Dec
12
I heard a discussion on one of the cable news networks about whether Oprah’s opinion matters in the upcoming presidential elections. One of the people on the panel’s opinion was that Oprah was good for selling things much the same way as Michael Jordon is good for selling shoes. The news commentator missed the mark on that one, and he missed it by a lot.
Oprah Is Not A Salesperson
Oprah does not sell “things.” Sure, she has a book club that recommends books, and the books she recommends do sell, but Oprah doesn’t sell books. Oprah’s recommendations matter because people trust her; they value her opinion. She has spent her career building a relationship with her audience. The audience thinks of her as a friend or a trusted advisor, not a sales person. Ron Propiel made a career out of selling things, but I never once heard anyone discussing his choice for president.
Do What Oprah Does
So what does this all mean to you? You may not be to blogging what Oprah is to day time television, but the principle is exactly the same. If you want to succeed as a blogger you need to build a relationship with your audience. That’s not something that is accomplished overnight, or even over a couple of weeks. It means day in and day out you offer your audience something worth reading. You offer good advice, useful information, and well thought out opinions. In other words, become a trusted advisor.
Blogging is not a one way street. It is a chance to voice your opinion, and for your readers to give you feedback. When they do comment on your blog, respond back to them. It is an exercise in give and take. If you don’t respond to them, they will quit commenting, and maybe even quit reading.
This is what Web 2.0 is all about; building communities of like minded people. As a blogger, you have the opportunity to become a mentor and a leader in your community. However, that means you need to take the lead. You can’t get away with merely regurgitating what you read on someone else’s blog yesterday. It’s OK to use what you read as an inspiration or starting point, but put your own spin on it. Take a piece of what you read and really dig into it looking for the nugget of gold that you can share with your readers.
It’s Not About Gimmicks
The most important thing to remember is that it takes time. Don’t get so caught up in your visitor stats that you start taking shortcuts to draw readers. That might work in boosting your stats in the short run, but readers are too smart to stick around long term if they feel like they were tricked into stopping by. When you get them to your site, you better have something of value to share. That is how relationships are built.
This brings us back to Oprah. Whether you like her or not, you have to admit she does have a fiercely loyal following. She built an audience that faithfully tunes in day after day because she offers them something that they value. She doesn’t rely on gimmicks to try to boost her ratings; she offers her viewers advice, entertainment, and stories that touch her audience’s hearts.
It is a great example of how to succeed with your blog. It’s all about the relationships.
The gimmicks issue is definitely one to watch out for, all those widgets like Sphere, Blogrush, Agloco etc etc that really don’t do very much for the individual blog, and sometimes not even the owners of the widget, are nothing more than distractions that take away from the aims of your blog. Maybe having one isn’t so bad, but check your stats is it drawing the crowds and making them stick around? If not ditch it!
db
Great point. Even beyond the widgets (which do get to be distractions), there are a lot of other techniques (linkbait, viral, etc.) that are great tools, but can easily be misused.
Oprah is such a rags to riches icon, well respected and has millions following her every command
Oprah’s story is one that’s worth taking a look at because she built her empire the old fashioned way…she worked for it. She’s earned the position she is in.
Great comparison, Jim. I can think of a few other similarities to blogging: she is her own brand (any one-name person is: Martha, Madonna, Britney, Paris, Snoop), she gives things away (many successful bloggers are prolific givers), and she’s managed to branch out in a way that extends her message and brand, rather than dilutes it (blog job boards, forums, blog networks, video blogging).
I think that Oprah doesn’t matter in the world of politics. She does have a loyal following, but she’s never stuck her nose into politics before, so why should she start now?
It wasn’t about her political stance as much as her ability to build relationships, and through those relationships, she has the power to influence her audience.
You’re right, Jim. I agree. She definitely has a inate ability to build relationships and push people into doing what she wants. It’ll be interesting to see how this affects Barack’s campaign.
Also, this is a great point for those who want to build their blogs into something more massive.
Oprah definitely provides a solid example of some of the things you should do with your blog, the most important being providing your visitors with something they can’t get elsewhere. When you can do this, building relationships is no longer a problem.
got point there, I’ll have to look more into it
Great Point. Oprah is not a sales person at all … she simply does the research and brings the facts to the public. If more people followed in her footsteps, they would be successful also.
Great Post!
Darin