Ego can be a tricky topic when it comes to blog marketing. On one hand, a certain amount of bravado is needed when promoting our brands on social media channels. After all, we’re there to talk about our company. We blog to present ourselves as experts. We need to talk about ourselves to, well, to help sell ourselves. On the other hand, nobody likes a blabbermouth who dominates every conversation. We would be wise to remember that shameless self-promotion repels readers and squashes new followers. What if our own egos are actually sabotaging our blogging-for-business efforts?
As branded blogging experts, we’ve learned that blogs require a lot of balance. There are ways to talk about a business’ products, services, events and promotions that don’t involve beating readers over the head. Where ego gets in the way with blogging is many brands get pushy and forget to engage with their blog audience. Not responding to comments or answering questions sends a message to readers that you consider yourself too important to be bothered with such things. Ego and self-obsession also makes for really boring blog posts. We run out of things to talk about. Our view becomes narrow and followers drop like flies. In this way, ego can also stand in the way of creating new content. Saying it’s “all about me” translates to “forget you” to readers. So how do we solve the ego problem while still using blogging to talk about our brands?
The short answer is to blog with variety. A mixture of educational, entertainment and promotional blogs widens the scope of your company blog. More content with various perspectives is a trick big brands use a lot to help avoid “me, me, me” syndrome. Guest bloggers, coverage of industry-related news stories and testimonials from clients are quick ego fixes for your blog. Polls, interviews and blog-based contests are ideas to take engagement to another level. These sorts of posts turn the focus to your reader and take it off you and your business. Most importantly, they say, “We want to hear your thoughts.”
In the spirit of removing ego and getting more input, we at Brandsplat would like to hear your thoughts. Any subjects relating to social media and online marketing you’d like to see us blog about? Would you like to see a “Dear Abby”-style post weekly addressing marketing issues and concerns? Would you read interviews with marketing industry folks? Tell us your ideas in the comments section below!
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