In many business blogs, the content is meant to appeal to consumers’ fear or greed. Often the message is geared towards highlighting a problem, creating enough fear so that readers will be moved to do something – right now! - to prevent some unwanted result. The other frequently used approach is an appeal to greed, telling readers about all the wonderful and ego-boosting benefits they can gain through using a particular product or service.

Fear appeals and greed appeals can be very effective in either emphasizing the potential danger and harm that will befall readers if they do not adopt the recommended course of action, or in tapping into their desire to get more of what they need or want with a minimum of effort. Both fear appeals and greed appeals are legitimate marketing tactics, because, after all, business owners and professional practitioners want to move customers to action and “make the cash register ring”.

There’s a third kind of appeal, one patterned after the Secret Society for Creative Philanthropy, a Bay Area charity dedicated to getting people to do nice things for other people in a unique manner. Learning about the Society made me wonder if we blog content writers shouldn’t shift some of the focus of our Calls to Action to appeal to readers’ higher instincts. What if our blog posts offered insight into the company owners’ or professional practitioners’ core beliefs, not only about their industry or profession, but about ways to use that specialized knowledge through community involvement?

I like the idea of including “Secret Society”- type content in the blogging mix. Might that type of “do better” content appeal to a “better kind” of prospect, the kind that will buy from us for the right reasons and then remain loyal?

Let’s consider posting some blog content to appeal to our readers’ better nature!

Remember to make today a really special day,
Rhoda Israelov
Owner, Say It For You
We create content for your blog-marketing!