emails and blogging shouldn’t be about selling. That’s what landing pages/sales pages are for. Linking to those types of pages from a blog post is acceptable, but don’t try to sell right in the middle of your blog or in an email. It’s a little pushy. Give them value first and reasons why they should buy, or educate them on the benefits of buying, then on a page that makes sense, sell them something.

Don’t be anonymous. Have a great “about” page that shows people who you are and what your business is all about. Be unique and original. No one likes boring. As long as you are more interesting than they are, you’re sure to attract them and they’re going to want to hear from you more.

As much as your site needs to be technically sound and functioning, the most important part of any online success is the relationships you build with readers, subscribers, clients, customers and other people in your industry. Keep them “top of mind” and you’ll see progress.

Tracy Matthewman is an Online Marketing & Social Media Expert who helps small and medium sized business owners understand and implement technology to build their business. She is also the creator or Easy As Pie Website and Easy As Pie Optimization. Want to guest post on HowToMakeMyBlog? See more info here.