Who Are the Blog Experts Anyways?
“Credibility” was one of the biggest struggles I faced when deciding whether to create a blog or not. Who was I to tell people what to wear, buy or how to do their makeup? In other words, what was my level of expertise on the topics I was choosing to write about? I was, and still am, a young woman who is passionate about fashion, and that is ok.
One of the biggest takes I got from this weeks readings was that everyone has an opinion. Regardless of whether this opinion makes it to a blog or not, it still exists. Everyone knows something about something and it’s within our personal judgment to decide to believe it or not.
Exposing your opinion to the internet world is risky, but if done right. it can be a brilliant way to market your business to potential consumers. This week I did some research on one of my favorite companies, Birchbox. Their business model is based on “cutting the clutter” for consumers when buying beauty products by sending them monthly samples ($10/month) based on their personal profiles. Then they have a website which doubles as an online store and beauty blog.
Once a startup, Birchbox is now a expanding success with their fourth office opening in New York’s flatiron district. In an interview with contently.com, Mollie Chen, Birchbox’s Director of Content and one of the startup’s first recruits, stressed the importance of content in their initial liftoff. As a matter of fact, the company had an active Twitter account and a
“Content is the best way to differentiate your business and create a value- we give our customers useful articles, videos, and blogs in order to gain their trust, communicate with them, and keep them coming back to our site.”
She also stressed the importance of creating your blog’s “own voice” . Everyone who writes for the companies blogs gets a style guide covering their philosophy, tone, and voice. In the end, consistency builds trust with consumers and that translate into purchase loyalty.
Today, Birchbox prides itself on the variety of content they present on their blog. It ranges from professional advice, to celebrity tips, to customers — or amateurs — like me! So go ahead, expert or not, write a blog if you feel ardently about something, just be mindful to represent yourself with a valuable and positive “voice”. After all, once in the internet it’s I’m public grounds.
