A Profoundly Moving “Final” Blog Post

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“In October of 2014, I was told I was about to embark on a journey.  As I prepared In Memory Letterpressfor this journey, I learned many things about life and myself…I had been given a special gift – time to prepare for my final ‘destination’, what baggage to bring or not bring. As you read this, you know I have reached that destination.”

Just last week, in my monthly e-newsletter, I talked about “changing voices” in business blog content writing.  “I/you” writing, I explained, is very personal, with the business owner or practitioner talking directly with the reader. By contrast, when interviewing clients and reporting on their experience or when interviewing experts, that writing might be done in third person.

Never before, though, had I come across “I/you” writing in the form of a self-composed obituary. Donn K. Miles, who died June 17th, had prepared the obit which I read in the Indianapolis Star. “I was born…”  “I was adopted…”  “I graduated…”  “I served…” “I was married…” “My curious nature and the love of people led me to a lifelong employment in the world of sales….”

The late Mr. Miles was so right – he had indeed been given a special gift and he was able to give me and all the other readers a special gift by putting his story into words.

Naturally, as a content writer for so many years, I feel reverence for the power of words, of “voice”, of messaging.  And, while the marketing messages we offer online readers may not be as profound or as stirring  as Miles’ story about his final journey, the words we use in our blog are the best tools we have for letting others hear the story of what we do, what we’ve learned, what we offer, and, essentially, who we are.

Thank you, Donn K. Miles for your profoundly moving “final blog post” obituary, reminding us Indianapolis blog content creators of the power of I/you writing!

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In Business Coaching or Blogs, It’s All About Time, People, & Production

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hWhether things are going wrong or right for an organization or business almost always has to do with time, people, and production, explains executive and corporate coach Kim Stoneking. Are the people working well together?  Is everyone’s thinking aligned on best practices for that business or practice? Is work completed on time?  Are the products and services of the very best quality for that market and price point?

You may be sure those are the very questions going through the minds of online searchers as they begin reading your blog posts to learn about your company or practice. Of course, the typical website explains what products and services the company offers, who the “players” are and in what geographical area they operate. The better websites give at least a taste of the corporate culture and some of the owners’ core beliefs.

But it’s the continuous business blog writing that “fleshes out” the skeleton, describing those things that make any company or practice stand out from its peers. The blog is where readers can gain a deeper perspective about the time, the people, and the production. For every fact about the company or about one of its products or services, a blog post addresses unspoken questions such as “So, is that different?”, “So, is that good for me?”

It’s interesting to me, after all these years as a blog writing trainer, to see all the things the process of producing a corporate blog tends to reveal about the people in that company and how they manage time and production.

I often begin by questioning the blogging client: “If you had only 8-10 words to describe why you’re passionate about what you do, what you know, and what you sell, what would those words be?”

And what I’m finding is this: the very process of creating content to “put out there” in your blog forces you, the business owner or professional practitioner, to keep answering the question “What-do-I-want-my- business/practice-to-be-as-it-grows-up?”

In business coaching or blogs, it’s all about time, people, and production!

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Helpful Hint Blog Writing

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hints and tipsHitting precisely the right “advertorial” note is the big challenge in corporate blog writing.  In fact, one point I’ve consistently stressed in these Say It For You blog content writing tutorials is how important it is to provide valuable information to readers, while avoiding any hint of “hard sell”.  Well, providing tips and help hints may very well be the perfect tactic for accomplishing that very goal.  

In a recent issue of AARP magazine, I found an article that uses a “kill-two-birds-with-one-stone” approach to offering helpful hints.  I think that approach could work really well in blogging to promote a business or professional practice.

The AARP article is titled “Great ways to save: tips from 20 experts that can save you thousands of dollars.”  Wow! That gets readers’ attention – useful information coming to them not from any sponsor or vendor, but from twenty experts.  What’s more, the authors have done all the work, collecting all this wisdom and serving it up for readers’ convenience.

I noticed that the “Great ways to save” article was about money management; the tips were collected from a money coach, a chief information officers, the fashion director for Men’s Health magazine, and a positive living expert.

OK, so as a business blog writing trainer, how would I advise adapting that helpful-hint/curation strategy to you business or practice?

Find complementary businesses or practices.  Ask the owners (or cite their blogs) for tips they can offer your readers.  Pet care professionals can share tips from carpet cleaning pros – or the reverse! If you’re a carpet cleaning pro, you can share tips from allergists as well.  If you’re an insurance advisor, offer tips from car dealers about accident prevention.

Of course, you’re going to want to add some tips of your own.  A realtor’s blog might offer tips for buying a house.  A restaurant’s blog might offer hints on tipping etiquette or the temperature of “rare”, “medium” and “well-done” steaks. Whatever the product or service, readers will be hungry for information that helps them gain maximum advantage for buying and using it.

Helpful hint blog writing can be very useful to your business or practice!

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Trying for Incomplete in Blogging for Business

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one piece of a whole“In blogging, it’s important to blog about a particular topic without being complete,” says Lou Dubois in Inc. “If it’s conversational as a blog is supposed to be, you get a chance to say one thing or one idea, and then it’s your customer’s turn to talk or respond.”

“Successful bloggers are focused on their audience and readers as they move out from behind the podium,” says Liz Strauss. “They come in with a beginner’s mind and aren’t afraid to say ‘I’m learning’ as they talk to others and improve.”

That “beginner’s mind” thing really struck a chord with me.  Nine-plus years ago, when I was an experienced writer but very new to blogging, I would attend seminars, read blogs and books about blog content writing and then share that material with readers even as I was learning it myself. (And that, as Paul Harvey used to say, is “the rest of the story” of the Say It For You blog.)

The idea of blogging about your topic (your business or practice) without being complete is an important one on several counts:

  • You cover one aspect of the topic, then link to another blog content writer’s comments about the subject you’re covering, showing that you stay in touch with others in your industry or profession.
  • You leave room to cover other aspects of the topic in future blog posts.
  • Your readers are “learning along with you,” rather like a travel agent who’s experiencing a location for the first time, along with her group.
  • Readers have reason to “put in their two cents”.

The “beginner’s mind” template might appear at first to be a direct contradiction to a piece of advice I often offer to clients and blog content writers, which is to establish themselves as thought  leaders in their field.

Actually, there’s no contradiction.  As business owners or professional practitioners (or perhaps as the blog content writers for those clients), we need to come across as “real”.  Yes, we have knowhow and experience to share, but, along with our readers, we learn something new every day.

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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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