DazzlinDonna Says “Think Like A Blogger”

August 3, 2007

And then she leaves us hanging. She didn’t tell us what to think. She has the gall to make us think. On a Friday. When Bourne Ultimatum is released.

She asked her readers to consider how you might optimize your non-blog site. One of your strategies might be thinking like a blogger. What does it all mean???

I have some ideas.

Bloggers value community over competition. Site owners might be tempted to first engage in competition, but they could be missing out on valuable traffic and sales if they make it their primary focus.

Let me explain.

DazzlinDonna suggested that her readers look to ProBlogger Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett’s Authority Blogger Forums for inspiration. I have subscribed to the blogs of both dudes for many months and I can tell you the difference between the two. Darren directly monetizes his blog while Chris uses his blog as a platform to market his consulting services - his blog provides him with indirect monetization.

Both are what I consider to be blogging gurus. But both offer something completely different within their niche. And while they both attract many (ok, thousands) of the same blog readers, those visitors will find themselves with an affinity for one or the other depending on their blog goals. For example, I prefer Darren because I like his direct approach. But I still read Chris because he has good content tips.

Think about McDonald’s and Wendy’s. Their burgers are different. Their fries are different. Their milkshakes are different. Yet, they both do well in the fast food industry and share millions of the same customers.

It’s the same with Walmart and Target, Circuit City and Best Buy, Petco and PetSmart, Office Depot and Staples.

What about industries where one company seems to dominate (Google, Starbucks, Microsoft)?

I’m glad you asked.

Bloggers engage in conversations with their readers. And it’s not for show. Conversation includes listening and having the humility and courage to adjust your site accordingly. It requires discernment mixed with common sense, but usually your readers will bring a good consensus to help guide you where they’ll follow.

In the past months, I’ve watched as Darren Rowse and eMom Wendy Piersall have asked their readers what they want. As a result, Darren is attempting more video blogs and Wendy is embarking on launching an e-zine with multiple authors.

The reason Google dominates the search industry is because Yahoo!, Ask and MSN don’t give the results the readers want. They follow the leader instead of carving their own path. Even Ask.com’s latest “algorithm” change is an attempt to be Google instead of being Ask. It would never work for Chris Garrett to try to be Darren Rowse or vice versa. Instead, they are themselves, and it works.

In recent years, we’ve watched Apple start to catch up to Microsoft - and for good reason. They’re developing products that consumers want - (iPod, iPhone), and they’re offering computers that are an answer to the pesky issues that have plagued PCs for years (computers crashing).

What Does This Have to Do With Optimization?

Everything. There is no point in ranking high in the search results if your site offers products or services that people don’t want. And in today’s social environment, people want transparency, accountability and good customer service along with that TV, laptop bag, necklace or whatever material good it is that they have purchased. When your customers have an issue with a purchase, do you make it easy or hard for them? Better yet, are you listening? If not, then who cares about Google rankings. Because it won’t take long for bad reviews to pop up on the front page of results.

Be bold. Engage in the conversation. Listen to your customers. Then you’ll have all the good rankings (as a result of gobs and gobs of links because people LOVE you!) your heart desires, with solid word of mouth and social media campaigns to boot.

Technorati Tags: conversation marketing, seo, bloggers, competition, community, social media

Posted in Conversation Marketing by Nathania Johnson