Backward Blogging

/0 Comments/in , , /by

 

 

This month’s Hunt’s Headlines tip is a great reminder for content writers of every ilk: Read your copy backward. Huh? Reading backward forces you to focus on each individual word without the surrounding context, Hunt’s first boss taught him.

Even though we have access to a stockpile of online grammar and spelling tools, Clifford Chi of hubspot.com admits, typos are inevitable. Chi posts pics of juice bottles labeled “orignal” and a prescription label directing the patient to “take one capsule by mouth nightly 2 hours before ded.” Meanwhile, Gur Tirosh of historybyday.com shows us a “no enrty” sign, a banner touting a high school commited to high standards, and a street sotp warning message.

Big deal? Do content writers need to be overly concerned with bloopers in blog content? Michael Hyatt, author of Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, doesn’t think so. Blogs are not books, Hyatt reasons, and you can make corrections later and republish. At Say It For You, we tend to side with the view expressed by Brian Clark of copyblogger.com, who says that certain types of errors “can make you look dumb”.

Has the thinking changed? Are blog readers more likely to overlook typos and grammar errors? Hmm…Back in 2008, when the Say It For You content marketing company was in its infancy, I observed that Americans appear to fall into different camps when it comes to writing bloopers, ranging from the functionally illiterate to grammar-Nazi reformers. Although blog audiences tend to be scanners rather than readers,  I suggested that there will inevitably be those who notice bloopers and form a negative impression of the products and services you offer.

Can spelling and grammar mistakes make you seem more “human” to your blog readers, as one reader of the marketinginsidergroup.com blog suggested? Er….not really, is my take on that one – even back in 2017, I wrote that even though your blog is supposed to reveal the “real you”, and should be informal in tone, the “Real Me” has a very real opinion on the subject of grammar and spelling, convinced that customers like to buy from people who are in command of language tools.

Proofreading is as challenging as it is important, Mary Cullen writes in the instructionalsolutions.com blog. “It’s the final touches needed that ensure a business document is correct, consistent, and professional.” Cullen recommends taking a 24-hour break from the content before proofreading it, then reading it aloud to highlight awkward sentences.

Thanks, Todd Hunt, for reminding us content writers that it can be very forward-looking of us to proofread our blog posts backward!

 

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedintumblrmail

The Other Side of Showing What It takes

/0 Comments/in , , , /by


In Tuesday’s post, we discussed the importance of “bragging” to make readers aware of “what it takes to do what you do and how much effort you put into acquiring the expertise you’re now going to be able to use for their benefit…”

The other side of “showing what it takes” involves how-tos and useful pieces of advice, explaining what steps will be involved in readers accomplishing a particular goal. One aspect of blogging is putting your own unique slant on best practices within your field, calling attention to rules and safety procedures of which readers need to be aware.

Actually, from a content writer’s point of view, giving instructions is a lot harder than first appears. There is no end to the technical information available to consumers on the internet. Our job, therefore, becomes helping readers understand, absorb, buy into, and use that information.  One way to empower customers to make a decision is to help them understand the differences between various industry terms, as well as the differences between the products and services of one business compared to those offered by another.

The advice Entrepreneur Magazine’s Ultimate Small Business Marketing Guide offers starts with giving away information to get clients. “By providing visitors with free and valuable information and services, you entice them to return to your web site often.” Ironically, many business owners are initially afraid to share “too much” information with prospects until after they’ve become clients. At Say It For You, our experience has been that providing useful instruction to prospects instills confidence in the provider and cements the relationship.

Blog content is part of the BRAN analysis process prospective clients use when choosing a provider of any product or service:, and taking readers through that process is a way of “showing them what it takes” to achieve the results they want or the answers they seek.

B = What are the benefits?
R = What are the risks?
A = What are the alternatives?
N = What if I/we do nothing?

“Bragging” makes readers aware of what it took for the business owner to be able to offer such a high level of expertise and experience. Taking prospects through BRAN analysis shows what it will take on their part to achieve the hoped-for outcomes.

Blog content marketing addresses both sides of the “what does it take?” question.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedintumblrmail

You Don’t Have To Be a Blog Content Writer to Write

/0 Comments/in , , /by

 

“A writer writes, always.,” says the grand-prize winner of the Writer’s 500-word essay contest Michelle Y. Green. She doesn’t have to be at her keyboard or scribbling in a journal to write, she explains, because simply being curious and paying attention to details are any writer’s greatest tools.

In fact, several of Michelle Green’s pieces of advice for those new to writing are a perfect fit for blog content writers.

  • Many writers add one sentence, then subtract two or three words. Instead, just let the words flow.
    Blog content writing should be conversational and informal. Are second drafts even needed? Yes, but later, after you’ve let the thoughts flow, we tell content writers at Say It For You. Even more important than checking for spelling and grammar errors, though, is visualizing your target readers, and making sure your blog post is addressed to them, in their language, and that you’ve addressed their concerns.
  • Read what others are writing.
    Reading, bookmarking, clipping – and even just noticing – new trends and information relating to your business field goes a long way towards keeping the blog “quiver” stocked with content ideas. Blog marketing involves knowing what’s being said by competitors, what’s trending, what aspects of your field are being discussed..
  • Enjoy research.
    To deliver quality writing of any kind, you’ve got to keep educating yourself, reading everything you can get your hands on, citing sources by paraphrasing and hyperlinking back to the page where the information originated. You then “translate” that information by putting it into context of your primary topic.
  • Notice details.
    Successful blog content writing is all about the details. Websites provide basic information about a company’s products or a professional’s services, but the blog content is there to attach a “face” and lend a “voice” to that information by filling in the finer details about the people behind the business and the choices they’ve made.   .

You don’t have to be a blog content writer to write – just feed your own natural curiosity – and take notes!

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedintumblrmail

Did-You-Know Content Teasers

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Tidbits of information can turn into content marketing treasure, we’ve learned over the years at Say It For You. Did-you-know content “teasers” not only spark interest when used in blog post titles, but can be used to describe your way of doing business, clarify the way one of your products works, or explain why one of the services you provide is particularly effective in solving a problem. A recent edition of the Farmer’s Almanac Gardener’s Guide proves my point…

  • Heirloom varieties of kidney, navy, and pinto beans, once considered a subsistence food (what you ate when the cupboards were bare) are now considered “gourmet”. Do not add nitrogen to the soil, because legumes “fix” nitrogen from the air around their roots.

Business owners and professionals stay abreast of trends in their fields by subscribing to trade journals and consumer magazines, scouring websites and newspapers, and by talking to colleagues and customers about the “latest and greatest”. Content readers, on the other hand, largely expect their service and product providers to have done all that work for them, keeping them up-to-date on trends and putting the information into perspective.

  • White asparagus is simply green asparagus that has been grown in the dark (sometimes under black plastic), because plants turn green only when their chlorophyll is exposed to sunlight.

(There are actually three different varieties of asparagus – green, white, and purple, each with a unique flavor.) Offering little known facts and explanations related to your own topic can engage readers’ interest, enticing blog visitors to keep coming back.

  • “Stand-ins” include Mexican mint marigold (stand-in for tarragon), lovage stand-in for celery), Vietnamese coriander (stand-in for cilantro) and salad burnet (substitute for cucumber).

Offering helpful hints is a way of engaging visitors through your blog articles. Find complementary businesses or practices, I advise content writers, asking those business owners or practitioners for tips they can offer for you to pass along to your readers. The best tips and hints, I added, are related to some a topic currently trending in the news, especially one affecting your industry.

 

  • Hummingbirds need an enormous amount of food relative to their size, so it may not be so much a matter of variety of plants but the quantity that attracts them.

In content marketing, quantity counts. It is difficult to get “traction” with an inconsistent or slow content publication schedule,; the “frequency illusion” refers to the fact that the more times time readers are exposed to your message, the more of a presence you will have in their minds.

  • All plants have specific needs pertaining to the amount of sun and water, type of soil, and growing space. Poor placement causes problems.

Find the right niche for your blog. When you demonstrate your own passion for a topic, readers will be more invested in what you have to say, Semrush.com advises new blog content creators.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedintumblrmail

How Will They Experience Your Blog Post?

/0 Comments/in , , /by

 

 

 

Ellen Dunnigan

 

At a recent Drive Indy event, executive coach Ellen Dunnigan emphasized the mantra “Intentionality is the hallmark of influence”. Keeping in mind the formula P+A=MA (purpose + Audience = My Actions), before entering a room or beginning an encounter, you must predict, Dunnigan advises,  how they are likely to react to your presence. Your presence includes the way you look, the way you carry yourself,  the words you choose. How do you intend for the person or people you will face to experience their encounter with you?

Always ask yourself, Dunnigan urges, what the single most important point (of the meeting, the encounter, the speech) will be. Translated into content creation, that very concept is expressed as “The Power of One”. Each blog post should have a razor-sharp focus on just one story, one idea, one aspect of your business, we teach at Say It For You. Focused on one thing, your post has greater impact, since people are bombarded with many messages each day. The Power of One also means targeting one audience per blog post. The more focused a blog is on connecting with a narrowly defined target audience, the more successful it will be in converting prospects to clients and customers.

In dealing with an employee whose dress or manner of speaking with customers needs changing, a member of the Drive Indy audience asked Dunnigan, how can I best approach that encounter? Again, intentionality is the saving force, was the speaker’s answer. In preparing for the meeting, focus on the “single most important point”, predicting how the employee is likely to experience the encounter.

“Executive presence” means showing up – at the head of a room or on a web page, as confident and competent, respecting your audience while “predicting” their response to the information or advice you’re providing. “It’s your rant, but it’s all about them,” as I stressed in my last Say It For You post. People generally don’t like to have their assertions and assumptions challenged, even if they respect your expertise and have a need for your products and your guidance.

How will your readers experience the blog post you’re preparing to publish?

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedintumblrmail