There is no shortage of evidence to show that the Internet is a powerful tool. For this reason, people from every type of industry, ranging from Pennsylvania insurance agents to medical providers and auto dealers, have started blogs to share their wealth of knowledge with others who are interested in their field.
However, blogging is more than a hobby. It can draw in business partners and new customers alike. People who go online to research PA homeowners insurance, for example, often perform research to see what bloggers are saying about this topic.
Blogging, in general, is a little less high-brow form of writing – much more laid back and conversational – and typically contains much more current and engaging information than that which can be found on agency websites or news articles. These variations in tone and content are what makes blogs so crucial to the consumer. Seeing what real agents have to say about the intricacies of home insurance can give individuals a better idea of what they need from their policy and what questions to ask their local agent.
So, how can you make your blog the place where everyone goes for updates on a specific interest or industry? For starters, catchy blog titles and even an interesting domain name can help you start building a fan base.
Take our team at Groninger Insurance for example; we have developed a great blog entitled “MoneySavingInsuranceTips.com” – it doesn’t get more attention-grabbing than that! Journalists know all about the inverted pyramid, which should also be applied to blogging. This means that writers should put the most pertinent information that they have to offer at the beginning of the post, including the basic who, what, where, when, why, and how. The point of this technique is to improve the chances that readers will see the information that you want them to know the most since it’s always possible that they could become tired of reading or distracted and move on from your page.
Once you’ve established your presence as a blogger, increase your readership by using micro-blogging sites like Facebook and Twitter to share or “re-tweet” links to your blog. In order to maintain your fans, make sure that you keep the conversation going with the people who comment on your posts. This means that you should respond with more than one-word answers. If someone comments that they enjoyed a recent post, reply back by asking them how they got interested in your blog topic or whether they have any advice, as opposed to a quick “thanks.”
Most importantly, have fun with your blog. As one character in the hit 1989 baseball film Field of Dreams once said, “If you build it, they will come.”
About the Author: Jim Groninger, Partner at Groninger Insurance, has been selling insurance since 1985. His agency specializes in used car dealership insurance and garage liability.
