by Guest Blogger
Ken Moorhead is the social media manager and blog editor for Compendium, the business blogging platform. When not busy writing creative briefs for the Compendium staff blog, he fills the hours with MBA studies and general hijinx.
In the comments following my last post, Six Minutes to Understanding Business Blogging, Kyle Lacy brought up an excellent point that I left off about business blogging – your blog posts should elicit an emotional response from readers. In order for a business blog to be effective as a marketing tool, readers must, above all else, identify with the content to be willing to take some kind of action.
Taking some time to mull over just how to get an emotional response, I realized there’s a big difference between knowing what’s important to good business blogging and executing an effective content strategy that compels readers to react. Over the past month of reading industry blogs daily, I discovered a quick(er) way to help readers connect with a business: borrowing quotes from historical figures or celebrities.
Use Quotes to Build Trust
Taking a quote from a figure readers know and recognize triggers associations in their minds – and connects you to the readers’ images. This can go a long way toward building the trust needed to ask a reader to take the next step.
“Trust is the lubrication that makes it possible for organizations to work.” – Warren G. Bennis
Choose Your (and Their) Words Carefully
Selecting the right quote to bring home your point can be a tricky proposition. You’re leaning on someone else’s reputation to tell your story – and your readers may have a different take on the words or person you choose. Any pause in your content – like a quote – is an opportunity for your reader to pause, reflect, and decide whether or not to continue. Make sure the individual you quote is worth repeating – you’ll be staking your own reputation alongside theirs.
“A single lie destroys a whole reputation of integrity.” – Baltasar Gracian
Bringing it all Home
Sometimes you just can’t find the words to bring home a blog post. You think your points have come across, but maybe it could be said better. Drawing on your book of quotes can be that solid punchline for your readers that you could never write yourself. It eases a bit of the burden of leaving readers with something to think over once they’re gone, and brings everything to a clear and final close.
“A conclusion is the place where you get tired of thinking.” – Arthur Bloch / Martin Henry Fischer