Dealing With the Downside in Business Blogs

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businessman graphIt’s always instructive for me to observe different ways information is presented to readers. That’s especially true if the subject matter is “sensitive”.

Of course, in business blogs, it would be wonderful if everything were positive and all we needed to do was write about positive developments in our business or practice, about all the benefits that come from using our products and services, and about the flawless customer service which we’ve, without exception, provided.  And, of course, that’s not the way the world works, is it?

I was thinking about that the other day when I came across a guide sheet my college mentor colleagues and I had been given to educate us on ways to advise disabled students applying for internships and permanent employment.  The tutorial was called Disclosing Your Disability in three Steps.

I think all of us blog content writers can take a real lesson from that approach to putting a positive emphasis even when honestly disclosing not-so-positive information.

Step 1: Prepare to disclose.
Consider your strengths and challenges. To the extent you’re comfortable, the employer will feel comfortable.  Consider timing – before the interview, after an offer is made, etc.  Plan in advance.

“Thou shalt never hide the facts,” writes Georgetown University professor Robert Bies in Forbes Magazine. When hidden facts become public, you’ll look worse.  But, adds Bies, find positives associated with the bad news, positives grounded in reality. Focus the readers’ attention on the way your company or practice has solved, or is solving the problem.

Step 2: Prepare a script.
Write down what you want to say.  Keep the language simple and avoid being too clinical or detailed.  Remember, the employer will be interested in whether you’ll show up, and whether you’ll be of value to the organization.

One very important use for business blog content writing is exercising control over the way the public perceives any negative developments. The blog is the place to correct any inaccurate press statements

Step 3: Disclose.
Be confident.  You will teach your prospective employer how to respond to your disability based upon the way YOU are handling disclosing it.  Stress your courage and motivation.

As a corporate blogging trainer, I know how crucial it is to convey to customers, as well as to the online searchers who are y our prospects, the kind of message that will alleviate mistrust and create confidence.

Blog posts are like interviews, and sometimes, we content writers need to courageously deal with the downside!

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So What’s the Deal with Business Blog Posts?

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“So what’s the deal with Japanese whisky?” is the intriguing title of a feature article in Mental Floss Magazine. Reporter Kyle Chayka holding a glass of whiskyorganizes the article around four questions; I think that precise format could be adapted to any business blog post introducing a product or service.

Background material:
“Wait…How Did Whisky Ever Land in Japan?” The author explains that a young man studying chemistry in Glasgow returned home to start Japan’s first distillery. In this part of the blog post, the content writer would talk about the origins of the company, and about the particular consumer or business need that company is able to satisfy.

So What Makes It Different from Scotch?
Technically, not much, explains Chayka, but Japan’s distillers “take time to make it correctly rather than making it quickly and cheaply.” In this portion of the post, the content writer would explain the differentiating features of the product or service, comparing it to competitors’ offerings.

What Does it Taste Like?
“Japanese distilleries also use rare Mizunara oak for their barrels, which imparts a hinty of coconut,” the author explains. When you’re composing business blog content, I tell writers, imagine readers asking themselves – “How will I use the product (or service?” “How will I feel?”

How Should I Drink It?
“Highball” in Japan is synonymous with a whisky soda. So mix away! But if you like drinking it neat, a great starter blend is Nikka’s Taketsuru Pure Malt 12 Year,” is the author’s advice.  This section of the blog post would offer helpful hints relating to the product or service. In every business or profession, there’s no end to the technical information available to consumers on the Internet. But it falls to us business blog content writers to break all that information down into chewable tablet form, telling readers “how to drink it”.

So What’s the deal with business blog posts?  Give ‘em the background, differentiate, give ‘em a taste and then give them advice!

 

 

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How Long is Too Long for Business Blog Posts?

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short pencilThe average American, according to readingsoft.com, reads between 200 and 300 words per minute with a typical comprehension of 60%.

How long can a presenter at a meeting hold your attention?  If the topic is of interest to you and she’s a good presenter, you can focus for seven to ten minutes at most, according to Mr. Media Training. If people have a short break, they can start over with another 7-10 minute period.

Neil Vidyarthi of Social Times thinks attention spans have dropped to five minutes, and that it’s the fault of social media “ruining our minds”. Samuel Chan is even more pessimistic: “Web surfers have a painfully short attention span, one that matches the goldfish’s nine seconds short attention span,” he dolefully remarks.

For us freelance blog content writers in Indianapolis, do these national stats matter?  “Yes,” says Chan, “It matters, but only up to the point where it reminds us brand owners, businesses, advertisers and marketers how limited a time we have to capture our audience’s attention.”.
Chan’s advice?  “Ignore what these statistics are yelling at you.” Focus instead, he says, on creating compelling content. Offer digestible chunks of information.

If you didn’t already know this, there are tests you can put your blog through to see how you’re doing in terms of readability – are you reaching the right people and doing it by using words and sentences to which they can relate?  A Readability Index Calculator can give you the answer (the most frequently-used is the Flesch-Kincaid).

In coaching new business blog content writers, I like to recommend something that is not driven by statistics: Stay excited – we do that by continually “reading around” and “listening around”.  Readers can sense our excitement.

When it comes to effective blogging for business, we need to exercise “portion control” in the length of paragraphs, of blog titles and of entire blog posts. The professional ghost blogger rule I try to keep in mind and one I teach to business owners is this: Stick to one central idea, and then say it until it’s said.

Simply put, make each blog post as short as possible, but no shorter!

 

 

 

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The Royal “We” in Business Blogging

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“When Roman consuls spoke of public issues, they did so on behalf of all those with whom they shared power, and Royal Gold Crownso they used the royal pronoun ‘we” instead of the singular,” Doug Lennon explains in The Little Book of Answers.  Then King Richard I began to use the “royal we”, implying that he was speaking for his subjects as well as for himself. It’s improper, Lennon cautions, for nonroyals to use the plural.  (That’s why, when Margaret Thatcher referred to herself as “we”, she incurred nothing but ridicule.)

Why, then, do I so like for Indianapolis freelance blog content writers to express themselves as “we”?

  • Using first person pronouns (“I” and “we”) helps keep the blog conversational rather than either academic-sounding or sales-ey.
  • “We” shows the people behind the posts, introducing the personality of the business owner or team ready to serve customers.
  • Using “we” allows statements of opinion, establishing the business owner or professional as a thought leader:  “At ——-.we believe…”  “Here at ———-, we always…”  “At ______. We’re convinced that….”
  • We freelance blog content writers “speak” not for ourselves, but on behalf of the companies and professional practices we’re marketing. Richard I spoke for his subjects; we’re writing for our clients.

On the other hand, shouldn’t content creators learn anything from the icy reception Margaret Thatcher earned by using the “we” word? Yes, but it’s got little to do with putting ourselves – or our clients – out there as royalty.  In fact, all content writing for marketing blogs is second person-driven, meaning that it’s all about the “you”s (the targeted readers who are the potential customers) and their wants and needs.’

The royal “we” in business blogging just keeps things up close and personal!

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Softly, Softly Advertising by Blogging for Business

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company name“An advertorial is ‘softly softly’ advertising,” cautions write.co.nz., by using a news or human-interest story to sell your product or service. The art of writing a good advertorial, write.co explains, is getting the right balance between story and sale. To do it right, the author warns, your advertorial must start and finish with the story, putting the sales message in the middle, never lower than the third paragraph.

Imagine you’re writing an advertorial about your new sports therapy clinic, says write.co. If you’re promoting the clinic as a whole, the story might be about the growing popularity of holistic therapy clinics. If, on the other hand, you’re promoting a particular service, the story might consist of facts and figures about that service. But if you’re promoting the clinic’s staff, your story might consist of a personal profile.

There’s a parallel here with business blog content writing. Sure, when people go online to search for information and click on different blogs or on different websites, they’re aware of the fact that the providers of the information are out to do business.  But as long as the material is valuable and relevant for the searchers, they’re perfectly fine with knowing there’s someone who wants them for a client or customer.  The secret of successful business blogging, I found, is just that – not coming on too strong, staying in “softly, softly” mode.

As in the example write.co offers about the sports therapy clinic, each separate blog post should have a definite focus on only one aspect of the business or practice. In designing blog content, we need to present the “condensed” version of the information, then offer as one CTA (call to action) with the ability to click through to a landing page on the business’ or practice’s website to obtain more information. In fact, blog posts have a distinct advantage over the more static website copy, because you can have a razor-sharp focus on just one story, one idea, one aspect of your business in today’s post, saving other topics for later posts.

The story ties it all together – the answers to readers’ questions, and the solution you’re proposing.  You set the scene, introduce the characters, have them encounter, then overcome the obstacles.

Keep softly, softly advertising by blogging for business!

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