Ghost Bloggers Pied Pipers In Reverse

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As a professional writer, I derive pleasure out of a nicely turned phrase, a “word tidbit”, if you will.  In an earlier blog,  I shared one nice tidbit used by The New York Times to report on high food prices.  Then, just the other day, I read another really great word tidbit in the Journal of FInancial Planning (I retired from a financial planning career, but still keep up on continuing education).

A short item about affluent investors’ loyalty to their original financial planners was titled “Advisors No Pied Pipers”.  The writer presented a survey showing that only 33% of clients would follow their advisor to another firm. I confess I hadn’t thought about the pied piper story since grade school, but this title immediately brought into my mind a picture of the Pied Piper, bells on his pointed cap and pipe in his mouth, prancing ahead of an army of rats, leading them away from the town.  In just four words, the writer was able to make me think about the whole story.  And, using just the right words to evoke an image, I reflected, is exactly what we ghost bloggers try to do! 

In the case of blogging, of course, I’m after the reverse Pied-Piper effect, trying to lead customer to my client’s website.  Through search engine optimization techniques, including using key words, posting frequently, and providing relevant content, the blog “pipes” itself towards the top of the search list and then “pipes” customers right to the website  After all, when it comes to web-based communication, words, along with pictures, are a business’ only “music”.

Closing my copy of the Journal of Financial Planning, I thought: Now, that’s what a ghost blogger does for a living – makes music in order to make business happen.  Please excuse me while I sew bells onto my cap!

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What’s On Your Blog Bumper?

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As a ghost blogger, I’m always alert for interesting ways in which words are used. Leafing through my program book at the symphony concert, I noticed an ad for Arts Trust license plates.  You’ve no doubt seen these specialty plates that can be ordered through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.  The extra fee you pay for a specialty plate supports a not-for-profit organization of your choice.  The Arts Trust plate carries a colorful logo and just three words, “celebrate the Arts”.

Thinking about this for a moment, I realized there’s not much room on a license plate for more than a very few words.  And, when you’re driving behind another vehicle, glancing at the license plate, you don’t have a lot of time for reading.  But, there you are, in traffic, with the arts the last thing on your mind, and suddenly, even if just for a moment, you are thinking about the arts!

In a way, that’s precisely the effect you want your company blogs to have.  Your potential customer is searching for something, scanning various pages ‘s relevant, it’s about what he/she is looking for.  In just an instant, you and your company are top of mind for that customer.  The blog, just like a speciality license plate, is there to seize the momen€ and Say It For You.  You want that customer to”drive on” – right to your company website!

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Blogs And Podiums – Choose Yours Wisely

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Talk about traffic congestion – you wouldn’t believe how many folks are venturing into the blogosphere.  Millions of people are putting ideas and information out on the World Wide Web, often just to share knowledge and give others the benefit of their opinions.  But if you’re a business owner, you’re probably using your blog as part of your marketing campaign.  The only reason you’re establishing a blog is to attract new business to your website.  Your blog is your podium – you get to showcase your business so customers will want you to be the one to provide them with the product or the service they need.

The other day, In BusinessWeek magazine, I read a short piece called “Choose Your Podium Wisely”. The article talked about the fact that top corporate executives get lots of speaking invitations, so many that they need to choose which engagements to accept.  A consulting firm named Burson-Marsteller took a survey of CEO’s to see how they measured “return on investment” for a speech. Was the speech rewarding because it brought in business leads?  Did it attract new talent to the CEO’s firm? Did the speech build the company’s reputation?

The consultant’s rule for executives planning speaking engagements is actually a perfect fit for business bloggers: Keep a specific goal in mind.  Then find the audience most likely to deliver that benefit to your company!

As a ghost blogger, I find this rule to be absolutely essential to keep in mind when I’m doing planning with business owners. Before your blog can be used as an effective tool, you need to focus in on one specific goal.  Who are your target customers or clients? What approach would have the most appeal to that segment of your market?  Will the emphasis be on your product or on special service and expertise?  Pick one primary area of focus – don’t try to do everything in one blog.  In other words, choose your blog “podium” wisely.

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What Women, Men, and Search Engines Want

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The majority of women, myself included, are not overly interested in what other women want.  Unlike the majority of my female peers, on the other hand, I’m only slightly interested in what men, as a gender, want.  (I’ll hasten to add that the wants of certain men important in my life do occupy a high spot on my priority list.) But, gender matters aside, as a member of a small but rapidly growing cadre of ghost bloggers, I’m absolutely fascinated with learning what search engines want. I’m referring to the likes of Google, MSN, and Yahoo, and giving those search engines what they want is the whole idea behind business blogging.

The other day I caught a cute article in Entertainment Weekly that discussed the fact that men are embracing their feminine side in romantic comedy movies these days.  The article was titled “Guys Are The New Girls”. The piece ends with a wry question: “What do women – and men – want out of a man?”

Apparently, the answer to that question is still the subject of much debate.  By contrast, (happily for me as a professional ghost blogger), what search engines want is rather clear – to deliver relevant content to online searchers.

What determines how relevant content is?  Well, two ingredients are important for sure – recency and frequency. That’s exactly why once-in-a-while blogging just doesn’t do the trick, even if it’s high-quality stuff.  To satisfy a search engine, your blog material must be updated frequently, and I mean very frequently.  It seems that when it comes to blogging for business, search engines are saying, “Never mind what you’ve done. What have you done for me lately?”

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Converting Lookers To Buyers In Your Blog Booth

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In an earlier blog, I shared with you a very practical “no-no” about trade show booths:  Don’t use a table as a barrier between you and the customer.  I related that advice to  your business blog and how to make it inviting.  Here’s another valuable trade show tip I picked up from business event marketing specialist Kathleen Haley:  It’s a big mistake not to have an effective system for following up on leads you get at your booth.

Remember, the display in front of your “booth” is your blog.  The blog, with its frequently changing and engaging content, draws people into your website.  Now, that looker is not just another face passing by at the trade show (the Web) – it’s a lead!  And, what you do with leads like that makes all the difference between wasted effort and new business. You’ve heard it before, but it’s true, oh, so true: You’ve gotta have a plan!

You and your ghost blogger, along with your web designer and administrator, are part of a marketing team.  With a well-conceived plan, once the “leads” are inside the booth, your website functions perfectly to gather information about what those people need, provide that information, and convert them into customers.  You’ve set a process in motion, one that gets better with practice. Your blog opens the line of communication to your target market.  Lookers click by at the web trade show, are drawn into your website booth, where you “meet” them and convert them into buyers.  Easy? Actually, no. But, can it work?  With a well-written, regularly posted blog, a marketing team, and a plan – oh, my, yes!

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