Counting Down and Looking Up

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“Yes, the end of December is the perfect time for a year-end review, for taking a few moments to look at what you’ve accomplished over the past 12 months, and taking stock of all the things you still want to accomplish,” Nathalie Thompson of vibeshifting.com so aptly writes…

Counting down the past year, you are reading the 130th semi-weekly Say It For You blog post of 2023, There have also been twelve monthly Say It For You online newsletters, Meanwhile, year-round, the team has generated dozens upon dozens of blog posts and other content pieces for our clients.

Is blogging still going to be “a thing” in 2024 and beyond? A resounding “Yes!” is our answer, The Say It For You blog is on a WordPress platform; on that platform alone, there are now more than 20 billion views per month. “Even in today’s world,” Creative Boom remarks, “where brevity rules and attention spans are seemingly at an all-time low, there undoubtedly remains a place for a regularly-maintained blog that’s crafted with care and with its audience in mind.”

While Mark Prosser of Score.org lists reasons for keeping an active business blog (driving traffic to the website, informing customers about the good work you do, sharing client testimonials, finding out what customers want, promoting your brand to potential employees, and analyzing marketing demographics), there is one important thing about blogging that I try to impress on each business or practice owner: a blog is an ongoing training course for you.

You see, the interesting thing I’ve found over the past sixteen (yes, count ’em!) years of business blogging is that the very exercise of thinking through the themes and the ideas for the blog, even if the actual content writing task is being outsourced, helps train business owners and practitioners to articulate those ideas when interacting with their own customers. In a very real sense, maintaining an active blog not only helps your business, it can help you do your business better! 

Meanwhile, for us on the content writing team, the ongoing learning process is the true blessing. The tremendous variety of topics –  from dry cleaning to electromagnetic fields, from family law to finance, from HVAC to dry cleaning, from air quality to architecture, organ transplants to trucking, car painting to long term care…..every assignment is a doorway to fascinating insights.

At Say It For You, we’re right there with you, counting down to the end of 2023, and looking forward – and upwards – to 2024.

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Mastering the Art of Blogging: Pro Tips and Strategies

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Guest post contributed by Arjun Raaj in India

In today’s digital age, blogging has become an essential tool for individuals and businesses alike to connect with a global audience, share valuable insights, and establish authority in various niches. However, with millions of blogs on the internet, standing out and mastering the art of blogging is no easy task.

Why Blogging Matters
Before diving into the tips and strategies, let’s understand why blogging matters. Blogs are versatile platforms that can serve various purposes, including:

  • Building Authority: Consistently publishing high-quality content in your niche helps establish yourself as an expert in your field.
  • Driving Traffic: Blogs can be a significant source of organic traffic to your website, boosting your online presence.
  • Engaging Your Audience: Blogs allow you to engage with your audience, foster relationships, and receive feedback.
  • Monetization: Successful blogs can generate income through various monetization methods, such as affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and selling products or services.

Now, let’s delve into pro tips and strategies for mastering the art of blogging:

1. Define Your Niche and Audience
Successful blogging begins with a clear understanding of your niche and target audience. Your niche should be something you’re passionate about and have expertise in. By defining your niche, you can tailor your content to cater to a specific audience, making it more relevant and valuable.

2. Create High-Quality Content
Content is king in the blogging world. Focus on creating informative, engaging, and well-researched content that adds value to your readers. Use a mix of text, images, and multimedia elements to make your posts visually appealing and easy to digest.

3. Consistency Is Key
Consistency is crucial in blogging. Develop a posting schedule that you can realistically adhere to. Whether it’s once a week or once a month, consistency helps build trust with your audience and improves your blog’s search engine ranking.

4. Optimize for SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is vital for increasing your blog’s visibility. Research keywords relevant to your niche and incorporate them naturally into your content. Use meta descriptions, alt tags for images, and optimize your blog’s structure for SEO.

5. Engage with Your Audience
Engaging with your readers fosters a sense of community and encourages them to return. Respond to comments, answer questions, and seek feedback. Consider creating a mailing list to stay in touch with your audience through newsletters.

6. Network and Collaborate
Building relationships with other bloggers in your niche can be mutually beneficial. Networking can lead to guest post opportunities, backlinks, and a broader reach. Collaboration with influencers or complementary businesses can also expand your audience.

7. Promote Your Content
Creating great content is only half the battle; promoting it is the other half. Share your blog posts on social media, use email marketing, and consider paid advertising to reach a wider audience.

8. Monitor Analytics
Use tools like Google Analytics to track your blog’s performance. Analyze metrics such as traffic, bounce rate, and conversion rates to gain insights into what’s working and what needs improvement.

9. Stay Updated
Blogging is an ever-evolving field. Stay updated with the latest trends, technologies, and changes in search engine algorithms. Adapt your strategies accordingly to remain competitive.

10. Be Patient and Persistent
Blogging success takes time. Don’t be discouraged by slow growth initially. Stay persistent, learn from your mistakes, and keep refining your approach.

Conclusion
In conclusion, mastering the art of blogging requires dedication, continuous learning, and a passion for creating valuable content. By defining your niche, consistently producing high-quality content, and engaging with your audience and you can increase organic traffic, you can also build a successful blog that stands the test of time.

Remember, blogging is not just about the destination; it’s also about the journey of self-expression, learning, and growth. Happy blogging!

 

 

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Does it Cost More to Make a Blog Post Than a Blog Post is Worth?

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“Does it cost more to make a penny than a penny is worth?” is just one of the many questions asked in Great American Trivia, by Publications International. Ltd. The answer – yes, in fact, it does! But don’t look for the penny to disappear anytime soon, the authors predict- more likely it will “change with the times”….

Introduced to our economy in 1792, the penny started out as all-copper coin. Beginning in 1857, it has been an alloy of copper and zinc. In 1982, the mix changed to 97.6% zinc with 2.4% copper plating. For awhile, that made economic sense, but with zinc and copper prices having increased,” U.S. taxpayers are still not getting their money’s worth, the authors note.

What about the costs of blogging?

“You might be surprised to hear this, but you can start a blog for nothing through several different blogging platforms,” writes Neal Schaffer of the Rutgers Business School.” Even if you decide to pay for a custom website, domain name or photography, these costs are relatively nominal compared to the amount of money you can potentially generate from your content,” newbie entrepreneurs are reassured in a Forbes Advisor piece. “That being said, many people aren’t exactly enamored with doing all of that on a personal basis,” Schaffer explains, and “you might need hire some professionals to help out, whether through editing your content or evaluating and working to improve Google analytics scores.”

Blogs have grown into a new and effective marketing strategy, Woman Entrepreneur writes:

  • Offering tips, updates, and other new content gives people a reason to come and to return to your website.
  • A blog improves your search engine ranking.
  • A blog allows you to show your expertise and to gain trust and credibility

The downsides:

  • Creating new content takes a significant amount of time and a constant stream of ideas.
  • It can take time to see results.

At Say It For You, we suggest a very practical “litmus test” be used by prospective clients: What is the number of new customers that would need be attracted to you – and what is the resulting amount of money in new sales – that it would take for your business or professional practice to cover the costs of our content marketing services for one year?

Companies that blog get 97% more links to their websites, and 77% of internet users read blogs, optinmonster reports. Does it cost more to make a blog post than a blog post is worth?

Like the U.S. penny, don’t look for content marketing blogs to disappear any time soon….

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To Plot or Not to Plot in Creating Blog Content

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one sentence speech in blogs

 

“I rarely start writing without knowing what I’m going to (try to) write,” confides Simon Van Booey in Writer’s Digest. “I know the story when the pen hits the page, but how to write, the tone, approach, pace – that’s what the deskwork is about.”

Advice to students offered in the Research & Education Association’s QuickAccess laminated writing guide is perfect for content writers of all types: Before you begin writing an essay or writing a research paper, draft a working thesis statement.” That thesis statement should contain the subject of the essay and your opinion on that subject, REA explains.

With the general purpose of any content marketing piece being to promote a product, service, or cause, content writers never “start writing without knowing what they’re going to try to write”. The “thesis” of any individual blog post takes the form of a one-sentence declaration of a fact or opinion that the content writer will set about fleshing out, illustrating or “proving”. And, while business blogs ought to be far more conversational in style than college essays, “plotting” the posts forces writers to focus, which translates into increased impact for the finished piece.

Thankfully, the “thesis” itself can become part of the post. At Say It For You, I’m fond of saying to blog content writers that their task is to keep the reader engaged with valuable, personal, and relevant information, beginning with the “downbeat”, which is what I call the first sentence of each post. The thesis, itself, though can appear anywhere in the blog post, reinforcing the main idea of the message.

“Plotting” an editorial calendar for a marketing blog makes a lot of sense, since, as marketing strategist Alex Honeysett says, “The introduction of social media has forced us to say things too quickly and efficiently…but some topics and musings need more than a few sentences to be fully explored.” On a blog, Honeysett explains, “you’ll have more room to expand on those thoughts.”

From a general content writing standpoint, while we never start writing “without knowing what we’re going to try to write”, since the basic “plotline” has been provided by our client, our task becomes exploring different “templates” to use in presenting the information in ways that will resonate with readers.

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The More We Blog, the More We Influence

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Of all thirteen “prospect attraction influencers” mentioned in Mike Michalowicz’s book Get Different, the two most usable for blog content writers, I concluded were these:

1. Expansion – We like to expand the things we already like, own, and believe, Michalowicz says. People who value their nice care will be attracted to a nicer car, people who value their health want even more advice on becoming healthier.

Years ago, at a meeting of the National Speakers Association of Indiana, I remember the speaking coach saying, “If they’re in your session, they’ve already drunk the Kool-Aid”.  He might well have been coaching content writers. Just as conference attendees who choose to attend a particular breakout session already have an interest in the topic, if readers have arrived at your business blog, it’s because they already have an interest in your topic. No long intro is needed – they are ready to receive the information, the services, and the products you have to offer. It’s now up to you to assure those visitors, through the words and pictures in your business blog content, that they’ve come to precisely the right place to get more, to expand their information and their assets.

2. Repetition – The more we hear a recurring message, the more it attracts, the author explains. When we notice the same thought that we had repeated in marketing, we are drawn to it.

At Say It For You, after fifteen years of being involved in all aspects of corporate blog writing and blogging training, one irony I’ve found is that business owners who use this repetition principle are rare. There’s a tremendous fall-off rate, with most blogs abandoned months or even weeks after they’re begun. Pity, because blogs are startlingly less costly than business print ads, “winning” with content, not cost, and with frequency, not size. Consistent content publishing is not only reassuring to customers, Google rewards websites that publish regular, high-quality content that provides real value to users. If you create successful blog posts with the ideal frequency, you’re more likely to succeed in pleasing Google, Ballantine.com says.

It’s hardly easy, but it is simple – the more we blog, the more we influence.

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