You Can Pretty Well Ask Them to Applaud

/0 Comments/in /by

“You can pretty much ask the audience to applaud anything and they will,” observes professional speaker Judy Carter. “Let’s have some Successapplause for the dessert chef who gave us cake and pie!”

Why does such a simple, even “corny”, ploy work? It’s because people like to be on the joke, Carter explains, and mentioning something obvious and inclusive accomplishes that goal.

In blogging about a business or practice, getting readers involved is always a good thing, and as is true in a speech, establishing common ground is always a good starting point. On the other hand, I’m not sure you can pretty much ask readers to do anything (in the form of a Call to Action) and be assured even some will follow along. For one thing, online readers don’t have the reinforcement of other audience members physically surrounding them.

That’s precisely why good content creates commonality. What problems do readers share, problems that can be solved using your products and services? You can pretty much get readers to “applaud” in relief that their issue is a common one, and that they’ve come to the right place to make the situation better.

As readers progress (typically not a systematic read, but a scan) through the post, they should encounter more than one CTA. Those ready to buy should be able to do that right away. Incremental buys need to be offered. Those readers who need more information before making a decision should be able to pick up the phone and easily reach a knowledgeable rep. For those not quite ready for even a phone conversation, perhaps the blog can include a brief video they can watch. The CTAs themselves can be scattered through the text, so if a reader feels ready to act or to find out more after reading only a particular snippet – that’s great – offer that opportunity!

In blogging for business, you can pretty much ask them to applaud, and – they just might!

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedintumblrmail

Blog About Unexpected Benefits

/0 Comments/in , /by

beerWhen it comes to choosing a title that attracts attention, I think Lifehack.org was onto something with its

“12 Unexpected Benefits of Beer That Give You Good Reasons to Drink It”

For one, I was curious to read about beer in a publication focused on healthy living (the same issue of the magazine carried an article warning of the negative effects of smoking and alcohol on the body).

But, see, here’s the thing.  It was unexpected. Surrounded by content about the science of beautiful skin, the skinny on indoor cycling, and winning the weight war, readers have every right to be surprised to see beer as a recommended healthful consumable.

Author Candace Nelson starts out by unifying her audience with a commonality: “Who among us hasn’t rounded down when doctors or nutritionists ask how much (beer) we imbibe?”  She goes on to list no fewer than twelve benefits of beer. The drink is rich in Vitamin B, and high in fiber and silicon. It’s anti-microbial, and helps reduce the risk of heart disease, muscle deterioration, and gallstones. Only the last item on her list (“Beer is a social lubricant”) seems a stretch in terms of being health-related.

As Steve Tobak writes in Entrepreneur Magazine, “Doing the unexpected is key to success in business. After all, the next big thing is never what anyone expects.”

As a corporate blogging trainer, I remind content writers that blogging about unusual ways your products or services have been applied in different situations is good way to capture interest in posts. Even sharing past business mistakes that resulted in unexpected improvements in the company’s products and service makes for engaging blog content.

That’s the question I’d pose to business owners and professional practitioners: Tell me about the benefits you offer, sure. But what are some of the UNEXPECTED benefits of what you have, what you know, and what you know how to do?

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedintumblrmail

Winning Ways to Keep Blog Readers Up on Industry Trends

/0 Comments/in /by

Staying up to date in an industry that’s constantly shifting isn’t easy, but being aware of changes as they happen can keep you ahead of the The Top Trends Hot New Ideas Latest Fads Fashion Ideas Innovatiocurve, according to Yael Grauer of verticalreponse.com.   And, even more important to us business blog content writers, our readers, whether or not they’re inclined towards the “trendy”, like to feel they’re keeping up with the trends.

Grauer offers ten suggestions to business owners and professionals who want to stay abreast of trends in their fields, including subscribing to trade journals and consumer magazines, scouring websites, blogs, and newspapers, and talking to colleagues and customers.

What I’ve learned over the years of helping clients in different industries create content, is that customers expect their service and product providers to do all the work for them, keeping them up-to-date by condensing all that website/newspaper/magazine/trade journal wisdom into bite-sized pieces and, on top of that, putting all that information into perspective.

“Museums curate works of art. We digital marketers curate blog posts,” says Kevan Lee of buffersocial.com.  “We’re all seeking only the best material to pass along to our patrons, customers, fans, or followers.” Why? According to Lee, “People love being told what’s good to read or essential to see.”

Content curation is very different, points out John Tann on Hootsuite.com. It doesn’t include creating new content, he explains, but does include discovering, compiling, and sharing existing content with online followers.  That allows you, he adds, to provide extra value to your brand’s audience and customers.

As a business blogwriting trainer, I think some of the most valuable content consists of a combination of curation and marketing.  I encourage freelance content writers and business owners alike to gather OPW (Other People’s Wisdom) and share that with their readers, but then to comment on that material and relate it to their own topic.

Ideally, I explain to business owners, your content keeps your readers savvy about what’s trending, while at the same time establishing you as a thought leader in your field!

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedintumblrmail

Don’t Let Your Blog Readers Get the Wrong Idea

/0 Comments/in , /by

Undo Red Button Correct Fix Go Back Revise Mistake Error“Sometimes, our very human fears and insecurities cause us to talk about ourselves in ways that don’t reflect the truth of who we are. We choose language that hides our strength…and this gives other people the wrong impression of us,” writes Annika Martins in postivelypositive.com.

Business blogging is one way we have of “talking about ourselves”.  And, whether it’s the business owner or professional practitioner herself doing the writing, or whether we professional blog content writers have been hired to do the job for them, we need to make sure we ”talk” in ways that give readers the right impression.

That’s because impressions matter, and, even more important, they last. I read an interesting anecdote about Abe Lincoln that illustrates the point. According to biographer Carl Sandburg, Lincoln bet a gambler that he could lift a barrel of whiskey off the floor and hold it up while he took a drink out of the bunghole. Lincoln actually did that, winning the bet.  But decades later, Stephen Douglas, while debating Lincoln, implied that Abe had a serious drinking problem!

Does this sort of thing happen today? Well, duh! “Anyone can post a bad review online and hurt your business,” observes the coauthor of the book Niche Dominance. “Business owners need to be proactive in developing their online reputation,” he advises.

There is little that you can do to get a negative online review removed, advises Ashley Bennett of instantshift. Accept it, she says, for what it is and then focus on the positive aspects of your business, putting a spotlight on your positive achievements online to displace the negative reviews. This can take a while, but start creating more listings that talk about new products, services, news, discounts, and partnerships. You can do this via social media posts, blog posts, or even press releases.

Every feedback, whether negative or positive, comes from somewhere, says Donald Latumahina of lifeoptimizer.org. Something you said or did made the person react this way. Is there any truth behind it, and would this be an alternate perspective you missed out originally? Is it something you should look into?

When I’m helping business owners and professional practitioners craft their messages, damage control can become a very real issue. As a corporate blogging trainer, I know how crucial it is for them to convey to their customers, as well as to the online searchers who are their prospects, the kind of message that will alleviate mistrust and create confidence. Blog posts, I believe, are especially valuable tools when it comes to “impression” challenges.  Blog content is current, talking about “now”, not “then”. Plus, customers’ customers’ concerns and fears are being dealt with out in the open, “in front of other people”. That gives the remediation more weight with readers.

Don’t let blog readers get the wrong idea about you or your company or practice.  Not for long, anyway!

 

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedintumblrmail

Tell How You Tripped at the Academy Awards

/0 Comments/in , /by

Is your brand real enough for the next wave of consumers? asks Jamie Gutfreund in  Forbes. “Gen Zs  consider Child falling down the stairstaking risks an important part of life and mistakes as badges of honor.” Zs are savvy consumers, Gutfreund adds, preferring to see “real” people to celebrities in campaigns.  To them, failure builds character, and they have little interest in content that promises perfection.

Interesting. As a corporate blogging trainer, I’ve been preaching to Indianapolis content writers that engaging readers and creating feelings of empathy and admiration for their business owner and professional practitioner clients may be a matter of writing about how those owners overcame the effects of their own mistakes.

No matter what generation of reader you’re targeting, I explain, real life conflicts are riches to be mined. Often, however, our business owner and practitioner clients are so close to the subject matter of their own past and present business battles, they can’t see how valuable those “failures” can prove to be. That’s where the “outside eye” of a professional blog writer becomes especially valuable.

“One thing you will notice about successful people, especially people with an entrepreneurial streak, is that they welcome detours and failures as a natural part of the journey they are on,” observes author Ekaterina Walter. Mistakes will not end your business. But will surface new opportunities, adds Meridith Valiando Rojas, CEO of Digitour Media.

“Who are You? Readers like to know about the author. It makes your writing more interesting because it adds context,” says K. Stone of lifehack.org. in advising writers to brand their blogs for success.

Good branding and good writing – they’re both about being real.  So, go ahead, tell how you (or your business owner or professional practitioner client) tripped at the Academy Awards!

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedintumblrmail