CSIT - 155 FA - GBurke Week 9 - Human Interest Stories - Blog, Vlogs

Blog Post 1.

 A good human interest story is an excellent way to improve your blog and compel others to read and follow you. To develop followers one needs to give them a reason to take notice. Adding a story which offers a personal touch helps you develop a theme and can have an impact on your readers. You need to draw them in and keep their attention.

There are several ways to add this type of story to your blog. First, you can recreate the heart of an event and document this to motivate your followers curiosity.  An example of this is many of todays automotive manufacturers attract customers by posting commercials of parents reflecting on their first attempt at driving then quickly fast forward as their kid is taking the car keys and leaving for the first time. This type of image is family oriented and followers are able to relate and connect through their own personal experiences. There is a sense of deja vu and anyone with a teenager can relate to that moment. Its both terrifying, rewarding, and somewhat sad that your child has moved on to the next phase of their life. But it also helps to convert customers that may be nostalgic, and that is why many companies use this type of storytelling marketing approach.

Personal interests stories should be simple yet relatable. It also helps if their authentic and entertaining. You don't want to bore your readers. 

Within my blog I would use a customers testimonial to authenticate my companies products and services. An excellent example of this just took place this week. We supply all the casters for the primary fabrication company that manufactures food equipment for all the McDonalds in the world. The main purchasing manager for this company sent a very lengthy, complimentary, email this week raving about our service, and telling our owner what a great job that I have done helping/supplying them through various projects. This was a great testimonial and was sent to my boss, the owner. Additionally, our customer has multiple locations in Asia and has recommended our company to all the various buyers for McDonalds in the Far East.  I would definitely use this type free advertising and incorporate as a an example to other prospective customers. It is authentic, interesting ( in my sector ) and tells a good story vs. just some facts that might say we have good pricing. This type of sales promotion is a good example of describing a personal experience.

I think it would be unwise to add a human interest story that may reveal too personal details, or subjects involving religion, and perhaps politics. I know there out there but I think readers are more interested in subject matter that is interesting and are entertaining.

I did some research online and many of the marketing geniuses that write blogs emphasize stories that are simple and add clarity. You want to bond with your reader. Not bore them with facts. Many of the better human interests stories strive to win the readers attention and inspire some type of action. Although, readers like drama too much of it will turn them off. Better to keep it personal and in conjunction with whatever your particular theme is.

Blog Post 2

Types of Categories:

Since we sell casters and wheels for every industry I would start out with the following: Casters for the Light Duty Market - Load Rating 50lbs. - 500lbs. Casters are picked for their specific applications based on a number of factors but the load rating or weight carried by the cart is the most common format to start with when choosing a caster or wheel. Next, Medium Duty Casters - Load Rating 500lbs. - 1,500 lbs. per caster. Finally, Heavy Duty Casters - Load Rating 1,500lbs. - 10,000 lbs. This is a very generalized strategy but would help a potential follower or customer narrow their choice.

Next, I would use specific categories for certain industries to help lead the customer to make the right choice. Examples, Furniture Industry, Food Equipment, Restaurant Equipment, Hospital, Manufacturing, Light Fabrication, Aerospace, Automobile Manufacturing, and Hospitality.

Each is a category that a potential follower or buyer can identify with and then select the specific caster or wheel that falls within that category. Makes it easier to choose and helps narrow down the selection.

Finally, I would have a sub category called Quantity Needed. That would help identify whether this is something that I need to pursue or a homeowner, maybe a  hobbyist looking for something something that they could find at a local hardware store. If more then 50 casters are needed then this is a potential good deal.

Instagram Screencapture: 

I have attached casters that include a stock order for Lowe's, a caster used on Lab. equipment, and wheel and casters used internally by Home Depot.

Comments;

I reviewed Palomar Athletics, Alternate Health Service, and Jumping Jelly Bean. All were well written and stressed the human element is what attracts new followers. Potential new customers want to be entertained. Also, the importance of testimonials for attracting a potential new customer. Finally, a point was made that you do not want to get too emotional. Make it interesting and uplifting.

Everything that I read was very well done.