Linda Dessau – Page 2

Meet a Wellness Blogging Team Player – Alex Raymond from Empowered Eating

December 19, 2017 By Linda Dessau

© Rebecca Bitzer & Associates – Fotolia.com

What’s it like to be part of a bustling nutrition practice, while also writing for and coordinating a prolific blog? We’ll find out in today’s interview with Alex Raymond of Rebecca Bitzer & Associates and Empowered Eating, a separate blog designed to specifically support those who are recovering from an eating disorder.

In her role as editor and blog coordinator, Alex and her intern Caroline work together to make sure a new post goes up on both sites at least once a week. On top of that, they schedule social media posts for each article to make sure it’s getting the widest reach possible (Meet Edgar saves them tons of time, she says). They also like to go back and re-post some of their more popular articles and seasonal blog posts.

Why start a second blog when the practice blog is already such a gold mine? “While we do have many blog posts about eating disorders on the RBA website,” Alex explained, “the Empowered Eating blog posts are really geared toward that population, as well as posts to educate health professionals and to support loved ones of those struggling. Blog topics can vary from recipes to new research surrounding eating disorders to various tips for recovery.”

“We need more positive articles out there about food!”

Alex says their weekly blogging schedule hasn’t been that difficult to keep up, since health, wellness, and nutrition are such hot topics these days. She finds inspiration from articles posted on social media, news outlets, or even movies and TV shows.

She’s most inspired, she says, by the questions her clients ask or common themes she’s noticed in their sessions. “These days, having a disordered relationship with food is quite common. People are always trying to find quick nutrition fixes or some perfect diet. And many times these quick fixes don’t work and a ‘perfect diet’ doesn’t exist.

Some of these individuals may go on to develop a full blown eating disorder. So, I like to remind myself that my voice and what is said on our blog matters. We need more positive articles out there about food!”

To keep their content fresh and their readers engaged, Alex recently started a series of brief videos called “Mindful Minutes,” such as the one below about orthorexia. Specifically for the Empowered Eating blog, these videos cover topics like body image, mindful eating, and self-care. The goal is to supplement, not replace, the blog posts.

Writing for readability

Like most wellness bloggers, Alex and her team of bloggers try to write posts that have both excellent SEO and readability. She finds that the readability piece is the hardest for them to get right. “As dietitians, we like to elaborate on our ideas. But, having too long sentences actually decreases readability.”

As she goes back and edits posts – hers and others – she finds herself making executive decisions to cut down on sentence length, while still trying to preserve the original message of the content.

Balancing your blogging time

All of this takes time, so I asked how she fits it all in. She says it’s not always easy to balance blogging, editing and seeing clients, so she tries to schedule time to work on blogging.

Yet as we all know, creativity doesn’t always follow a schedule. “If I feel the inspiration coming, I try to write down all my thoughts in either a journal or a Google doc and save it for later. It’s so important to just go with the inspiration when it comes so you don’t lose it.”

If she finds herself with both inspiration and a little extra time (say, on a flight), she might sit down for 45 minutes straight and finish an entire post. Then she’ll send it to Caroline for publishing, but depending what’s already in the queue it may not go up for another few weeks.

Typically, she can finish two or three posts in a few days, but other times she only gets to blog once a week and it can take two weeks to finish something. On average she spends about 60-90 minutes per post, depending on whether she also records a video.

Luckily, Alex says blogging is something she truly enjoys doing, and is sometimes a form of self-care. “If I’m home when I’m writing, I like to just sit down with a cup of tea or coffee and relax. I’ll either have music or the TV show Friends in the background.”

And we all need our blogging friends! I’m glad to have made some new friends in Rebecca and Alex, so I could bring you these insights into what goes on behind the scenes of a productive wellness blog.

P.S. Does your clinic have a blog you could be writing for? Don’t miss the opportunity to share your ideas, spotlight your expertise, and attract new clients! Here are some of my tips for being part of a blogging team.

The Evolution of a Nutrition Blog – Rebecca Bitzer & Associates

November 21, 2017 By Linda Dessau

Welcome to Part 2 of a special interview with Rebecca Bitzer of Rebecca Bitzer & Associates: REBEL Dietitians in Maryland. If you missed Part 1, click here to learn why blogging is a priority for her diverse and talented team of registered dietitian nutritionists (RDs).

Why did you first start blogging, and how has your blog changed since then?

At first, we just blogged. Our blog posts were fine, although a bit short and the photos were not great. Over the years, we have continued to raise the bar and have much better content, tips, photos and recipes.

In addition to our 400+ blog posts we have a recipe database that we added to our website last year with over 300 recipes that our team has created.

We also pay more attention to which blog posts are the most popular and try to provide more blog posts on these topics. There is a lot of competition on the internet and we are trying to keep our niche as a team of dietitians who can make life easier in the kitchen when dealing with a chronic condition (or trying to avoid one).

What have been the biggest benefits of continuing to blog so consistently?

Having fresh content keeps our team and our audience inspired, which is key for success. Also, fresh content keeps our audience coming back for more information and it certainly helps Google find us.

We also have an monthly email newsletter that highlights our blog posts, recipe of the month, and special events, which helps keep our followers engaged.

Finally, by continuing to blog consistently, we can address some of the challenges and struggles that our clients are facing in session, and provide resources for them and for the community.

Does anyone help you with the blogging process (anything from writing, editing, research, publishing, promotion), and how?

As I mentioned in Part 1, one of our dietitians is in charge of setting deadlines and themes for each month, and we all encourage each other to meet those goals.

We have taken tons of courses, classes and webinars on blogging. At this point, we are still doing it in-house because we love it and doing it ourselves helps our clients get to know us better.

We are bombarded with people wanting to guest blog for us. We are open to having more guest bloggers, though we are very selective about who writes for our blog and any post must be approved by all before it is published.

We also have interns who help contribute to a blog post which we may enhance, update or repurpose, such as this Thanksgiving post that was written by an intern:
https://rbitzer.com/how-to-lose-weight-while-enjoying-your-favorite-foods-on-thanksgiving/

In terms of promotion, we post our blog post links on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn. I would say that Facebook and Instagram are our two favorites.

What advice do you have for a new nutrition blogger?

I would encourage new nutrition bloggers to start. Writing about something you are passionate about helps. Also, “better done than perfect” is good to remember. Your blog posts will get stronger over time; it is important to get started and practice writing.

The most challenging thing for many is to carve out enough time to blog. Having a schedule and a deadline helps get blog posts written.

One of the challenges our team has is keeping the blog posts simple; it is much more challenging to write a concise sentence than to write like you are talking. But again, just get started, ignore your perfectionism and remember you have important things to share.

Excellent tips, thank you so much, Rebecca! Keep up the good work, rebels!

P.S. Did you miss Part 1 of this interview? Click here to learn how the REBEL Dietitians keep up with their ambitious blogging schedule, and much more!

Ready to raise the bar on your own wellness clinic blog? Let’s look it over together! Join me for a free, no-obligation blog review session. Click here to schedule a time.

7 Steps to Your Next Blog Post – Neon Noise Podcast

November 15, 2017 By Linda Dessau

Think blogging is only worthwhile if it gets you on top of Google search results?
Think blogging is something else you have to add to your already overloaded marketing plate?
Think everyone should be writing 1,000-word long-form posts?
Think your blogging job is over once you click that “Publish” button?

These are just some of the myths I bust in my interview with Neon Goldfish Marketing Solutions team for their podcast Neon Noise. We talked about all things blogging and I found a kindred spirit in Ken Franzen who says he loves methodical, step-by-step processes like the one I shared for my 7-step blog writing system.

As is always the case when I speak or present, I found it inspiring and energizing to answer questions I’ve heard so many times over the years. And it’s spurred me on to find new and creative ways to keep answering those questions on my blog.

Click below to listen now.

P.S. If you enjoyed this interview, you might enjoy my free training, Write Less, Earn More With Blog Posts That Are Easy to Write and Irresistible to the Perfect Clients For Your Health and Wellness Business. Watch now on demand at www.contentmasteryguide.com/webinar.

Nutrition Blogging Done Well: Rebecca Bitzer & Associates – The REBEL Dietitians

November 8, 2017 By Linda Dessau

Rebecca Bitzer & Associates: REBEL Dietitians is the largest outpatient nutrition counseling practice in Maryland and has operated for over twenty-nine years.

With seven registered dietitian nutritionists (RDs) and three locations, they focus on finding personalized solutions for busy people so nutrition and cooking are simple, no matter what condition people are coming in to manage or prevent.

They achieve this through individual nutrition counseling, corporate presentations, and nutrition classes, as well as through blogging.

The REBEL Dietitians blog is a treasure trove of practical advice and recipes, and Rebecca was generous enough to answer a few questions about their blogging experience.

How many of your dietitian nutritionists contribute to the blog, and how often?

We are a team of seven registered dietitian nutritionists. Five of us contribute to the blog. Each of us has a specialty so we try to include blog posts that are helpful to each RD’s audience.

For instance:

Kaitlin Williams, RD, LD, wrote a blog post on what to cook when you don’t feel like cooking:
https://rbitzer.com/dont-feel-like-cooking/

Klara Knezevic, RD, LD, helps clients eat local foods and foods in season. Here is her blog post about autumn foods with inspirational recipes:
https://rbitzer.com/produce-in-season-in-the-fall/

Dana Magee, RD, LD, CLT, is our digestive specialist and she writes about FODMAPs like this blog post about low FODMAP breakfasts:
https://rbitzer.com/low-fodmap-friendly-breakfasts/

Alex Raymond, RD, LD ,works with clients to eat without without the unnecessary restrictions of dieting. Here is a recent blog post on how to lose weight (without dieting) after vacation:
https://rbitzer.com/6-tips-lose-weight-gained-vacation/

Rebecca Bitzer, RD, LD, CEDRD, recently blogged about the benefits of eating chili and her four favorite chili recipes:
https://rbitzer.com/homemade-chili-recipes/

You can expect one new blog post per month from each of us. We also do one compilation post per month where each of us contribute a recipe or a nutrition tip to give various perspectives.

Klara Knezevic, RD, LD wrote this compilation blog post with recipes from all of us where the entire meal is prepared using just one pan:
https://rbitzer.com/8-chicken-sheet-pan-dinners/

Is blogging a requirement at your practice? Do some of your dietitian nutritionists need prompting or extra encouragement, and how do you handle that?

We believe that the world depends on social media. More and more people look online before choosing to work with a professional so blogging is a priority for us.

In addition to attracting new clients, we want to make sure that our current and former clients have a valuable resource to help keep them focused and accountable and most of all inspired to keep meeting their nutrition and health goals.

Our blog posts are so filled with content, our dietitians often print out blog posts to discuss with clients as certain challenges become known during the session. For instance, if a client is struggling with overeating during Thanksgiving, we give tips and tools on how to eat more mindfully during the holidays.

One of our dietitians is in charge of setting deadlines and themes for each month. It takes time for all of us to cook the recipes, take photos, and add recipes to our database of recipes. Everyone is busy but we collectively share the value of writing strong blog posts, so we encourage each other.

An added bonus is that oftentimes the person cooking a new recipe brings it into the office to share so we can all enjoy it!

Do you use a set calendar of blogging topics and the types of posts you write?

While most of our blog posts are recipe based, some are self-care based because we believe that self-care is always key, especially when trying to make changes in health behaviors.

Each RDN writes about something she is passionate about, which helps her voice and authenticity come through. Also, it helps her have fresh, new material to share with her clients.

I notice you choose not to date your blog posts. Has it always been that way? What was the thinking behind that choice?

We recently hired a professional branding company to update our website (which is another story). [Note from Linda: Believe me, Rebecca, I can relate!]

When we were updating our website, we decided to do an overhaul of our 400+ blog posts. As a group, we reviewed, edited, updated and removed outdated blog posts. This is when we decided to hide the dates of the blog posts.

The reason behind hiding the dates is that we repost our seasonal and holiday blog posts on social media. Since we are always attracting new followers, it made sense to link to these “timeless” posts. Removing the dates ensures these posts do not look repurposed.

Just because we wrote a great Halloween blog post last year, it does not mean that our all of our current followers saw it last year. The tips and hacks are still useful and the photos and recipes are excellent – so let’s reuse it!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this post to learn about the REBEL Dieticians’ early blogging days, the biggest benefits they’ve seen from blogging, and more!

In the meantime, keep reading here for more inspiration and tips for a multi-author wellness blog!

Usability Tips to Keep Blog Readers Happy and Returning

November 1, 2017 By Linda Dessau

If your blog isn’t easy to use, people won’t stay very long and they probably won’t return. Usability is the key to making sure readers find what they need. In a previous post, Tema Frank from Frank Reactions introduced us to usability, and now we’ll get her concrete usability tips to use when blogging for business.

From a usability standpoint, is it better to have a blog be part of your main website or on a separate platform at a separate address? Why?

From a marketing perspective, I think it is better for a blog to be part of your main website. It is so hard to get readers to your website that you don’t want to be splitting your efforts. The more traffic you can drive to one site, and the more valuable content you have on it, the higher it will rank in search results.

It is also better for usability if you keep your blog and website in one place. Otherwise people may get confused going back and forth between the two.

What are some tests bloggers can use to improve the usability of their blog and website?

To start with, use Google Analytics and track what is most popular with your readers over time. If you see that your bounce rate is high (people coming to your site and leaving right away), you can assume that you’ve got a problem.

There are some free tools you can use to test things like page download speeds (the faster the better), colour contrast, etc. I list several of them on the Internet Marketing Tools page of the Frank Reactions website. Scroll down and click “Usability Testing.”

Another useful free tool is built right into Word. It will check the grade level readability of your writing. Oddly, even for a highly educated audience a grade level score of about Grade 8 will get you the best results. It is hidden in the more recent versions of Word, so here’s how to enable it:

Click the File tab, and then click Options.
Click Proofing.
Under When correcting spelling and grammar in Word, make sure the Check grammar with spelling check box is selected.
Select Show readability statistics.

After you enable this feature, open a file that you want to check, and check the spelling. When Word finishes checking the spelling and grammar, it displays information about the reading level of the document.

Do you have any other usability tips for business bloggers?

Be focused. Try to write on one consistent topic. If you wander all over the place, people won’t know what to expect, and are less likely to follow you. Think about who you are writing for, and what will be relevant and of interest to them.
Blog regularly. Aim to post at least once or twice a week if you want to build a following.
Promote your posts. Use social media and other tools to promote what you’ve written. I love the WiseStamp tool that you drew to my attention, Linda. It lets you have a link to your latest post automatically placed in your email signature.
Minimize jargon. You may be tempted to throw a lot of jargon in to show that you are an industry “insider” but usually even tech types find it easier to read jargon-free documents.
Don’t have patterned backgrounds! Fortunately, this is not nearly as common as it used to be.
Be human. This can be really tough in a business blog, but people will respond better if they get a sense of the real person writing rather than just a corporate face. Try to bring some personal elements into your writing.

So while you’re aiming for high-quality content that will be interesting and useful to your ideal clients, be sure to think about how easy it is to find and navigate through the information on your blog. The more usable your blog, the more likely people will stay on your site long enough to learn more about your business.

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