Friday Staff Meetings Back for Yahoo and Blog Writers in Indiana

New CEO Marissa Mayer is making headlines at Yahoo, bringing over certain management techniques from her former employer (Google). As I read this story in the Wall Street Journal, I couldn’t help thinking about my own (teensy-tiny by comparison with Yahoo, of course) professional ghost blogging company in Indianapolis. At least four of the Mayer “makeover” moves mentioned in the Journal can serve as good practices for business blog content writers.
 

Focus on users
Explaining to employees why she’d removed Yahoo’s stock ticker from the internal website homepage, Mayer said, “I want you thinking about users, not about finances”.

Your blog isn’t about you, not at all – it’s about them! A wise man once said that everyone’s favorite radio station is WIIFM (What’s in it for me?) Use your blog to offer searchers the relevant, up to date information they came to find. Give it to them in short paragraphs and in conversational style. Remember to focus on the users of your products and services.  Make your blog content writing all about them and about how safe (or better looking, smarter, more secure, happier, healthier, more relieved) they’ll feel when they’ve taken advantage of what you have to offer.
 

Use more data
Mayer has stressed the need to use more data on ways people use Yahoo’s services.

Even if blogging for business helps my client’s company or professional practice “win search” so that the blog’s consistently appearing in a coveted Page One spot on Google, Yahoo, or Bing, there’s work to be done tracking how many new potential customers “showed up” at the website (or in person at the place of business) because of the blog. That means learning exactly who those customers are and whether they fall into the demographic that business is trying to attract. Surveys and interviews with selected customers can give my clients the data they need to make marketing decisions.

Play the web
Mayer was urging Yahoo to get more of its content on other websites.

Indanapolis business bloggers can “play the web” through posting guest blogs on others’ websites.  In corporate blogging training sessions, I explain how online “networking” can be done by “curating” material written by others, then emailing or phoning the author, inviting them to comment on and link to that blog post mentioning their work.
 

Friday staff meeting
“She has already begun weekly meetings, where she makes announcements and fields employees’ questions,” reports Amir Efrati.

Mayer apparently appreciates the value of frequency and consistency of contact with the employees. Frequency and consistency are vital to the success of  SEO marketing blogs.
Readers and search engines each know to “expect” fresh content. Freelance blog content writers are helping their business owner and professional practitioner clients build equity in keyword phrases over time. 

Now there’s a question we freelance blog writers need to ask ourselves every so often:
Wouldn’t a makeover be of business blogging help?