Customer service is an essential part of marketing. When you are a blogger, customer service comes into play when you respond to comments on your blog, thank followers for following, and the way you treat your guest bloggers.It may seem obvious what steps a blogger should take to be a good host, but I have personally found this isn't always true.
Before I share my good host tips, I apologize to anyone who I haven't given these courtesies to when they have been on my blog. I am only human, after all. And these are merely suggestions for everyone to think about when hosting guests - they may or may not always be practical or appropriate to implement.
- Give your guest plenty of time to complete their post/interview.
- Invite them to be as long or as short as they like.
- Invite them to respond to comments if they choose.
- Tell them exactly when the post will be up and send them a link.
- Send them a reminder the day before the post goes up - especially if it's been awhile since you communicated.
- Build your guest up and validate them in your introduction. Let your readers know why you respect this guest and why they should read on.
- Thank them in public and privately.
- Tweet and Facebook their visit to your blog.
- After all comments are in, usually a week later, thank the guest again by email.
Think of a guest on your blog like a guest in your house. Treat them as such and you'll be a perfect host.
Are there any other courtesies you like from your host that I've forgotten to mention?
