Blogging What You Are Not

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“I photograph weddings, but I am not a wedding photographer.,” asserts Marty Moran, owner of Whitehot Headshot. “I photograph headshots, but I am not in the headshot business,” he adds. “I am a relationship builder, strengthening my tribe as I help others strengthen theirs. Give them quality and support, and they will make return visits,” Moran believes.

My networking colleague Ron Mannon often needs to explain that his company, Combustion & Systems, Inc., an industry leader in powder coating systems, does not actually do powder coating or paint finishing. Instead, they provide the equipment and training so that their customers can do their own finishing rather than farming out that part of the manufacturing process.

At Say It For You, we create SEO-conscious content, but do not focus on the science of Search Engine Optimization, believing that blogging is about much more than back-links and “authority”. What do you want to say to your customers today? What will get them excited enough to choose you over the competition? How will you keep them coming back for more information in the future?

In the Harvard Business Review, Madelaine Rauch and Sarah Stanske write about “the power of defining what your company isn’t”. There are times when having an “anti-identity” can be useful in communicating with customers, employees, and investors,” they explain. “We suspect,” the authors say, that companies might experiment with an anti-identity approach, analyzing who they really are and what that implies about what they are not. “No business – particularly a small one – can be all things to all people. The more narrowly you can define your target market, the better,” the staff of Entrepreneur Media, Inc. say.

Of the top 10 mistakes new business owners make, Gene Marks of the Hartford says, #1 is trying to do things you’re not good at. Translating that very sage advice into the field of blog content creation, that means defining in your blog not only the successes and strengths of the business or practice, but defining precisely which products and services you provide – and which you don’t. After all, Since exceeding customer expectations is such a worthy goal, clarifying those expectations and aligning them with reality is a key part of the marketing process. “It is vital,” smartkarrot.com advises, “to put parameters upfront, so that you can honor them time and again.”

Blogging, in short, clarifies what you are, but it is equally important to clarify what you are not!

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Content Writers Can Never Cease to Learn

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This is the fourth in a series of Say It For You blog posts in which I’m sharing valuable content writing tips from current magazine issues…

In this month’s issue of Mystery Scene, Linda Castello writes, “I became obsessed with learning about the Amish.” Castello, author of 14 mystery books about the Amish, has no Amish family background, nor any background in law enforcement. In fact, her work history consists of managing franchise accounts for Domino’s Pizza! Obsessed with bringing reality to her suspense novels, she:

  • participated in 12-week Citizens Police Academy courses
  • went on ride-alongs with police, often during the graveyard shift
  • went through firearms training
  • spent time in the burglary, K-9, and coroner’s departments of the Texas policeThe article about a franchise account manager writing suspense novels about the Amish answers a question often asked of me and of my writers at Say It For You: How can we ghost bloggers write for business owners and professional clients without being trained in those fields ourselves?

    The answer is constant curiosity and learning. We may not be doctors lawyers, auto mechanics, travel guides, gourmet chefs, or  tax experts – but we can still “play one”! Of course, we are specialists – in writing, and in particular, writing for the Web, posting short, engaging pieces using keyword phrases with consistency over extended periods of time. As content writers, we offer our clients’ blog visitors a more personal and even a more analytical perspective on the information they might find on the company website.  Often, precisely because we’re industry “outsiders”, learners, we are actually better able to approach the subject in ways online searchers will understand.

    Just as Castello was able to sustain excitement and suspense in 14 different Amish novels, sustaining an engaging business blog (your own or as a content writer for clients) over the course of years is very do-able – so long as you stay engaged.  What I’ve found over the years is that, as long as I keep learning, I stay excited and readers can sense that in the content. Just as Costello goes on “drive-alongs” with police, my team and I do “reading around” – books, blogs, articles, magazines, almanacs – you name it, all to stay aware of developments, cultural changes, even controversies in our clients’ fields.

    Good content writers never cease to learn!

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How-I-Did_It Business Blogging

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Again, in this week’s Say It For You blog posts, I’m sharing valuable content writing tips from current magazine issues. Reading through the September 2022 Inc. Magazine, I was struck by the effectiveness of the “How I….” series of business leader stories:

  • how I persuaded my mom and dad to let me run our home-grown beverage brand (Boolyte)
  • how I re-imagined the farmers’ market to deliver local food everywhere (MarketWagon)
  • how I built a home care company during a healthcare labor crisis (BarbaraKares)
  • how I got sweaty and muddy and made non-alcoholic beer cool (Athletic Bravery)
  • how I took on the immigration system to help thousands get their green cards (Boundless Immigration)

    “History is something very important, and fundamental even in the way we communicate as humans. Tell a great story on your blog and you can capture the attention, distract, enlighten, and even persuade… and all this in just a few minutes,” explains Paul Kellin of BlogPasCher. Every great story needs a hero who is transformed as the story unfolds, Kellin says. Ultimately, he explains, it’s your customer who is the hero, who will be transformed by your products and services.

Authenticity is powerful in blog marketing. Through how-we-did-it stories, readers can be provided an intimate view of your journey and what went into developing your products and services. In fact, a survey quoted by Sprout Social showed that 72% of consumers want to learn more about the people behind their favorite brands. How-I-did-it marketing needs to also include how-I-failed stories, we teach blog content writers at Say It For You – writing about past failures is important. Remember that true stories about mistakes and struggles are very humanizing, adding to the trust readers place in the people behind the business. Ironically, I often find that business owner and professional practitioner clients of mine are so close to the subject matter of their own business battles, they don’t realize that these stories can actually be used as marketing tools.

How-I-did-it business blogging can prove to be a very effective way to “get it done”!

 

 

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Blogging About Instead-Of Courses of Action

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In this week’s and next week’s Say It For You blog posts, I’m sharing valuable content writing tips from current magazine issues. In this month’s Good Housekeeping magazine, Stefani Sassos talks about foods that are best for fighting fatigue. Rather than merely listing nutritious foods, though, Sassos organized the material in “instead of” fashion, first naming a popular food choice, then recommending a healthier alternative, then offering an explanation of why the “instead of” choice is the more health-beneficial.one.

  • Instead of snacking on potato chips, Sassos suggests popcorn. Reason – “This fiber-packed whole grain can slow digestion and keep energy high.” Sassos then goes on to recommend a specific brand of popcorn.
  • Instead of energy drinks, Sassos suggests sparkling matcha. Reason: “The L-theanine can help slow caffeine absorption to even out the energy lift.”
  • Instead of pretzels, Sassos suggests peanuts. Reason: Unlike pretzels, which have little nutritional value and raise blood sugar levels, peanuts contain energizing protein.

The content creation concept I’m emphasizing this week is this: In marketing a business or practice, organizing relevant and useful information in a structured format is very useful to readers. Notice that, in this Good Housekeeping “grid”, the author first mentions the “status quo”, the typical consumer choice, showing an understanding of her audience. In blogging for business, you must demonstrate that your product or service can do something your competitors can’t (or something yours does better). In order to achieve that level of persuasion, your content must be based on knowledge of your target audience and their habits. Sassos first offers the reasoning behind the change, only then recommending a specific alternative product choice.

Of course, like magazines such as Good Housekeeping, blogs are designed to appeal to specific audiences. In a way, blog audiences “self-select” by typing their “wishes” into the search bar. But once readers have landed, we’ve learned at Say It For You, the secret lies in your having gotten to know your particular audience, thinking about how they (not the average person, but specifically “they*) would probably react or feel about your approach to the subject at hand. For example, while you may point out that your product or service can do something your competitors can’t, that particular “advantage” may or may not be what your audience is likely to value. Even if your target audience falls in the money-motivated category, for example, they might find appeal in the least expensive offerings. Conversely they might go for the most expensive (prizing luxury and exclusivity).

In either case, in creating blog content that speaks to your target customers and clients, think of blogging about “instead-of” courses of action!

 

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Helping Readers Organize Their Perceptiions

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Helping readers organize their perceptions of your industry and of the services and products you offer is one of the core functions of blog marketing. An article in Forbes, “5 Cybersecurity Strategies for a Riskier World“, is an excellent model of how to present information in a well-organized, easy-to-digest format. For each imperative, a statistic is presented, followed by a piece of advice.

  1.  (Imperative) Balance innovation and security.
    (Statistic) 41% of executives say cyber risk initiatives at their organizations have not kept pace with digital transformation.
    (Advice) Don’t invest in cleanup for legacy systems – bake in security with new efforts.

2.  (Imperative) Inventory your highest risks.
(Statistic) 4 in 10 organizations now take a risk-based approach to cybersecurity.
(Advice) Get your technical teams, partners, and suppliers on the same page.

3. (Imperative) Safeguard remote work.
(Statistic) 67% of business-impacting cyber attacks target remote workers.
(Advice) Offer security awareness training for employees and their families, paying for the use of family password stories and                          antivirus protection for home devices.

In marketing a business or practice, organizing relevant and useful information in a structured format can be very useful to readers. Bullet points and numbered lists help readers’ eyes move quickly through the material. And, when the blog content “walks” readers through logical steps to a conclusion, that can increase the likelihood of them staying around to read all your key points.

Statistics can actually serve as myth-busters; if there’s some false impression people seem to have relating to your industry, or to a product or service you provide, you can bring in statistics to show how things really are. Statistics can also serve to demonstrate the extent of a problem (which is precisely how they are used in the Forbes article).  Once readers realize the problem, the door is open for you to show how you help solve that very type of problem for your customers!

In terms of offering advice, I’ve often mused that, out of all the possible advertising and marketing tactics a business or professional practice might use, blogging’s way ahead of the pack because it attracts customers who want to be sold. In fact, it’s the close match between the type of advice the searcher wants and what you know about that accounts for your meeting them in the first place!

It’s important that the entire format of the Forbes article is built around numbers, both in the “listicle” format and in the statistics. . In an analysis by HubSpot of their own blog posts to see which titles had performed the best in terms of search results, the top eight each included a number. In blogging for business, numbers are a great way to be specific about your accomplishments.  They also show that you pay attention to benchmarks and concentrate on setting and meeting goals.

Organizing the material offered in your blog post helps readers organize their perceptions.

 

 

 

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