How personal you think you can be on your blog. When does it make sense to add personality to a post, and when does it not?
A blog always reflects the personality of the blogger;
it could be the company’s key person or some third party who is blogging on
their behalf. I feel blogging should be very creative to attract readers but at
the same time stay focused about the business goal. In my jewelry business blogs
I think I can go a little bit personal about sharing my stories in India, and
talking about some festivals that I used to take part and then post some photos
and videos of those festivals along with the women wearing typical unique
ornaments for those occasions. It will help my buyers to associate them with
the culture of India and its jewelry trends.
Whether to be personal or not it entirely depends
upon the marketing strategy of a business. A business blog will have a purpose
to create revenue, engage its readers and sometimes encourage them to buy the
membership. But being too personal may lose the seriousness of the blog. Be
very careful about your content. In business blogs it is advised not to comment anything on any
controversial topic (for e.g. politics, religion, culture etc).
Sometimes business bloggers may benefit from
discussing past and current struggles and this way they can connect emotionally
with readers, at the end they can share how did they overcome all the obstacles
and solved their problems.This would definitely create a positive impact on
the readers mind.
Once we know our audience for whom we are
writing, what they want and what they need it will be easy for us to decide how
personal we should go. Always stay within the boundary, do not hurt others
feelings and always create an inspiring content. Do not scare or bore our
readers by providing too much personal information. Finally I feel that as you
go personal, keep the goals of your business in mind, and tell those stories
that consumers can’t help but share.
This is a well written blog. I really like your idea of sharing bits of personal stories from India and talking about the festivals you took part it. I would love to see photos of the festivals and feel this would be a great way to get personal and also educate your customers.
ReplyDeleteAlso agree with "what not to blog about." I thought you listed a bunch of good examples of topics to stay away from, for example politics, religion, etc.
Hi Mary
DeleteThanks for your nice comments! Yes I will try my best to get good photos. I have attached a link about the festival of lights in India, you may take a look at it. This year white house also celebrated this festival ( ;
The link is in my Sunday blog.
Thanks again
Kalyani
Hi Kalyani;
ReplyDeleteGreat posts and very well thought out. Yes, I agree with you that sharing but not oversharing is the key to successful using personality on a blog. Sensitive or controversial topics are definitely best to avoid, in most cases. I think somethings culturally sensitive topics will be received differently in other cultures-so perhaps as you share your jewelry and information about Indian culture with an american audience, you'll find that you are able to 'appear' less formal, while actually still being pretty formal. I do think american audiences relate to openness and less formality/structure, whereas in some other cultures, this can be seen as 'unprofessional'. In the USA, it is often what helps the customer to feel connected with a business, especially if it's a small, independently owned business.
I have noticed that some businesses/blogs actually benefit from sharing controversial information or political news (such as laws or regulations that have passed). I have noticed this particularly in the fields of organic, eco friendly and holistic health. Companies and blogs actually attract readership based on their ability to provide insight and action regarding these topics.
Whether signing a petition or writing one's representative about non GMO foods, access to herbal supplements or striving to have conservation in place for a particular natural environment, these are examples of when controversial can actually be beneficial. This type of blog content actually can increase trust in the business, and enhance their reputation and expertise in a given subject area. Also, some businesses are happy to be seen as 'pro' such and such and attract that demographic; they use this as a tool to define their niche.
Overall, I think larger corporations need to steer clear of controversy, and smaller companies/independent businesses can utilize such topics if the context and content of their business is relevant.
Thanks for your posts; they provide nice food for thought. And I love the idea about sharing different areas of India as a means of informing about the jewelry. People love food and travel blogs today, as well. So, I think you plenty of creative avenues to explore when promoting a jewelry line. One great aspect of blogging and technology is that it has allowed for more overlapping of topics/subject matter, that businesses can take advantage of while still staying on track.
Good luck!
Hi there
DeleteI could not find you name....
Thanks for reading my blog patiently and then providing some valuable inputs. Yes it is so hard to sell Indian traditional costume jewelry in USA. Nowadays I frequently see many jewelries in Kohl's and Burlington and really feel excited about it! Whenever I wear some traditional piece I always get some compliments about it...so may be I can do good if I follow a good marketing strategy!
In the store people buy them just by the looks, but online, before I start selling them , would like to talk about them and this way develop my prospective customers.
Thanks for your comments.
Kalyani
"I feel blogging should be very creative to attract readers but at the same time stay focused about the business goal." - well said.
ReplyDeleteThanks Andrew. It is so hard to write a blog.....( :
DeleteHi, thanks for the nice comment on my own blog. I can tell you must be a really sincere and thoughtful person from what I'm reading in your blog. I'm all for being personal with blogging for business but I can understand how a little poise and forethought makes it all the better and very well may keep one out of trouble. As for getting political I feel like it's all relative to how you put it "the goals of your business." And I totally agree with autobiographical backstories having a useful purpose in helping people have a much more rewarding perspective on the art you create. The pretty things people make can become deeply beautiful things if people are afforded a deeper understanding of what unforeseen stories, risks and motivations brought them into creation!
ReplyDeleteThank you Mac for such a wonderful comment! In this class I am talking about my imaginary jewelry business, actually the idea came to my mind when I saw the items in ebay, and I felt only Indian people will know the meaning of the particular design , how significant it is for a religion or a festival or a region. I could not resist myself from telling the story of each of them. The Necklace "Mangalsutra" is so auspicious, only married woman from the southern India can wear them, (nowadays we all wear for fashion symbol), bangles are a symbol of married women in North India and so many....
DeleteI tried to cover some in my website.....but there are l-o-t-s!
Thanks again.
Kalyani,
ReplyDeleteThe back story is important in so many business. For you and your jewelry I think it will help, especially if you can superimpose pieces of your jewelry onto pictures of your festival.
For my business I believe sharing some of the reasons I have started this business will help my customers appreciate how much I care about getting things right.
Thanks Craig for your comment. Yes I can try to find the similar type of Jewelries and post their photos. Thanks for the idea.
DeleteHi Kalyani, very nice blog on the subject. Although I am very new to the world of blogs, I feel that the same care should be taken online as in person when in a roomful of strangers. A little personality and humor goes a long way in standing out when done in small doses and appropriately. BTW, I enjoy the pics you place in your blogs.
ReplyDeleteThank you John for your feedback. Yes I am also new to blog world....it needs lot of planning, attention and love!
ReplyDelete