After all, medical malpractice, for example, might be the most fascinating thing in the world to you, and I truly hope it is if you’re a malpractice lawyer because an extreme level of enthusiasm for the subject makes your long-term success that much more likely. But, even as an ultra malpractice-nerd, even you know the typical person doesn’t want to talk about it all day.

Maybe you even learned the hard way when you blabbed on about work too long at a cocktail party (don’t worry, we’ve all done it)…

So, How Do You Make People Care?

The question on everyone’s mind when creating a new blog, or breathing life into one that died a long time ago is, how do you stay relevant and capture your audience’s attention? How do you strike that balance between staying on topic, pushing for that sale (which in the long run is really the goal), and getting people to care enough to tune in once in a while?

Well, first off, it’s important to realize that it’s less about making them care than it is about blogging what they already care about. And what that is, becomes a little easier to figure out if you keep a few simple concepts in mind.

1. You Can Talk About Your Product – Just Not the Way You Think

We’re both business-people here, so I’ll be frank.

If I could just sit here and rattle off to you about each feature of every service I offer until you cut me a check, I would… Sorry, but I probably would.

And that’s most likely what you’d prefer to do with your blog too. Admit it – you’re just itching to blab about your products or your services in each and every post. After all, you’re in business to sell, right?

And in a way, you can do that, but not in the way you think. As your instincts already tell you, people could give a rat’s tukus about your products and the features thereof. But what do they care about then?

Why would they ever take the time to read your business blog?

The answer to this is simple, really, and the key to success with any type of commercial writing. What your prospects care about is what your product can do for them. They care about the benefits they would reap if they purchased that product or service.

So what do you blog about? You blog about those benefits.

A specific case in which a current customer reaped a particular benefit is one great idea. If you’re a landscaper, a little-known secret for instantly greening up a lawn. If you’re a fashion consultant, a study demonstrating the impact appearance plays in business interviews or the dating market. If you’re into software, the increases your customers get in productivity – and how that affects their lives.

And you can even dig directly into describing each of your products and services post by post, if you like; just make darn sure each post focuses more on what it does than how it does it, then put it in your headline and make it pop.

These are the little tidbits that grab attention even if what you “do” is the last thing on a prospect’s mind when they come across your article.

2. Remind Them How They Will Suffer

Tying closely in with the point above, don’t forget to hit their pain buttons. Reminding people how they might get hurt or miss out by not having your product or service is always a fantastic way to reel them in, especially around the milestones at which people are due for a “checkup” or an “update.”

It’s not manipulation; people don’t like pain (believe it or not), and many products and services in the world are specifically created so they can avoid it.

With subtle, to-the-point posts about the risks associated with forgetting people like you exist, your topic suddenly becomes very interesting indeed, allowing you to easily reel your target customers in.

3. Feel Free to Veer Off Subject

As an example of what I mean by veering off subject, let’s say you run an insurance agency with a primary focus on term policies. While it would be tempting to blog every week about the benefits, features and rules associated with the different types of term insurance out there, you’ll probably guess that people will tire of hearing about it after a while.

And you’d be right.

But it’s not just about talking people into the ground about term insurance. A major goal of blogging is to simply position yourself as an expert – not an expert in term insurance but an expert in “everything” insurance.

Just because you don’t prefer selling whole insurance, for example, doesn’t mean you can’t gain your readers trust and respect by discussing with them, the benefits (as well as pitfalls – wink, wink) of whole insurance. In fact, a blog post highlighting a benefit associated with whole, as opposed to not being insured at all, will often bring in a new prospect who, after browsing a few articles or talking with an insurance expert they trust (you), buys a term policy instead.

This is often exactly how business blogging works.

And you can go even further, discussing all types of affairs that tie into a personal financial plan.

Here’s the key. If someone wants to buy an insurance plan and isn’t sure where to start, are they more likely to buy one from someone who’s a perceived expert in risk management or a person who’s an expert at the benefits of term insurance? See where I’m going with this?

Or, maybe you specialize in business insurance. Same strategy applies. Talk about more than just business insurance – discuss all types of financial issues business-minded clients have on their minds. Become the blog they turn to for advice on a regular basis. Be the voice that helps keep their finances in order.

Then, when they need insurance, they’ll turn to you.

4. Let Them Know When They Can Save Money

Finally, what’s one other thing we know can always garner attention?

That’s easy – saving money. And it’s a wild card you can always keep in your back pocket.

Nothing to blog about? Write about a way to save money in the process of buying your product or service or some other product or service in your niche (remember, veering away from your main focus is fine and people will remember you helped them save). Write about how your product or service saves money in its own right – combine it with pain by highlighting costs associated with not buying.

Describe a story of a recent client that saved or gained money.

Really out of things to say? Pull out the big guns and create a discount or coupon right then and there just so you have a reason to interact with your online market. Make it exclusive to your online readers – now they’ve really got a reason to pay attention in the future.

5. Talk About Major Events

Oh, and here’s an easy one that almost everyone thinks of but many brush off simply because they find it tacky. Holidays.

Sure, sometimes it is tacky, but the holidays are something we all share in common. So by at least making a post mentioning their passing, and, especially, how they might be relevant to what you offer, you further your relationship with your audience. The same is true for news and events beyond your niche.

Because that’s what blogging is all about, after all – building relationships.

So go ahead and get started already; I’ve given you plenty of ways to come up with great topics for blog posts without boring the heck out of your readers. Now it’s up to you to sit down and write them.

But he makes enough to keep his family fed and even turns a meager profit, regardless of the holes.

One day our fisherman ponders how all the villagers with sturdy, gas-powered boats are able to head off into deeper waters, where they make an absolute killing. He’s ready to upgrade and extend his reach.

Now, tell me, would it make sense for this fisherman to put a ton of money into a nicer boat and high-tech fish-finding equipment only to venture out into those deeper waters using his ragged old net? Of course not.

It would make more sense to fix his net first. And in fact, by doing so, he could capitalize on the fish already within reach, reaping an instant profit right then and there. He could then re-invest that money into his growing fishing enterprise.

And then, once he’d made the most out of the immediately accessible catch, he’d be ready for deeper, more bountiful waters…

Are There Holes in Your Net?

I think it’s clear where I’m going with this. Your website is the “net” you use to scoop in the fish online, or to bring in new customers and profits to your business. If you haven’t taken the time to tighten up your site, you’re leaving holes in your net, allowing what should be guaranteed prospects to swim right through.

A clear example of this type of negligence is demonstrated when business owners let their phones ring off the hook. That’s crazy – no business phone should make it past a third ring before being picked up; it costs far more to market to a new prospect than it does to simply pick up the phone and convert one that’s already calling.

On a similar note, it makes no sense to look at new web technologies and expand your marketing budget to bring in new prospects online until you take a take a hard look at the most important component – the foundation, if you will, of your online presence. Your website.

For Starters, Double-Check Your Contact Information

It simply blows my mind how many small businesses make it nearly impossible to contact them through their online presence: their contact form doesn’t work. The phone number is outdated or nonexistent. Or maybe no one bothers to check e-mails so they go unanswered…

Someone is at your site, ready to drop you an e-mail or pick up the phone to inquire about your company or your services, and what do you give them? A dead end. Think about that for a second. If this is your site, you’re losing money right now.

Fortunately, it’s a quick and easy fix. Go double-check all phone numbers, addresses, e-mails and physical addresses on your contact page for accuracy. While you’re at it, put your business hours up if they aren’t there already. If you have a contact form and it has been a while since you tested it, test it now.

Finish Your Website

This is another one you see a lot – the half-finished website project: Pages lacking content. Missing information about new services – often high-profit services.

And what about business owners who blame their unfinished site on a designer who “disappeared on them?” If this is you, it’s time to ask yourself, who is responsible for making sure your web presence is up to par – a designer or you? After all, it’s your business, not theirs.

What if you were looking for an accountant online and came across a website with missing pages and a half-finished design? Would you be jumping at the bit to have this individual handle your finances, or clicking away to look elsewhere?

I can hear it now ­- the sickly swoosh as the fish dart right through your ragged net and profits pour right through your grasping fingers…

Bring Your Web Content to Life!

Just as damaging as a poorly-designed, unprofessional website is a website with lousy content written just for the search engines. “It’s just a website,” you tell yourself. “As long as I have one I’m good to go.”

Not at all. Bland, unreadable, or misspelled content on a website is almost worse than not having a website at all because it makes a clear statement about how you feel about your business and what people can expect out of you, whether you like it or not.

Your website isn’t some little business card you can tuck away and hope no one sees. It’s your “voice” online. It’s a 24/7, dynamic, direct communication with your target market, and you can’t close the door.

If you don’t care about it, neither will anyone else care about your offer.

On the other hand, replacing lifeless web content with something designed to sell – content written by a professional who takes the time to understand your market, hone in on clients’ hot buttons, and speak directly to their fears and needs – can instantly change casual browsers into intrigued buyers.

Put a Continuity Plan in Place

Want to keep even more fish in your net? Every business website needs a continuity plan in place. Prospects usually just come to browse and then quickly click away to do something else, or even worse, review and compare competitor sites. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
It’s common knowledge that people buy from companies they know, and that familiarity is built by:

• Them seeing your company name over and over again.
• By spotting your ads and building up a brand recognition.
• By receiving your e-mails and hearing your “voice.”

So grab onto that brief second you have them on your website with all you’ve got; use it as an opportunity to connect. Try offering a downloadable report enticing them to sign up for a newsletter, and then e-mail out a prewritten e-mail sequence designed to gain trust, build credibility, update them about your company, and sell.

That’s a net that holds its fish. And it’s far cheaper and more effective than implementing some brand new traffic campaign.

Get to Mending Your Net Today

There are a ton of ways you can leverage online tools to get people eyeballing your business offer.

You can tap into social media and build great relationships with your audience through use of tools. You can use search engine optimization, a constantly-evolving, challenging technology but one that still brings in loads of traffic when done right. You can put your ideas and contributions in front of widespread audiences via magazines and newspapers. You can advertise online: PPC, banner ads, you name it.

But again, what’s the sense in spending all that money to bring in more traffic when you’re trying to catch fish with a net full of holes?
The answer is there’s no sense in it at all. Like the Timorese fisherman aspiring to greater things, you’ve got to fix your net first – plug up those profit leaks. Then we’ll talk about those deeper waters.

It’s time to take your website conversions seriously.

Have you ever started an e-mail or a forum post off in this manner? Or, even worse, have you ever allowed the fact that this phrase was on your lips keep you from finding an answer that would help grow your business – something you were ignorant about but needed to know?

I know I have. In fact, just today I used this exact phrase on a forum I frequent, and after catching myself in the act, I wanted to stop and remind you how dangerous this question can be.

Marketing Ignorance is Not Stupidity!

Just because something doesn’t fall into your present sphere of knowledge or experience doesn’t mean you’re stupid. You know this already, but just in case there’s any question, Dictionary.com defines “stupid” as “lacking intelligence or common sense.”

“Ignorance,” on the other hand, is defined by the same source as “lack of knowledge or information.” Doesn’t the second definition do far more justice to the hurdle you face?

There’s nothing wrong with lacking knowledge or information about marketing; there is something inherently flawed, however, in refusing to obtain that knowledge out of fear of revealing ignorance.

If You Avoid Embarrassment, You Never Grow

Letting embarrassment cripple you severely stunts your growth. In order to grow, whether on a business or personal level, you have to be willing to stretch your limits, and that almost always means accepting a healthy dose of discomfort.

In fact, you’ll often find that frequently toeing your own boundaries eventually leads to more comfort with discomfort. It becomes a natural part of your learning process and hardly phases you at all.

And as you realize how much admitting a lack of knowledge opens doors for you -whether through helping you find someone who does know or somehow acquiring the information you need – you begin to embrace these “stupid questions.” You start seeking them out because you realize that every time you find one you also find another opportunity to branch out, to grow and to bring in new customers for your business.

Do You Have Any “Stupid Questions” Today?

Think about it for a second. In what areas are you ignorant about getting more traffic and finding more customers online? Which aspects of traffic generation do you avoid because they represent a dark place for you? And where is your online presence suffering because you’re afraid to look silly to someone else – often someone you don’t even know?

If you don’t have any of these questions on your mind at the moment but are interested in profit growth for your business, it’s time to sit down and create them. Seek them out because every single one you hatch creates another chance to evolve.

Once You’ve Identified a “Blind Spot,” Find the Answers

Now that you know where your blind spots are, how can you color them in?

Write out three different ways you might be able to obtain the answer you need: An expert you can e-mail. A forum you can post on. A service you can hire. A book – or three books – you can read.

There’s always someone out there who’s walked the path before you and can help you “see the light.”

Stop shying away from your own marketing ignorance out of fear of annoying people or sounding foolish. It only hinders your own growth. It only puts walls between you and your goals.

What are your stupid questions?