{"id":207325,"date":"2024-02-23T18:43:10","date_gmt":"2024-02-23T18:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/23\/principles-of-successful-blogging-2\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:21:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:21:41","slug":"principles-of-successful-blogging-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/23\/principles-of-successful-blogging-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Principles of Successful Blogging #2"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Trust

Today I want to continue our series of posts looking at principles of building a successful blog<\/a> by looking at the topic of \u201ctrust\u201d.<\/p>\n

A fundamental principle in marketing and relationship building is that people tend to do business with individuals or companies they know, like, and trust.<\/p>\n

This is particularly relevant in the context blogging which involves personal branding, networking and a readership.<\/p>\n

A Quick Definition of The Type Of \u2018Successful\u2019 Blog I\u2019m Writing About<\/h3>\n

It might be worth stating that the type of blog that I\u2019m talking about in this series is a blog that isn\u2019t purely about profit or traffic \u2013 but a blog that has influence in its niche.<\/p>\n

It is certainly possible to build a profitable and\/or well trafficked blog without Trust \u2013 in fact I know a few bloggers who blog purely for Search Engine Traffic who don\u2019t really care about influence, brand or loyal readers but who just want traffic that they can convert to cash.<\/p>\n

These bloggers are certainly \u2018successful\u2019 on some levels (I guess \u2018success\u2019 really comes down to your goals) \u2013 but that\u2019s not the style of blogging that I do and is not what this series is on about.<\/p>\n

What I\u2019m on about is helping bloggers to not only<\/b> be profitable and have traffic but to build blogs that have profile<\/b>, influence<\/b>, authority<\/b>, credibility<\/b>, respect<\/b> and a brand<\/b> that opens up opportunities beyond quick profit.<\/p>\n

By no means is my approach the only way to make money blogging \u2013 but it\u2019s where I\u2019m at and as a result is what I write about.<\/p>\n

Why Building Trust is Important<\/h2>\n

OK \u2013 so now we\u2019re on the same page lets talk about Trust.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure we need to spend too much time talking about \u2018why\u2019 building trust is important as it\u2019s pretty much common sense \u2013 but in short \u2013 if you\u2019re looking to build influence, to build a brand that is respected and you want a site that is authoritative \u2013 you\u2019re going to have a lot better chance if people actually trust you.<\/p>\n

Yes with some clever copywriting and good positioning in search engines you can probably convince people to buy certain products \u2013 but in order to build lasting influence \u2013 trust is going to need to play a part.<\/p>\n

On the flip side \u2013 many businesses today have seen the way that a lack of trust or even worse, broken trust can hurt a business, destroy reputations and ruin years of hard work.<\/p>\n

So building and maintaining trust is paramount for bloggers wanting to build influence \u2013 so how does one do it?<\/p>\n

One of the best resources on the topic of building influence through trust online is Trust Agents<\/a> by Chris Brogan<\/a> and Julien Smith<\/a>. However as it\u2019ll take a day or two for Amazon to ship you a copy (and I recommend you get one) I thought I\u2019d jot down a few principles of building trust online that I\u2019ve gathered over the years both from my own experience of trusting others and building trust with others.<\/p>\n

A Quick Exercise Before You Read Any More<\/h3>\n

Before you read my thoughts on how to build trust \u2013 here\u2019s a very quick exercise to do.<\/p>\n

On a piece of paper or in a text document \u2013 jot down a blogger or blog that you trust. Under the name \u2013 list 2-3 reasons why you trust them.<\/p>\n

OK \u2013 read on.<\/p>\n

4 Principles of Building Trust Online<\/h2>\n

1. It usually takes time to build<\/h3>\n

I\u2019m a pretty sceptical guy \u2013 I don\u2019t really want to be but after years of being bombarded with marketing messages and experiencing disappointment at expectations not being met by people making big promises my guard is up. I suspect I\u2019m not alone.
While I\u2019m sure there are people who are more trusting than others \u2013 I\u2019m pretty certain that most people in my generation (and the generations that come before and after mine) are a fairly suspicious lot. We are capable of trust \u2013 but it usually takes time to get there.<\/p>\n

2. It is Earned<\/h3>\n

I do have the capability to trust you \u2013 but more often than not it\u2019ll only come once I see that you\u2019re worthy of that trust. An example of this principle hit my inbox this morning \u2013 it was from a reader who had just bought my 31 days to build a better blog workbook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Her email included this:<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019ve never bought an ebook before, partly because I don\u2019t trust people with my credit card information and partly because I\u2019ve always suspected most ebooks are just fluff\u2026. But after reading your blog for 12 months and being on the receiving end of useful information every day over that time I decided you were probably a credible source of information\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The sense that I got from her email was that she only made the purchase based upon her previous experience of what I do \u2013 something that was earned by providing her with help day by day over a year.<\/p>\n

The take home lesson for bloggers is to give value, be useful and prove that you have something worthwhile and authoritative to say on your topic.<\/p>\n

Look for ways to genuinely and generously improve the lives of your readers \u2013 do this over the long haul and your deposit in the trust bank with readers grows over time.<\/p>\n

3. The recommendations of others are important<\/h3>\n

I still remember (but can\u2019t find a link to) a post by Seth Godin<\/a> a year or so back where he talks about how he sells a lot more books through a blog post when he\u2019s talking about someone else\u2019s book than his own.<\/p>\n

It was the perfect illustration of how the words and recommendations of other people promotion you carry a lot more weight than you promoting yourself.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re social beings \u2013 we make decisions together \u2013 we buy things that others recommend \u2013 we trust those that others trust\u2026.<\/p>\n

This means you have a couple of tasks to do:<\/p>\n

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  1. Build relationships with others. Some bloggers take the attitude that other bloggers are potential competition and as a result they stay clear of them. However a recommendation from someone else in your industry could be gold \u2013 build relationships.<\/li>\n
  2. Find Ways to use this social proof. If someone does recommend you it doesn\u2019t hurt to highlight it to others. You don\u2019t need to do it in an ego driven or big headed way \u2013 but do find subtle and relevant ways to share it with those in your network.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    4. Be Yourself<\/h3>\n

    One of the fastest ways to destroy trust is to be caught trying to be something that you\u2019re not.<\/p>\n

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    • Make a promise that you can\u2019t fulfil<\/li>\n
    • Present yourself as someone that you\u2019re unable to be<\/li>\n
    • Make a claim that\u2019s not true<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      All of these things set up expectations in the eyes of others that can\u2019t be met which will lead to disappointment, anger, disillusionment and as a result \u2013 broken trust.<\/p>\n

      Not only that \u2013 I find that people are pretty good these days at picking people who are presenting themselves as something that they\u2019re not. You might not even have to get caught out to have people suspicious (and untrusting) of you.<\/p>\n

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      • As a result it\u2019s best to be yourself.<\/li>\n
      • Let people know what you do and don\u2019t know.<\/li>\n
      • Be transparent about your motives.<\/li>\n
      • Share your stories of failure as well as your successes.<\/li>\n
      • Admit your mistakes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        All of these things make you more human, relatable and help to build trust.<\/p>\n

        What Would You Add?<\/h2>\n

        I\u2019ve only scratched the surface on Trust with this post \u2013 there\u2019s so much more to say and I\u2019d love to hear what you\u2019ve got to say on the topic.<\/p>\n

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        • What bloggers do you trust (who did you write down in the exercise above)? Why do you trust them?<\/li>\n
        • How do you build trust with your readers?<\/li>\n
        • What stories and experiences do you have to help illustrate these principles of building trust?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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