This is a guest post by Lee Ka Hoong from BloggingWP.
Of late, owning a website or blog is not simple or easier compared to how it was a few years back. Previously a good and attractive design of a ‘*.com’ domain caught attention easily. Webmaster neither had a need to prove its quality nor demonstrate the reason for providing solution to everyday problems.
Blogging, today has invaded greatly into the field of networking. Bloggers are interested in building relationship with their visitors and budding customers. These days, the trend has changed such that visitors and customers are interested in knowing the person behind the blog before they read the content of it. The blogger has to interact and relate with the readers to meet their confidence or trust.
Being a blogger for the past few years and gaining experience, I have noticed some means that builds trustworthiness among the visitors. Some of them are very easy to be implemented whereas some others require effort and time.
However, by executing some of these techniques, we can see the difference.
1. About Me
As a blogger, the first essential step would be to let the visitors know who you are! The ‘About me’ page should be clearly visible and easily assessable. It should not be concealed or bloated out. It is better if there are links to the ‘About Me’ page along the sidebars and below every blog post.
Another suggestion for the blogger would be to include some pictures and videos of yours. This would help the readers trust on you and not on the posts alone.
Read: How To Create A Great About Me Page For Your Blog
2. Organize Get-Together
Another way to build confidence among the readers of the blog is to pick a few of the regular visitors and people of expertise from your blog and interact with them. This can be done by organizing get-together.
As a start-up, it can be done in a smaller level but once the online business grows, mega events can be organized. Attending events conducted by other bloggers will also help in building relationships. This would also pull in more customers and an avenue to partner with expert people on the content of your blog.
3. Interactive Sessions
Interactive sessions like Q&A, polls, consultant services etc. is another way to build a trustworthy relationship with the visitors. This not only will help to increase the traffic to the blog but also will let the regular visitors be aware of the professional expertise and knowledge you have.
4. Freebies
There are many things that can be offered for free – e-books, coupons, designs, themes, services etc… As most of the people like to get free things, offering some freebies would make the people realize that you are generous too. This will also help in promoting yourself and increase the subscribers count.
5. Blogging Something Personal
Writing about the personal in the blog would further help one in gaining confidence among visitors. Such posts would not only take the about me page even further but it is also fun to read.
They may not convey the area of expertise of your blog, but will for sure help to build personal relationship with bloggers. Blogging about summer holidays or breakfast is cool to read and there is no need to be worried or shy about it.
However more of personal blogging is also not advisable.
6. Use Social Media
It is a well-known fact that in the internet world, most of the people are addicted to social networking sites such as Facebook, twitter etc… Linking your website along with these networking sites in an innovative and wise way will have its own payback.
7. Responding To Visitors Comments And Emails
Another important factor that builds trust is the way you respond to the comments people leave on the blog. It is important to answer their queries and share opinions about the comments they give. This would encourage not only the visitor who shared the comment but also other visitors with an idea that the blog owner observes and notes their opinions. Alternatively you can also email them directly.
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Hey Lee,
Those were really some great tips on building trust from readers. I think it is really not much easy to build trust in the blogging world since there are many bloggers out there who are blogging just for the money and not for helping the readers and thus the readers also do not quite take bloggers in a good trust. But that can be overcome by the steps you have mentioned like interacting with the readers, posting personal stuffs, social media and all.
Regards,
Shiva
@Shiva,
You’re right, some are blogging just for the money not blogging for readers. If you see anyone who doesn’t really reply comments and emails, most probably they’re blogging for money, they write, publish and forget about it. Keep pumping content into the blog without interaction doesn’t really help to enlarge your blog, you must build a community in your niche, that’s the only way.
One stratagy that I employ is to make myself available for questions and provide my own personal experience regarding the products and services that are available on my website. Ultimately it allows me to work one on one with my readers and subscribers which translates into happy customers while boosting the trust factor. In addition I try to provide only the best survey programs that I can find (and have tried myself and been able to generate money with). But you’re right… it DOES take a lot of time and energy! Thanks for the article – Mark Johnson
@Greg,
That’s the correct way to build trust Greg, interacting with all your readers and get their questions answered one by one, make them happy and build trust between each other, that would help in your online business in a long run basis. Be honest, don’t lie, and you will be success in future.
Building trust should be foremost in creating a brand strategy that will bring you long term and repeat customers. The best way to build trust is to always deliver what you say you will. If something happens outside of your control then do something to make it up to your customer.
@Michael,
You’re right Michael, never lie your readers and bull shit, do what you’ve promised. Keep your readers happy, and they will stick to you all the time.
2 thumbs up for all the techniques you’ve enumerated. I am a frequent reader of blogs and I must say that they follow this steps that’s why I keep coming back. Especially the contests LOL 🙂
@Dianne,
Thanks Dianne, I hope you like the techniques to build trust effectively. In order to build your brand or trust from readers, you’re not only to interact with readers, you’re to leave comment on their blog post and interact with them, it’s like what you do here. 😀
I love your all of points but I want to add something more
Why we install Google Analytics Tool , just to see the visitors,their locations and how long they stay.
How our affiliate program become successful? Visitors visit our sites and purchase through our affiliate links
Why our adsense program is successfu?l,it is because of traffic.
From above mentioned points I can conclude that for blog population visitors are necessary. A blogger should have strong affiliation with readers to promote his blog. A top commentator plug-in is very useful in this regards.Some bloggers also have started weekly dump.
For my niche blog that I want to start in near future, I am just thinking what a unique gift I can have for my readers. Let us see what I conclude?
@Smith,
Definitely Smith! Affiliate definitely needs interaction with readers, it’s only for affiliate, it’s for anyone who wants to be success in online business. All you need to do is to build a healthy relationship with your readers, build up a community in your niche, you’ll be success in a long run basis.
Good points, and I agree that building trust is essential if you want to be successful online, whether via your blog or by selling products and services.
Hi Lee,
I agree with #5 – blogging about something personal – even on a business-oriented blog is a great way to build relationships with readers and potential clients/customers. It’s also a great way to build trust and credibility – people want to know that the person behind the blog is just that: a real person.
@Kiesha,
You’re right Kiesha, we always want to know a little more about the person behind the blog is we find out their blog posts are interesting. Build relationship with readers are always good, friends and buddies can be your customers in future, but don’t too hard sell your product, do it slowly.
Having an about page is the fundamental aspect of getting yourself exposed to readers. The more they know about you the easier it is for them to connect and develop trust. It doesn’t mean that you have to reveal everything about yourself in your about page. A face shot of your even matters a lot 🙂
Nice post.
@Jane,
Most of the time, I read the about page of other bloggers, just to see whether the blogger has similar interest or hobby with myself, says we love football and we can talk more about football and we build a strong relationship between each other and we can be doing something together, says creating a product and doing marketing. Relationship is very important in many sectors, as long as you know how to manage it.
Lee,
You mention the main points of building trust…I can see another blog posts…How NOT to build trust.
Trust also takes time…it’s certainly not an overnight thing.
All the best,
Andrew
@Andrew,
Thanks for your comment here Andrew! Absolutely, trust and relationship takes months or years to build, just like how we got to know each other and we helped each other all the time.
Nice post Lee,
About page is a must for every blog, and if you don’t have one, I won’t care to even read one paragraph because you lost your credibility once I landed on your blog.
I also have an opinion about “FREEBIES”, many people through crap allover the internet just to get people signup to their email list, and I want to say if you don’t really care to give a good advice in your freebies, just don’t do it, it won’t work and it will send you to the basement on the internet.
The #7 should be #2 which is responding to your email quickly as possible!
Nice stuff
@Hesham,
You’re right Hesham, About page is very important for every blog and you need to know how to write it, write it in the wrong way might ruin your blog as well.
Mailing list might be important and you must need one if you’re selling something else or you’re getting into affiliate business, but you can’t simply build it and forget, you need to manage it well and you MUST build relationship with your subscribers as well, as how you interact with your readers, it’s the same thing.