Bloggers, sales, and your organization's ideas

Performancing.com makes the case that Bloggers Make Great Sales People.  Even if you don't think you have anything to sell, this is important to you. It makes a lot of sense, because bloggers who are well-established share a lot of traits of people who do a good job of selling.

First, these bloggers are trusted. They have a good
reputation within their niche. Because of their trustworthy reputation,
they can sell much more effectively. Internet users are more likely to
buy from people they trust. It's human nature. . .

Second, bloggers are good at getting repeat visitors.
RSS subscriptions and fresh, new, timely content drives visitors back
to blogs. Also, some bloggers have email lists, which brings in even
more repeat visitors. Repeat visitors is a key to getting sales. It
usually takes a person a couple of exposures of a product before they
buy it.

So what's this have to do with the blog you're maintaining for your organization?  It's important to you because you're selling ideas.  When you offer compelling information that people come to rely on, they begin to trust you.  And the more they trust you, the more they come back to you for future information. 

This is not about capitalizing on the trust you have by selling banner ads to make a little cash.  It's about recognizing that your blog can make you a thought leader in your field, if you make it about your readers, and not about you.  People will trust what you're saying and depend on you -- and the more you show them that you're trustworthy, the more they'll "buy" your ideas. 

Those ideas are really the basis of everything your organization is doing.  The great part about online communications is that you don't have to be actively selling your ideas to get them to spread.


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