Think about some of the brands, bloggers and public figures you love the most… chances are that you have some sort of connection with them, whether that means getting to know the people personally, or sharing a core belief with them.

When businesses create a connection with their audience, they set themselves up for loyalty that can last for years. Even better than that, a real connection means that their customers will turn into raving fans who happily share their website and product recommendations with other!

If you have your own online blog or business there are a number of specific ways available to you to connect with your audience, from email to your blog and social media.

This guide will help you consider more deeply how you plan to create a real connection with your audience which can, in turn, lead to increased sales and a thriving community built around you and your brand.

Excited to get started? Let’s go!

Building a relationship with your readers means you have to be more than just a sterile block of text on a website. You have to be human. So that one realization strikes fear in the hearts of many marketers just starting out online.

Reasons Why People Want to Stay Behind the Scenes

Some people make an awful lot of assumptions about their target audience. They have a negative self-talk that goes like this:

“Nobody cares what I have to say…”

“They’ll think I’m stupid…”

“I’m not (pretty, handsome, young) enough to put myself out there…”

You’re making assumptions about the reactions that your audience will have – and you’re insulting them as if they’re shallow people, too.

Whenever someone comes online to learn or find solutions, they’re not caring whether you’re young and beautiful or have a PhD in the topic. They just want help, pure and simple.

Regardless of whether you think you’re boring or not good enough, someone out there will believe you are.

You have to have faith in your audience that you’re going to attract those who are appreciative of your style. Not everyone wants to follow the flashy guru who slaps pictures up on his site of his new sports car, his house at the beach, and who uses surfer speak at the age of 40.

Some people might want a soft-spoken, caring individual who conveys information about the niche to them in a way they can relate to. All of the superficial elements you’re so scared of are all in your head.

Analyzing Your Fear Versus Reality

There are some marketers who get online, new to the industry, and they feel awkward being personal in their career because it seems too self-centered. Who wants to hear about the small chitchat regarding everyday life when the audience isn’t there to learn about those details?

You have to strike a good balance between the two concepts. Is it true that people don’t care about you at all, or is it truer to say, “People don’t want to hear every grueling detail of my life, but opening up to them and being friendly can benefit my business?”

Some newbies get paralyzed by their fear of mean people online. It’s true that you’re going to encounter some real jerks on the Internet. For some reason, people seem to get a lot of false courage when they’re sitting behind a computer screen – and it’s true they can be cruel for absolutely no reason, too.

So before you get online, you have to ask yourself – who is more important? Is it the trolls who will stop by your site once in awhile and make a comment meant to unnerve you?

Or is it your target audience who is desperately searching for a beacon of light in the niche, looking for the exact kind of insight you can give to them? One of them is going to hold more weight with you.

The great thing about dealing with mean-spirited people (and by the way they abuse even the nicest of people online) is that with a blog and email list – it’s 100% under your control.

You can ban people from participating on your blog. You can delete and not approve their comments. You can ban people from your email autoresponder list, too.

So you’re not helpless in this situation – you just have to be aware that it happens to everybody, it will happen to you, too – and you need a plan on how you’re going to handle it technically and emotionally when it does occur!

Options for Those with a Valid Reason to Hide

Sometimes there are legitimate reasons to need a behind-the-scenes entity on the Internet. If you might get in trouble for pursuing a second career, for example – or if your family is involved in another career where keeping a low public “findable” profile is of utmost importance (like a law officer).

Or maybe you’re one of the unfortunate souls who are dealing with a dangerous stalker situation or an abusive ex in your life. This kind of concern validates your reasons for needing to stay unknown.

When those situations occur, you might not be able to publicly brand your name and face to the world – but it doesn’t prevent you from being involved in an online business and building relationships with your customers!

There are options you can use where you’re still being a niche leader, you’re still being personal with your list – but your primary identity is protected while you’re online.

Using a pen name is one choice that you have. A pen name is simply a name that you make up that sounds real. Instead of Sandra Denning, you might be Julie Boscoe, for example.

Many authors online use pen names so that they can either stay hidden or so that they can tackle more than one niche so that their expertise doesn’t appear to be diluted.

Or, if you don’t want a pen name, how about creating a persona for your online leadership? This is what many men and women do for a variety of niches. Caesar Milan has a persona – he’s known as The Dog Whisperer, right?

Although he brands his name with the persona, you don’t have to do that. You can be in the feline niche and brand your business online as the “Cat Queen” for example.

You can still personalize your blog posts and emails – but instead of knowing you by a formal name, your audience will know you by a made up moniker – and that works just as well.

A business brand is your last option if you want to stay hidden with your real name online. You can brand your domain, your corporation, or your business entity online and communication as a sheer company representative.

This works well in some niches – especially those such as technology, finances, etc. If you go this route, you might want to use a first name only for a company representative so that your audience can get to know someone within the business as a point of contact.

You don’t have to go overboard when you put yourself out there with your niche. It doesn’t mean sharing every nitty gritty detail of your life – including deeply personal things that you feel should be kept private.

But it should include a friendly dialogue that’s not always business each and every time you communicate with your audience. You should be able to offer a friendly greeting that’s personal, and close with something personalized as well.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share This

Share this post with your friends!