Conducting local interviews to post on your blog or website is one of the best ways to generate new customers.
Who will you interview, What will you talk about, When will you schedule it, Where will you conduct it, Why is it important, and HOW will you attract more customers?
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I certainly don’t claim to be an expert in this subject. I know that some traditional journalists scowl at the idea of lay people conducting interviews. Trust me, it’s been known to happen (read the first comment on this post). The game has totally changed since the dawn of the blog, and you; yes YOU have every right to interview anyone you want.
The exciting thing about interviewing is that most of the time you get to choose the topic, interviewee, and format.
Here are 5 interview ideas, and why they could help your business create more customers:
1. The Local Interview — This is one of my favorites. It is perfect for you real estate agents that are blogging about your local community. As a real estate agent, you are probably already extremely knowledgeable about your local market and should have alot to write about. But have you thought about getting some insight from other locals? Here are some ideas for people to interview:
- local merchants
- city officials
- social club presidents
- interesting neighbors
- past clients
- contractors
- local builders
- restaurant owners
- teachers & principals (local schools and Universities)
- local appraisers
- Officials of local attractions: theme parks, state parks, stadiums, event centers
I guarantee you that most of these people would love to give you an interview. Regular “folks” are flattered easily, and probably wouldn’t mind at all answering a few questions for a local real estate blog/website. The small local business owner will be thrilled for a chance to get free press.
People are impressed by this kind of stuff. Interviewing local people has got to be one of the best ways to build your blog.
2. Take the Time to Interview in Person — Like I said before, normal people will be flattered by the chance to give an interview. One neat thing about conducting an interview in person is that you get to know the interviewee… this could create a golden opportunity to create a new customer just by conducting the actual interview. Doing an interview like this is so outside the box, I guarantee you that people will be impressed. What better time to try to win their business?
My advice here is to come prepared with tons of questions, do adequate research before hand, don’t take up too much time with the interview, ask relevant questions that you know your readers will be interested in, and for goodness sake, write a thank you note to the person you interviewed.
To Continue Reading This Article Including the Last 3 Tips + a Bonus, Use This Link: How to Conduct an Interview that Generates Business
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