I have three tattoos. One is of a tiger clawing its way out of my skin. Another is of an ankh, the Egyptian symbol of life. The third and my favorite, is of Calvin and Hobbes, the lead characters of the brilliant comic created by now retired cartoonist Bill Watterson. I love Calvin and Hobbes. My connection is deep, personal, and long lasting; it made such an impact on me that, in my sophomore year, I chose to immortalize it on my skin.
Wouldn’t you want to create the kind of impact your blog has on your readers, the way Calvin and Hobbes did on me?
According to Emotion Marketing by Scott Robinette and Claire Brand, emotion matters. At the end of the day, people will connect with your blog if it offers them value. What does your blog offer that no other blog does?
So let’s say you have a good blog that offers terrific content. That’s not enough. There are three other things you need to offer to ensure your connection is more than typical. According to Robinette and Brand, you can make an emotional connection (with your blog) if you can offer three things: A Good Experience, Easy Accessibility (written in the book as “Energy”), and Trust (written in the book as “Equity”). Here are my quick thoughts on the three:
1. Create a good experience. Spend time to make sure your blog is ready for quick interaction with you. Is your comment system easy to use? Are there links to the major social networks so people can share or tweet your blog entry if they find it valuable? Is the design appealing and an accurate representation of the online persona you wish to create for yourself?
2. Ensure Accessibility. Is your blog mobile-ready? More and more people are accessing the Internet using their mobile phones and tablets. Does your blog load easily? Are the images sized correctly?
3. Trust. Satisfaction plus consistency equals trust. Trust over a period of time transforms into loyalty. When someone is fiercely loyal to you, they become your champions, endorsing your blog to others and defending you against naysayers. So when you create your blog, you must offer value. Consistently.
How does that work with my blog, for example? My blog offers its readers updates to new Christian music. Every weekend, they will get the latest installment of Billboard’s Christian Songs chart, complete with links to the videos. At least three times a week, they’ll get updates to the newest Christian radio singles, alongside links to their official music videos or lyric videos. I’ve promised my readers that, and they get it, week after week.
What value do you offer your readers, consistently, excellently, week after week?
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Got any thoughts or questions about how to make an emotional connection to your blog? Leave a comment in the Disqus comments section.
