One More Blog Link For The Road?

Beginning strong is important for business blogging.  Using key words and phrases in the title of the blog and early in the text shows readers they’ve come to a source of information that matches the inquiry they typed into the search engine.

But, very much like a speech, where you have only a very few seconds to capture the rapt attention of your audience at the beginning, but where having a strong finish is important as well, that’s how it is with blog posts.

Speech coaches advice against memorizing your speech – with two exceptions: the opening line and the closing line.  Jack Valenti, author of Speak Up With Confidence, says, "The conclusion of a speech is one of the most powerful elements, often cementing all that you have said…Memorize that last paragraph."

I receive a monthly email newsletter from professional speaker Todd Hunt. The latest issue had a great anecdote that really brings out the importance of a strong finish in any encounter.  A colleague had taken Todd to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.  Their server, Trevor, diligently refilled their drink glasses as needed.  "Nothing unusual about that", says Hunt.  But, after they’d paid the check, the server asked, "Would you like another Diet for the road.?" That extra bit of customer service, remarks Hunt, probably cost Cheesecake Factory a nickel at most.  But now, Todd’s telling his thousands of newsletter subscribers about the restaurant’s exemplary client service!

Business bloggers can take a tip (pun intended) from this restaurant tale.  At the very end of each blog post, put in just one more "soft" CTA (call to action):
"To find out more about _________, click here.
 "To sign up for _________, click here."

Try this technique for your business blog for the next few weeks.  Let me know how it works for you.  I’ll be curious to to hear about the results.

And, hey, to learn more about how a professional ghost blogger can help drive more traffic to your business website, click here!