Posts

How Sharp is Your Blog Content Axe?

/0 Comments/in /by

“This year, consider closing the gap between your actions and objectives,” writes Chip Munn in financialplanning.com. Harking back to Abe Lincoln (who reportedly said that if he had six hours to chop down a tree, he’d spend five of those hours sharpening his axe), Munn believes it’s time for financial advisors to follow that advice in their practices.

As a “financial planning emerita” I find several of Munn’s practical suggestions relevant for our work as blog marketers:

Document your processes
New opportunities present themselves when they’re in front of you on paper, Nunn observes.

The secret weapon for us blog content writers takes the form of an “idea folder”. That folder could be an actual folder in which newspaper and magazine clippings are collected, a little notebook you carry around, or take the form of a digital file on a phone or tablet.  We “load up” with content for future posts and stay current in the “now” by reading, bookmarking, clipping – and even just noticing – new trends and information relating to each of our clients’ business fields.

Embrace technology
There are exciting graphic design tools and email platforms that have improved the speed and ease of client-facing interactions, the author adds.

The blog platform (in the case of this Say It For You blog, WordPress®) takes care of formatting the content in the form of text and images, and provides a framework for getting it onto a website. The blogging platform also makes it easier for a search engine to categorize the blog entries. Content writers do well to take full advantage of the capabilities of each client’s chosen platform.

Focus on your ideal client
How are you making yourself visible to your ideal clients in the community? What are you delivering tangibly to clients that demonstrates your value? asks Nunn.

If what freelance blog writers do is help business owners build their brand, then the process of deciding what to include in the corporate blog becomes one of the writer helping the owner with self-discovery and of discovery of their ideal client profile.

Leverage your cooperation with people
Build collaboration with other professionals and with your own team, the author counsels.

To be effective content writers, we must engage with not only the business and practice owners who hire us, but with their employees and customers. In fact, in order for our content to appeal to a “better kind of customer” (one who buys for the right reasons and remains loyal,), we can incorporate “learning questions” in the blog posts, relying on readers’ ability to arrive at intelligent answers once we’ve provided intelligent questions and options through the blog content.

Engage your unique wisdom and abilities
Delegate or outsource activities that drain you and focus on those that give you energy and excitement, Nunn advises.

With blog marketing becoming such an indispensable customer acquisition tool, ghost blogging becomes an outsourcing solution for busy business owners who have long-long business goals but who are short-short on time.

Financial planning or blog content writing – old Abe was onto something, I agree. Sharpening our content writing “axe” is advice we try to follow at Say It For You!

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedintumblrmail

Taking a Moment to Introduce Yourself in Your Blog

/0 Comments/in /by


The other day, when I opened my Indianapolis Star (yes, I still enjoy a “real” morning paper, not the digital version), the following note, printed on a strip of white paper, fell out.:

Good morning. We just wanted to take a moment to introduce ourselves. We are
Bobby and Jenny…. We have been your carriers since September, and we hope to
give you the best service possible. If you have any concerns, please feel free to call
or text…or you can email at ………. Hope you have a wonderful day. We really
appreciate you..

Wow! What a wonderful reminder of the power of personal communication, I thought. And,
because as blog content writers we are in the business of personal communication, I wanted
to share this story with my Say It For You readers. This note from my newspaper mail carriers,
I think, reminds us of an all-important point: blog content writers must focus on personal
anecdotes and on the personal values of the business owners and the people promoting their
products and services.
.
One interesting perspective on the work we do as professional bloggers is that we are interpreters, translating clients’ corporate message into human, people-to-people terms.  That, by the way, is the precise reason I prefer first and second person writing in business blog posts over third person “reporting”. I believe people tend to buy when they see themselves in the picture and when can they relate emotionally to the person bringing them the message.

Personal doesn’t necessarily mean over-casual or informal, however.  In fact, for us freelance blog content writers, getting the tone exactly right for a new client is the big challenge. Crystal Gouldey of AWeber Communications names five different “tones” to consider when planning a blog:

  • The formal, professional tone
  • The casual tone
  • The professional-but-friendly tone

Regardless of the topic, I believe, the blog is the place for readers to connect with the people behind the business or practice. To the extent readers feel there are real people introducing themselves and offering solutions, the material will not be perceived as too academic-sounding or overly “sales-ey”.

Whether you’re doing your own writing or using the services of a content writer, take the time to introduce yourself in your blog!

 

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedintumblrmail

Embracing the Encouraging Side of Blogging

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Corbett Barr, writing in thinktraffic.net, encourages blog writers to “embrace your encouraging side.” There’s plenty of cynicism and negativity in the world, Barr says, and sometimes readers just want to be encouraged. I heartily agree. In fact, one of the things we tell content writers is that the last thing you want to do in a blog is to be downbeat or attempt to “scare” readers into taking action.

The “press release” aspect of blogging for business dictates that the first sentences of any post must engage interest (with the “or else” being that visitors click away). Different tactics include raising questions in readers’ minds or describing a provocative scene or situation. Your post might play off a topic currently trending in the news, especially one relating to your profession or industry. Now, having gathered information, using it to demonstrate how readers can use that information in their own lives, remember to present the material in reassuring and encouraging words.

As a retired financial planning practitioner myself, I really appreciated what financial psychologist William Marty Martin advised financial planners: “How you communicate can serve to eliminate, decrease, or exacerbate panic experienced within yourself, your family, your team, and your clients…Words have the power of providing comfort, or generating panic, or even helplessness.”

One interesting perspective on the work we do as professional blog content writers is that we are interpreters, translating clients’ corporate message into human, people-to-people terms.  That’s the reason I prefer first and second person writing in business blog posts over third person “reporting”. (I think people tend to buy when they see themselves in the picture and when can they relate emotionally to the person bringing them the message.)

The idea that little things can mean a lot when dealing with difficult circumstances is reinforced in an article in Harvard Business School’s Working Knowledge newsletter. “Even as COVID vaccines begin early deployment, pressure on leaders continues to mount to engage in ‘Big C’ change.” But, “instead of questioning everyone and everything I a crisis, leaders should create an atmosphere of trust and confidence.”

“Empathy is the key to gaining readers and followers in all kinds of writing, says Karen Hertzberg of grammarly.com. “from blogging to marketing to social media.”

Embrace the encouraging side of blogging!

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedintumblrmail

5 Marketing Strategies Your Business Needs to thrive in the COVID-19 Era

/0 Comments/in , , /by

       Today’s post was contributed by guest Amy Collet, creator of Bizwell.org, a website that helps professionals and entrepreneurs build and strengthen their personal brand. She is also the author of the upcoming book, You, Exemplified: The Role of Personal Branding in Your Professional Life. 

While thousands of companies have had to pause or close their businesses during the COVID-19 lockdowns, many have opened those doors back up. As exciting as this is, there are still a lot of challenges ahead.

Small businesses have been asking: How do I keep my customers safe? How can my business stay afloat if we encounter another round of lockdowns? How can I re-engage my customers now that we are back in business?

Of course, let’s not forget the most important question of all: How can I boost my business on a budget? Even with grants and stimulus checks, many businesses had to tap into their cash reserves to survive. Here are five budget-friendly marketing strategies to keep business flowing during the pandemic.

Hire marketing help.

If your business closed at all during 2020, then you may need to start your marketing efforts from scratch. Say It For You has been providing traffic-driving content and marketing strategies for businesses for years. You stand to benefit when you partner with such a professional — who can revamp your website, deliver quality blog content, kickstart your social media campaigns and engage your customers with paid social campaigns. Keep all these within a smart budget by hiring small businesses, freelancers, contractors, or interns looking to build their resumes.

Be sure your legal ducks are in a row.

A lot has changed with regard to business legality since the pandemic first hit. Sadly, some people have discovered that they weren’t able to apply for grants and loans because their businesses weren’t properly filed. Prevent that from happening to you by forming a limited liability company (LLC). Not only will that give you access to any future COVID-19 relief funds, but it also qualifies you for tax breaks and other benefits. Regulations vary from state to state, so do thorough research or enlist the help of a formation service to guide you.

Reward your loyal customers.

The customers who stuck with you or came back deserve a little extra TLC. Most business owners know that retention and loyalty are the foundation for successful business growth. Customer Service Magazine suggests doing something simple, like delivering loyalty rewards to their email inbox.

You can also go the extra mile by opening up your store for solo shopping or offer them sneak peeks of new merchandise. If you provide a service, offer how-to webinars to help them advance their own livelihoods with your insider knowledge.

Keep your customers confident.

If you have a brick-and-mortar building or meet clients face-to-face, be sure to follow all of the CDC’s guidelines for safety. While COVID-19 is not a deadly illness for most people, it can shut down entire communities if all aren’t careful and cautious. Remember that the sooner we beat this, the sooner we can get back to normal — and we all have a part to play.

Don’t give up.

Things have been hard — that’s an understatement. You may have to act differently or think broadly about what you do and how you do it, but a little creativity can go a long way. The point is to persevere. There are no easy answers these days and the business world has a long way to go to recover. You’ll have to do some long-term planning in the face of uncertainty, which is hard, but not impossible. When all else fails, turn to your customers — ask them how they are feeling and how you can better meet their needs — then go from there.

Small businesses have a long road to recovery ahead, but it’s also very hopeful. Businesses are opening back up and many are thriving from the support of their communities. Take the time to explore some of these tips to launch your business back into success.

 

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedintumblrmail

Are You Putting Red Lipstick on Your Blog?

/0 Comments/in /by

 

This week’s Say It For You blog posts feature more helpful advice based on Brant Pinvidic’s powerful little book The 3-Minute Rule….

“Brant, are you putting on red lipstick?” TV producer and sales coach Brant Pinvidic remembers his mom (herself president of a global organization). asking him whenever she sensed he had been emphasizing presentation over substance in his work.

“Your pitch is a path of information to follow,” Pinvidic cautions, and it’s vital to let that information take the lead. Too much emphasis on style and personality muddies the message. You don’t want to pull your audience out of the story and remind them they’re being sold to, he adds.

It’s true that readers’ first impressions are design-related, as some British researchers found when analyzing online health sites. Those researchers found that readers judged a website by its design, print size, look and feel, and use of color. Simple and familiar page design was the best received. Great design gets people to trust the source and to stick around, writes Peep Laja of the CXL optimization Agency. As Neil Patel points out in hubspot.com, articles with images get 94% ore total views than those without images.

So how does that relate to Brant Pinvidic’s mother’s advice about the lipstick? “When my mom sees me trying to spice up elements of a presentation to overshadow the lack of clarity, “he explains, that’s when she cautions me to get the information and the story at its highest level first, and only then add a little flair.

Keep in mind, Neil Patel writes in Hubspot.com, your blog is a reflection of your company. If there are any issues with the blog, it impacts how people view your product. It’s important that any statistic you state can be verified. Many blog posts will link right to the statistic and the source. Accuracy builds trust with readers.

Leave readers with questions, Patel adds. This doesn’t mean to have an incomplete post, but rather to include questions that make readers reflect on how they can implement the knowledge you provided. When possible, add a story to your blog post. It will make it more engaging and may also help the reader

What Mrs. Pinvidic is reminding her son – and what we teach blog content writers at Say It For You –  is that the meat comes first, then the sauce. The core content of the program – the article, the blog post – comes first, the “showmanship” second.
`

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedintumblrmail