Archive for category: the Say It For You blog

Today’s guest blogger is Robby Slaughter, author of one of my very favorite business books "Failure – the Secret to Success".  Slaughter runs a productivity consulting  firm in Indianapolis and specializes in helping businesses and individuals become more efficient, more effective and more satisfied.

I’m happy to admit that I am not a mechanic. With enough patience and help, I probably could resolve a few routine problems with my vehicle but if I want quality work done in a reasonable amount of time, I am prepared to open my wallet and engage the services of a professional.

Nevertheless, I am not a complete automotive neophyte. Last month, my driver’s side window somehow became disengaged and then permanently disappeared into the inside of the door. Naturally, I understood that a mechanic would need to take apart the interior panel to assess the problem and then repair or replace some parts inside. This level of knowledge is neither highly technical nor particularly obscure—in fact, anyone who owns a car ought to be able to deduce these broad steps.

When I picked up my vehicle, I was pleased to be able to once again raise the window pane with the flip of a switch. But later that day, I discovered a couple of curious pieces of metal in my back seat. I also found out that the automatic trunk release button—which is built into the same door panel—no longer functioned! I went straight back to the dealership and demanded they address these problems at their own expense.

I am not a mechanic. I have no way of evaluating the work that was done to fix my window. Nevertheless, everyone knows that a repair job should not end with leftover, unused parts tossed onto the floorboards. Furthermore, shouldn’t a professional test all of the functions on the door they just reassembled?

Similarly, most potential customers do not understand the complex technical work that your business provides. I hire a mechanic to work on my car for the same reasons your clients come to you: we all value competence and expertise. Yet when there are extra parts clanking about in the backseat or new, obvious problems introduced as a result of a repair, we all wonder if the supposed professional has any idea what they are doing. The same judgment arises when we spot minor grammatical or spelling mistakes on your business website. If you can’t even manage something relatively easy, why should customers believe you are capable of doing anything difficult?

If you want to grow your business, you must treat your online content as a first-class citizen. Engage professional writers, copyeditors and designers. Treat your business blog with same care as you do your actual customers, so that potential clients see your commitment to detail and quality. Don’t allow trivial mistakes to become a reason for visitors to leave. You may not be able to show the world the amazing work you do in an instant, but don’t provide an excuse to be dismissed as incompetent. Quality matters!

Say It For You comment:  Corporate blogging for business demands discipline and time.  With so many business owners lacking the time for business blog writing, a freelance SEO copywriter can become an integral part of the company’s marketing strategy and tactics development. Slaughter has pointed out something important here: "Potential clients must see your commitment to detail and quality."

My high school English teacher had a poster on her classroom wall that expressed a similar idea: "Autograph your work with excellence."
 

The Indianapolis Star has a section I love called "Let it Out", where readers can get on their "soapbox" about topics of their choice.  There was one comment that I think should really resonate with any blog content writer – I know it did with me:

"I don’t think people ever get ‘ready’ for Christmas – we just run out of time."

When I first launched my business blogging service, it was because I knew, based on the previous twenty five years of writing columns and  newspaper articles, that no piece is ever as perfect as it might be (given further revisions and research).  At some point, though, you run out of time and smack dab into a deadline. 

With business blog writing, there are no actual deadlines (because there’s no newspaper or magazine "going to press"). In a way, though, getting content written and published regularly and frequently is the big challenge. That’s the reason, in my introductory post for my Say It For You blog, I stressed that one quality that makes for a great blog content writer – whether that’s the owner of the business or a ghost blogger- is "drill sergeant discipline". That’s the reason, in fact, most business owners need to hire someone to provide blog writing services.

I realized early on that maintaining momentum is precisely the area in which business owners who want to create company branding and corporate identity online need business blogging help the most. After all, how many small business owners have time to compose and post blogs frequently enough to "win search"? It’s all about the discipline. Fellow blogger Rick Short puts it this way: "If you won’t be able to stick with it once the blogging becomes routine, after you’ve battled with writer’s block, after numerous distractions beckon, then find a new hobby."

And, back to the Star reader’s comment about never being totally ready for Christmas, the other thing about corporate blogging for business  is you’ve got to be able to let the post "go live" even if it’s not the very best it can be.  Alternately, bring in a freelance copywriter to "say it for you"! Either way, while you may not ever be really ready for corporate blogging for business, you won’t run out of time!