The Most Over-Hyped Things In Business Blogs

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We humans are a funny bunch, remarks Mark Juddery in Overrated! The 50 Most Overhyped Things in History.  People seem to "find comfort in that which has been passed down as accepted knowledge."

I think perhaps there’s some over-hyping going on when it comes to blogging for business. I can think of at least three aspects of business blogging that tend to be over-emphasized (sometimes at the expense of the things that really do matter for building business through blogging):

1.   Number of RSS subscribers (or repeat visitors):
You certainly want to use your blog to boost your credibility so that you’re seen as the "go-to" source for information in your field. So in theory, at least, having lots of RSS subscribers is what Martha Stewart might call "a good thing".

The reality that I’ve found, though, is that many who RSS a blog are pure information-seekers not ready to act.  I’m not saying RSS is a bad thing, not at all.  What I am saying is that, while you’re busy accumulating numbers of RSS subscribers and Facebook fans, keep in mind that the majority are probably not your prospects.  The bottom line of business blogging is reached when the cash register rings with an online buyer at the other end of the transaction.

2.   The above-the-fold rule:
Going back to an old newspaper term, where the important news was placed  where it could be readily seen by buyers passing news stands, the version of the "above-the-fold" rule that’s been hyped for websites and blogs is that visitors shouldn’t need to scroll down – or across – to read the information on the blog page.  While it makes sense to have the most important content on each page be the most visible, the above-the fold rule has been a bit over-hyped. Bloggers become preoccupied with finding the "ideal length" for a post.  The rule I’ve arrived at is "Make your blog posts as short as possible, but not shorter!" If developing an idea means going below the "fold", I say, go ahead and do it.

3. High-tech visual effects:
I love the advice Robert Bly offers in 5 Ways to Stretch Your Marketing Budget: "Don’t over-present yourself!" "Your prospects will look at your overdone literature and wonder whether you really understand your market and its needs."

The blog site equivalent of what Bly’s describing is overdone blog pages, complete with "flash", scrolling icons, too many videos, colors, elaborate type – anything but plain and to the point.  Too much garnish, too little meal. The star of a blog is the content.  Period. All the rest is the accompaniment, and what you don’t want is the band drowning out the singer….

 

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How Not-So-Bright Ideas Can Brighten Business Blogs – Part Two

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Continuing my thoughts from last week on the subject of business bloggers learning good ideas from bad ones, here are three more "to-do’s" from the stories of the not-so-mad scientists who earned Ig Nobel awards.

Ig Nobel winners, you’ll remember, are honored for achievements “that make people laugh, then make them think.” And, while my ghost blogging clients and I may not be invited to the gala at Harvard University, I figure anything that stimulates our thinking and continues the flow of creative ideas to use in our blog posts has to be good for the cause.

Veterinary Medicine Prize
Agriculture professors from Newcastle University in England found that dairy cows called by name product 68 gallons more milk per year. It’s important, concluded the scientists, to know each cow as an individual.

Blog writing, to be effective, must be not only conversational, but targeted towards the needs of a specific audience, so that online searchers have that special feeling of “Aha! I’ve come to the right place!”

Physics Prize
Anthropologists from three universities studied the spinal columns of women to find out why pregnant women don’t tip over. They discovered that women have three wedged lumbar vertebrae to accommodate the extra weight of a baby.

Blog posts are short, informal pieces, but a small business owner’s or professional practitioner’s blog can have a hefty effect on blog marketing results.

Public Health Prize
Three inventors in Chicago created a bra that doubles as two separate gas masks to protect against radioactive particles, soot, smoke, or viruses.

Blogs are ideal multi-tasking tools, with the content perfect for trade show brochures and handouts, for inserts into packages shipped to customers, as links in email follow-ups.

Just the other day, a reader asked whether I’d mind sharing where I get my ideas for blog posts. I think today’s blog post is a great example of my answer – everywhere!  When I train business owners and employees to create blog content, I like to emphasize that at least half the time that goes into creating a blog post is reading/research/thinking time!

 

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Guest Post: What Bloggers Can Learn From Farmers

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Once again, my friend Lorraine Ball and I are trading guest blog posts.  Lorraine’s company is Roundpeg, a full service marketing firm serving the Indianapolis small business community,  that helps small business become big business….

I have often used the farming metaphor when teaching classes on networking, but now Chris Brogan channels the same concept with regard to your blog. Drawing a comparison to farmers, Chris lists 11 "chores" which should be part of your daily routine if you are serious about writing a blog.

His list included things I do on a regular basis, (not every day, but fairly often):

  • Get your blog post up. Make it helpful, worthy of comments and unique.
  • Comment on other people’s blog posts.
  • Share other people’s blog posts.

Comment back to people who’ve commented on your blog.

If you are serious about building a regular readership, these items are a must. If it seems overwhelming, this is where a ghost writer or at least someone researching content and resources for you can be helpful. 

There were other things on his list which are not a part of my daily routine, but should be, such as

  • Read something not related to your market.
  • Connect with five people not in your vertical or your geography.
  • Reconnect with people who matter. Drop an email or call. Don’t ask for anything.

    (This is fun!  I enjoy learning new things and meeting new people, and following these suggestions I get a chance to do both!)

And finally he had some suggestions which are important, not just for my blog, but for business in general.

  • Look at the map of where you think things are going for your business. Anything change?
  • Read the “weather” from the blogs you follow. Anything there?
  • Think about what seeds you might plant for future projects.
  • Share at the farmer’s market your best yields.

When I looked at the list, I realized it is a lot to do every day.   I guess that is why farmers get up so early.

As I work with small business owners, presenting a list like this can be overwhelming.  My advice, mix it up. If blogging is not your core business, but a way of connecting with customers and bringing them to your core business, then create your own farming list, and include some of these elements every day.

–Lorraine Ball
 

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How Not-So-Bright Ideas Can Brighten Business Blogs (Part One)

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Ig Nobel Prizes honor bad ideas, or more correctly, achievements "that make people laugh, and then make them think." (Ig Nobel winners are invited to a gala at Harvard U., then have the chance to lecture at MIT.)

One of my favorite reads, Mental Floss Magazine, highlights some of these "Not-So-Bright-Ideas in Science". I couldn’t help thinking that business bloggers can take some to-to-do tips from the not-so-mad Ig Nobel scientists.

Ig Nobel Medicine Prize:
Warned as a child that cracking his knuckles would cause arthritis, Donald Unger embarked on a sixty-year experiment to prove his mother wrong.  After cracking the knuckles of only his left hand twice a day, he discovered that his two hands remained physically the same, calling into question whether other parental beliefs are flawed.

Any business blogging tactic had better be able to justify the effort and expense in a much shorter time than sixty years! Through studying the analytics and making adjustments to website landing pages, calls to action, and overall marketing strategy, business blogging "experiments" need to make a beeline –  to your business’ bottom line!

Ig Nobel Mathematics Prize:
In response to the hyperinflation plaguing his country, Zimbabwe Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono printed currency ranging from one cent to one hundred trillion dollars. While the bank notes had absolutely no measurable effect on inflation, Gono’s tactic was awarded a prize for "giving people a simple, everyday way to cope with a wide range of numbers".

While good blog posts can and should be entertaining, most online searchers are not pursuing a recreational activity, but instead on on a fact-finding mission, looking for information on products, services, and specialized know-how. The material you serve up in your posts needs to be not only valuable, but and actionable.

(At this point I’m going to follow my own bright idea about "pushing away from the table" and saving some the material for another day and a Part Two post on Not-So-Bright Ideas… )

 

 

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Business Blogs – Not Obvious To Persons Of Ordinary Skill And Knowledge

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You have a chance of being awarded a patent on your invention only if your idea is "not obvious to persons of ordinary skill and knowledge", I learned the other day, when intellectual property attorney Charles Reeves spoke at my Circle Business Network group.  In fact, this "non-obvious" requirement is one of the most difficult steps in the patent process, according to Webpatent.com, yet "it’s a critical hurdle for inventions to clear".

Business bloggers face originality challenges as well.  Of course, printed materials involve copyright law rather than patents.  Susannah Gardner and Shane Bailey, authors of Blogging for Dummies, point out that "Anything and everything you see on the Internet is protected by copyright."  In an earlier blog I advised avoiding plagiarism by properly attributing statements to their authors (see "Ties That Tell the Truth In Blogging").  You can do that with direct quotes, by paraphrasing others’ remarks, or by creating links in your blog posts to other websites (just as I’ve done in this post).

When it comes to business blogging, though, I think there’s more than legality to observe, and more to learn from the rule about patents. We know Google and friends’ "Feed me!" refrain means that, to move higher in search rankings, blogs must provide fresh, relevant content. Perhaps even more important, though, bloggers need to introduce fresh ideas simply in order to engage readers’ interest.  But, with the sheer volume of information on the Web on every topic under the sun, how do we keep providing new material in our blog posts week after week, month after month, even year after year?

And aren’t most of our readers "persons of ordinary skill and knowledge"?  How can we continue to offer information in ways that will not be "obvious" to them? Here are just two ideas:

  • Bring in less well-known facts about familiar things and processes. Edible Chicago magazine featured Burton’s Maplewood Farm in Medora, Indiana, explaining that there are two grades of maple syrup.  "We offer an ‘A’ grade syrup that is typically used on a dish…pancakes, waffles, crepes, etc. and a ‘B’ grade syrup that has more antioxidants and is preferred by most of our Chicago chefs."
  • Suggest new ways of thinking about things readers already know.  For example, before hearing the Charles Reeves presentation, I’d known that many products and processes were patented, but was unaware how originality was measured by the "non-obviousness" standard.

"I didn’t know that!" is the first response you’ should be aiming for from blog readers, followed by "So how can I use that information to my advantage? I’d better find out more!"

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