Today I’m very excited to have my first guest post!  Kiesha from We Blog Better is here to tell us how, as blogger, we can stop boring our visitors.  I hope you enjoy, and without further ado….

Don’t Bore your Blog Visitors – Give them What they’re looking for!

Just because your blog supports your business doesn’t mean it has to be full of dry information, facts and product specs.

A lot of times business owners make the mistake of using their blog as an online advertising platform. After all, business owners want to reduce their ad expense account – why pay for what you can get for free?

So, they end up using their blogs as an extended brochure that no one really wants to look at.

That’s not what potential customers or clients are looking for.

They come to your blog to fulfill a need or solve a problem.

Here’s what they are looking for:

Insider information

They want to know how a particular product or service works. They want to see it in action. They want to play with it and try it out before they make a financial commitment. They want to see if it’s worth their money.

So why not create some engaging videos that do just that?

My husband is an RC Airplane hobbyist, and when he’s looking to buy a new expensive model plane, he goes to BananaHobby.com because they always have great videos that enable him to see the plane outside of the box. It gives him a real life view of the product and its components. It makes it easy for him to make a purchasing decision.

How to use a product or service more efficiently

People are looking for tutorials that will teach them how to do things on their own. Blogs that show people how to get more out of the product or service in question perform better because it shows customers that you really care about them. The purchase is not the end of the story – it shows that your company is really there to help people.

When I had to purchase a part for my dryer, I was happy to find a “how to” video for installation right there on the same page. It made the decision to purchase the part, instead of hiring a repairman, so much easier. It saved me money and generated a sale at the same time.

Again, videos or step-by-step tutorials are a great way to show your readers how to get even more value you out of what you’re offering.

A Personal Connection

People get tired of feeling like a number. They actually want to know the people they are giving their business to. Back in the day, local business owners knew all of their customers by name and they went out of their way to help. Once they established a personal connection, it made it easier to trade, barter, and develop mutually beneficial relationships that went beyond a single sale.

People are more likely to purchase from people they know and trust. Why not use your blog to show your potential customers that you are a real human being with a real life? They will grow to care about you and will value what you value. When you make a recommendation, they’ll listen.

Plain Old Entertainment

Sometimes, people are just looking for something to capture their attention for a few moments. That’s why Facebook’s games are so popular – while people are waiting for more friends to come online, rather than log out as a result of boredom, they can hang out and see how big they can grow a virtual cabbage. I don’t condone wasting time playing games, but the truth of the matter is that people are looking for entertainment.

So why not entertain them with funny stories or anedotes, or post niche related videos that they can watch on your blog? Why not make a picture gallery available for them to browse?

Organize some fun contests or giveaways to keep them enagaged and coming back to your blog. The longer you keep them there, the better chance you have of turning them into a stronger lead in the future.

So you see, there’s more to blogging for business than product or service announcements. People are tired of looking at brochures and are growing more and more immune to blatant advertising. So it’s time to create a more customer-centered blog – one that gives them what they want.

So what else could you do to reduce the boredom factor on your blog? What can you do to give your potential customers what they want?

Kiesha blogs at WeBlogBetter.com, offering blogging tips and tricks. Sheís a writer, writing instructor, and blog consultant for small business owners. Connect with her on Twitter @weblogbetter.