Business Bloggers’ Friday Wordsmithing Tip: Serve the Second Draft

“Rare is the writer who can sit down and knock out a perfect writing draft without corrections,” warn the authors of The Little Red Writing Book. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons the vast majority of businesses who engage in online marketing end up needing professional business blogging help.

As far back as 2008, a survey by Technorati showed that 95% of blogs have been abandoned and neglected! “We know we need to do it, but we’re so focused on the overwhelming tasks that build up day to day, that many well meaning marketers simply abandon their blog altogether,” points out Web Marketing Therapy.

At least in theory, blogging for business should be much easier than writing brochures or ads for the company. Since, as I explain during corporate blogging training sessions, blog content writing should be conversational and informal, are second drafts even needed when it comes to blogs?

“When is it really finished?” asks The Little Red Writing Book, acknowledging that “Making changes to your writing is annoying and grueling”, but also admitting that writing for everyday purposes takes less editing and reviewing.

When it comes to business blog posts, I tell freelance blog writers, more important than the SpellCheck and GrammarCheck go-around is checking to make sure of two things:

• Each blog post is focused on one, and only one, main idea.
• You’ve visualized your target readers, the customers that are right for your business. Are you satisfied that this blog post truly been addressed to them, in their language, addressing their concerns?

As all Say It For You Indianapolis blog writers know, it takes more than one pass to get it right.  Better to serve your SECOND draft!