Here's a great example of a business using their blog to engage their audience in conversation, centered around their product line.
Lion Brand Yarn posed the question, "Are You Straight or Circular?" on their blog, along with a few other leading prompts, and then invited readers to discuss their responses in the comments.
What I like about this blog marketing technique (asking open-ended questions of your readers) is that it has the power to draw people in - whether or not they participate by leaving a comment, readers are likely to read other people's comments, because this is a topic they're passionate about, too. You may notice that Lion Brand got 251 comments on this post - that's some great community participation!
I also like, in this case, that while they show a picture of their own product examples, the question wasn't "Why are our needles the best?" or "What do you like best about Lion Brand needles?" - the question was simply "straight or circular?" This left the conversation open to any knitter, helping readers to feel a sense of community, even if they don't (currently) buy Lion Brand products.
Of course, by continuing to post other similar community-building content (such as their free online pattern archive), Lion Brand can (continue to) grow their brand, and readers are more *likely* to do business with them in the future.
So how could you engage your customers/audience in conversation on a topic about which they are passionate? What feedback could you solicit that would become a resource for your readers? Consider requesting:
- pros and cons on attending certain consumer retreats or conferences
- organizing tips for specific tools or materials
- time-saving or learning-curve-shortening tips for specific techniques, tools, or software
- brainstorm the "perfect" event or tool
- questions for your team of experts
Now I'm going to ask for your feedback - what questions have you posed on your blog that has elicited good response from your readers? I'd really like to know!
Photo credit: Mochick
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