It's not about you: why you shouldn't put a sales pitch in a blog

You have this fantastic new product that's going to revolutionise people's lives. You want to tell the world about it. Your blog gets all those visitors so it makes sense to put a sales pitch in a blog post for maximum exposure, right? Wrong.

There's a time and place for selling. In order to gain interest, you'll have to separate sales from your marketing. 

Pitch is poison

Imagine you have a doughnut. The outside looks great but when you bite into it, instead of a jammy filling, you find cat food. It doesn't taste good and it sure isn't what you expected when you bought the doughnut. This is what a sales pitch does to your blog.

In a survey by the Economist group, 71 percent of business executives said a sales pitch in a blog puts them off. But why? Your blog addresses your customers' common problems and your product provides a solution. It's a logical place to advertise.

The truth is, 96 percent of visitors to your site aren't ready to buy. They're looking for answers. They're gathering options and trying to understand what solution is right for them.

Be a thought leader

To really help your customers, share your knowledge not your product portfolio. As Guy Kawasaki says, 'The difference between enchantment and simple sales is that with enchantment you have the other person's best interests at heart, too.'

Sure, you want to sell your product, but forcing it on customers that aren't ready for it won't help. Addressing their needs, however, is a big yes. When that customer eventually reaches the buying stage, they'll have a connection between the solution they need and the team that helped them define it.

But what if it backfires?

What if you invest money in sales-free content marketing, provide customers with the answers they're after, and they buy from your competitor instead?

You can't dictate where your customers will make a purchase. All you can do is present your product and company in the most convenient and helpful way possible. Put simply, you just have to be better than the competition. 

(Hat tip to Gratisography for the image)