We try to put our best foot forward during job interviews.
We’ll rehearse ahead of time. We’ll show up twenty minutes early. We’ll wear our most professional-looking outfit (even if it’s a jacket bought during the Reagan administration).
We do this because we know what’s on the line…
Everything.
Nail the interview and you get the job. Get the job and you earn money. Earn money and you can buy William Shatner’s toupee on eBay.
Or food. I guess you could also buy food.
Whatever your plans, the point remains: amazing things happen when you make a great first impression. That’s why we do everything we can to make that first impression a remarkable one.
So why don’t we make that same effort with our blogs?
Each time someone visits your blog for the first time, they are ? quite literally ? interviewing you.
Visitor/Interviewer: “I don’t have a lot of time here, so let’s get right to it. Why should I read your blog? What can you do for me?”
Blogger/Interviewee: “First off, thank you for that warm welcome. You should read my blog because…”
Visitor: “Is that a mustard stain on your shirt?”
Blogger: “Oh, this? No, that’s just a broken plugin. I really should update it or delete it, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.”
Visitor: “Your resume is littered with typos. It’s hurting my eyes.”
Blogger: “I’m sorry about that. I know I should do a better job at proofreading before I click publish, but I’m incredibly lazy.”
Visitor: “I admire your honesty, but I can already tell you’re not the blogger for me. I’m going to leave now.”
Blogger: “Would you like to subscribe to my mailing list?”
A silly reenactment of a fictional conversation? Obviously. But there’s a lot of truth within it.
Too many bloggers take for granted the impression they’re making when someone visits them. Typos, pop-up ads, questionable color schemes, and other common offences turn blog readers into blog leavers.
Try to look at your blog with a fresh set of eyes. Ask a friend or loved one to help if you can’t be impartial. Look at it. Critique it. Fix it.
Just imagine what would happen if you saw your blog the way others see it, and you addressed your stumbling blocks.
More visitors would turn into regulars. Your comments and subscribers would increase. You would get more likes and tweets.
You might even snag that sweet Shatner toupee.
Creative Commons Images via Jason Scragz.
