Picking an Outfit – for an Interview or a Blog Post

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“We all make judgments about the people we come into contact with within the first few minutes of meeting them,” ZipRecruiter observes in IndyStar. “In fact, we tend to assume that people who dress well are more competent, even if they aren’t.”

Interesting, I thought. Two pieces of the how-to-pick-a-job-interview-outfit advice ZipRecruiter offers can be easily adapted to business blog content writing…After all, as content writers, our goal is to make a good impression on visitors to our – or our clients’ – websites..

Observe others
To get a sense of how you might want to present yourself, do some people-watching. For each person that passes, write down the first adjective that comes to mind – professional, confident, stylish. Decide which words you’d like to be associated with and mirror that look.

Business blogging is one way we have of “talking about ourselves”, and we need to make sure we use words in ways that give readers the right impression. One way to “see” ourselves from the point of view of visitors is to visit others’ websites, including those of competitors. Is the “vibe” welcoming and empathetic? Brash? Don’t copy, simply get a sense of how different websites appeal to visitors, and emulate the tone that seems to best reflect the impression you’d like to make on visitors to your site.

Of course, as Neil Patel points out, you can also use “competitive intelligence” to gain insight into which keywords are helping your competitors’ rankings online.

Strike a pose
In the right outfit, you’re more likely to “strike a power pose” and put your best foot forward. Look for fashion at affordable prices or reach out to a friend or family member who can lend you an outfit.

In blog marketing, as I teach at Say It For You, the visual elements are as important as the content itself. The main message of a blog is delivered in words, of course. Where visuals come in, whether they’re in the form of “clip art”, photos, graphs, charts, or even videos, is to add interest and evoke emotion. You should take pride in your blog’s appearance, ease of navigation, and correct grammar.

Whether for a job interview or a blog post – it’s important to pick an outfit!

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Terms to Drop in Blogging for Business

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“Most important business decisions are made with incomplete information and under conditions of uncertainty,” Marketing professors Kim and Todd Saxton write in the Indianapolis Business Journal. Uncertainty permeates decisions about products/technology, market, people and funding. For that reason, the Saxtons believe, we need to change some of the terms commonly used in business planning.

Road Map
What would be more appropriate is a set of sailing instructions. There’s still a vision to motivate and inspire, but everyone aboard is also monitoring winds and currents that create challenges. The entire crew is involved in constant adjustment and adaptation to make sure the ship continues to make progress.

At Say it For You, where we specialize in creating blog content, I couldn’t have come up with a better metaphor for blogging than an ongoing set of sailing instruction adjustments. Unlike brochures, client newsletters, online magazines, and websites, blog posts are more casual and conversational, hence most adjustable to what’s going on in the present moment. 

Think Outside the Box
Most businesspeople are used to thinking within constraints. Give people a new problem to solve inside a box: What’s the biggest hassle using our product and why? What customers use our product in the most unusual ways? Give people structure for their brainstorming, the Saxtons advise.

Very important to successful business blogging is addressing current issues readers care about. A prospect may have a need and not be aware there is a solution. Content marketing raises awareness of solutions and educates consumers about products they may not have considered before. A single blog post can help readers think outside their “box”.

Low-Hanging Fruit
Rather than taking the easy way out by isolating yourself from challenge and competition, embrace the hardest product-development and customer service challenges. Remember, the Saxton’s say, the low-hanging fruit is available to all your competitors as well – dare to be different.

A really important point all blog writers and business owners need to keep in mind is that, whether it’s business-to-business blog writing or business to consumer blog writing, the blog content itself needs to use opinion to clarify what differentiates that business, that professional practice, or that organization from its peers. 

When working with business owners to arrive at the right tone and the right emphasis for their business blogs, I begin by challenging the owner of the business or professional practice to make clear their own opinions about best practices for their own profession or industry. Providing information about products and services may be the popular “low-hanging fruit” way way to write marketing blog posts, but in terms of achieving Influencer status – that takes opinion!

“Road map”, “Thinking outside the box”, and “Low-hanging fruit” may all need to be dropped in blogging for business!

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Add the Fred Factor to Your Business Blog

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Within ten minutes of his house are two giant hardware stores that are known for their low prices , Mark Sanborn relates in his book The Fred Factor, but he never goes to either one. Instead, Sanborn goes to a smaller store about ten minutes away. There, when you walk in the door, knowledgeable helpful staff members greet you and take you to the exact spot where you can find what you need. And, Sanborn adds, they ask enough questions to find out if what you asked for is what you need for the job. All organizations have access to the same information, training, compensation systems, and processes. So why do some succeed and others flop, Sanborn asks? The secret is passionate employees.

How can that “Fred Factor” be made to come across a computer screen, I wondered. With so many potential customers meeting you online these days, rather than in person, how can you replicate the feeling of being greeted by “knowledgeable and helpful staff members”? First-time blog site visitors can, indeed, become customers IF, Neil Patel explains, “you listen to them and give them a good visitor experience.” The goal – moving visitors upwards through the “trust pyramid”, from awareness to understanding, then belief, and finally to action.

The process begins, Patel says, with defining your ideal reader. See that customer as one person, not as groups of people, then develop a unique selling proposition around that very person. Just a Sanborn was saying about his favorite hardware store, success is all about solving problems and making customers happy. What valuable gift can you give to your first-time blog visitors in order to excite and retain them. Put yourself in their shoes and feel their pain, Patel says.

Sanborn was impressed with the fact that the hardware associates were right there at the door to welcome him and help him navigate to precisely the right shelf to find what he needed. In precisely the same way, now that visitors have found their way to your blog, your immediate challenge is to put them at ease by assuring them they’ve come to the right place and convey that they are valued.

Translating a face-to-face shopping experience into a digital visit is the challenge we blog content writers take on. Saying you offer superior customer service is never enough – you have to specifically illustrate ways in which your company’s customer service exceeds the norm. Stories of all kinds help personalize a business blog. Even if a professional writer is composing the content, true-story material increases engagement by readers with the business or practice. Case studies are particularly effective in creating interest, because they are relatable and “real”.

You might not think of simplifying your website navigation as another way to personalize your service, but it absolutely is. Both the content of your blog posts and the navigation paths on the blog site had better be easy, calling for fewer keystrokes and less confusion. Just as the hardware salesperson asked questions before taking Sanborn to the right section of the store, the website can help “steer” visitors to the right click.

Think of ways to add a “Fred Factor” to your website and blog.

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5 Marketing Strategies Your Business Needs to thrive in the COVID-19 Era

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       Today’s post was contributed by guest Amy Collet, creator of Bizwell.org, a website that helps professionals and entrepreneurs build and strengthen their personal brand. She is also the author of the upcoming book, You, Exemplified: The Role of Personal Branding in Your Professional Life. 

While thousands of companies have had to pause or close their businesses during the COVID-19 lockdowns, many have opened those doors back up. As exciting as this is, there are still a lot of challenges ahead.

Small businesses have been asking: How do I keep my customers safe? How can my business stay afloat if we encounter another round of lockdowns? How can I re-engage my customers now that we are back in business?

Of course, let’s not forget the most important question of all: How can I boost my business on a budget? Even with grants and stimulus checks, many businesses had to tap into their cash reserves to survive. Here are five budget-friendly marketing strategies to keep business flowing during the pandemic.

Hire marketing help.

If your business closed at all during 2020, then you may need to start your marketing efforts from scratch. Say It For You has been providing traffic-driving content and marketing strategies for businesses for years. You stand to benefit when you partner with such a professional — who can revamp your website, deliver quality blog content, kickstart your social media campaigns and engage your customers with paid social campaigns. Keep all these within a smart budget by hiring small businesses, freelancers, contractors, or interns looking to build their resumes.

Be sure your legal ducks are in a row.

A lot has changed with regard to business legality since the pandemic first hit. Sadly, some people have discovered that they weren’t able to apply for grants and loans because their businesses weren’t properly filed. Prevent that from happening to you by forming a limited liability company (LLC). Not only will that give you access to any future COVID-19 relief funds, but it also qualifies you for tax breaks and other benefits. Regulations vary from state to state, so do thorough research or enlist the help of a formation service to guide you.

Reward your loyal customers.

The customers who stuck with you or came back deserve a little extra TLC. Most business owners know that retention and loyalty are the foundation for successful business growth. Customer Service Magazine suggests doing something simple, like delivering loyalty rewards to their email inbox.

You can also go the extra mile by opening up your store for solo shopping or offer them sneak peeks of new merchandise. If you provide a service, offer how-to webinars to help them advance their own livelihoods with your insider knowledge.

Keep your customers confident.

If you have a brick-and-mortar building or meet clients face-to-face, be sure to follow all of the CDC’s guidelines for safety. While COVID-19 is not a deadly illness for most people, it can shut down entire communities if all aren’t careful and cautious. Remember that the sooner we beat this, the sooner we can get back to normal — and we all have a part to play.

Don’t give up.

Things have been hard — that’s an understatement. You may have to act differently or think broadly about what you do and how you do it, but a little creativity can go a long way. The point is to persevere. There are no easy answers these days and the business world has a long way to go to recover. You’ll have to do some long-term planning in the face of uncertainty, which is hard, but not impossible. When all else fails, turn to your customers — ask them how they are feeling and how you can better meet their needs — then go from there.

Small businesses have a long road to recovery ahead, but it’s also very hopeful. Businesses are opening back up and many are thriving from the support of their communities. Take the time to explore some of these tips to launch your business back into success.

 

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Blogging Pointers From a Sales Training Star

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“The introduction and body of your presentation might be in good shape, but don’t forget about your closing remarks,” famed sales trainer Brian Tracy cautions. “Often, your audience will remember your final words the longest.” Back when I was an investment sales professional, Brian Tracy’s tapes kept me on the right track whenever I felt discouraged. Today, I realize, many of Tracy’s tips about a speaker’s closing remarks can be applied to content marketing…

Tie up all the loose ends. Make sure you’ve hit all the points you said you would.
A big part of successful blog content writing involves getting the “pow opening line” right.. “Pow” endings tie back to the openers, bringing the post full-circle. If you’ve used a list to organize the information, use the concluding paragraph to help readers see the connection between the information you’ve provided and the products and services you have to offer.

Use inflection in your voice.
As your speech is drawing to an end, you can use your tone of voice, inflection, and pitch to signal that things are wrapping up, Tracy advises. While we are not using voice in blogging for business, we blog content writers can use typeface and bolding to draw readers’ special attention to parts of the message in each of our posts, including the closing sentence..

Summarize your main message.
The content of the opening sentence can be designed to grab readers’ attention. Two possible tactics include beginning with the conclusion, using the remainder of the blog post to “prove” the validity of the bold opening assertion. Or, if you’ve opened by posing a challenging question in the opening sentence, using the post to propose an answer, the ending can consist of restateing the question and then the answer.

Include a call to action. “Make it easy for your audience to take action by being clear and direct.”
Direct, but never abrupt, caution the authors of writtent.com caution. The CTA must be a logical extension of the blog post itself, they advise.

Around six years ago, BusinessWeek magazine had an article about corporate executives in demand as speakers, advising them to “Choose Your Podium Wisely”, accepting only those opportunities likely to result in business leads, attracting new talent to their firms, or building their company’s reputation. There, too, I found a parallel between speakers and blog content writers. I advised blog marketers to pinpoint their target customers and clients and focus the blog content on the needs of that audience.

Public speakers and content writers – we’re both out to bring the right message in the right way to the right audience!

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