Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

On Your Business Blog, Content Comes First

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No matter how good your content is, if people can’t read it you’ll fail to build a relationship with them.

Peaceful Transition, Inc. is an alternative funeral home in Barrie, Ontario, and a [former] client. I’ve shared an image from their website to highlight some good practices for the layout of your blog.

Peaceful-transition-sidebar

  • Use language your readers will understand. While we did call the blog a blog in the top menu, on the sidebar we used the phrase, “Trusted Guidance,” so website visitors would know where to find reliable answers to their funeral questions. Then instead of the heading “Categories,” we used, “More Articles,” which would make more sense to a general audience. We also chose categories that represented the subjects people are most concerned about when they need funeral services.
  • Think twice before adding social media data. Instead of busy social media widgets that show latest updates or number of fans or followers, Peaceful Transition has graphic icons where people can instantly connect on the social media platforms they like. Best of all, the icons are unobtrusive for those visitors who have no interest or experience with social media sites.
  • Display your older posts. Whether you link to older posts within the current post (as I’ve done in this one) or you use a tool like LinkWithin or Yet Another Related Posts Plugin, make it easy for your readers to find additional helpful content and have a longer visit with you.
  • Craft an effective excerpt. When a preview of your post pops up on search engine results pages, your main blog page or your social media posts, by default this excerpt will be the first few sentences of your blog post. Take charge of this and write a compelling summary of your post and why your ideal readers/clients would want to read it.

Good blogs don’t just happen. Make conscious decisions about how you’ll display the content on your blog, and keep your readers in mind when you do.

Business Bloggers, Claim Your Expertise (guest post for Denise Wakeman)

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This is a guest post from Linda Dessau of ContentMasteryGuide.com.

Showing-up-to-your-readersAs business owners, we all experience the occasional crisis of confidence. I hear these themes a lot from budding bloggers:

“So-and-so has a cool new website/service/product/speech – I can’t compete with that!” “With all the information available these days, what value could I possibly offer?”

Really, what it all comes down to is this niggling doubt:

“Why would someone hire me?”

No matter how many people offer a similar service, your business has one thing that no one else has – and that’s you.

It can sometimes be difficult to accept compliments and the positive impact we’ve had on someone else (criticism is even harder). So the first step in turning your expertise into effective blog posts is to acknowledge your strengths.

The next time someone compliments your work or says how much you’ve done for them, take in the praise and say thank you. And then stop. Leave out the qualifers, “It was nothing,” “I’m sorry about the delay,” “I wish we’d…” There’s time later to debrief and make it better.

When you come from this place of confidence and acknowledgement, your blog writing will be more authentic. And this is crucial in order for your ideal clients to recognize that you’re the right person to solve their problems. After all, how will they know you speak the same language if you’re trying to sound like someone you’re not?

Next, identify the lightbulb moments in conversations with clients, colleagues and family about your area of expertise.

There are going to be many things that are obvious to you that your ideal clients need to know. In some cases, they’re actively struggling with something, and in other cases they don’t even know what they don’t know. Either way, start noticing when you hear comments such as:

“Wow, I never thought of it that way!” “Now I get it!” “Boy, I wish I’d known that sooner.”

These are the blog post topics that your ideal clients will really appreciate. They’ll keep coming back for more of these insights, and they’ll remember the feelings of relief and empowerment they get from reading your blog posts.

What lightbulb moments have you had lately?

Linda-dessau-squared-100x100Linda Dessau, CPCC, is the author of Write Your Way to More Clients Online and the founder of ContentMasteryGuide.com and GetWellnessBlogs.com. She offers virtual and in-person Blogathon events and full-service blogging and social media packages.

Twitter Tips from Inc.com

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Thanks to Jeff Korhan for recently posting a link to an Inc.com article, 10 Things You Should Tweet, and to Jon Gelberg for writing the article. It’s one of the best summaries I’ve seen for how to use Twitter to promote your business online.

If you’re not sure what you should be writing in your business’s Twitter updates, check out the article now! Then please come back because I have a few other thoughts for you.

How’s your balance?

On a recent webinar about blog planning, I talked about the balance between networking and marketing when you’re using social media. Too much networking without any promotion, and people won’t know how or when to refer business to you. Too much marketing without any relationship building, and no one will want to go near you.

scale with more rocks on one side than the other In another post on Inc.com Hollis Thomases lists 11 Things to Tweet When You Have Nothing to Say, and she puts posting your own content at the bottom as #11.

She mentions the 80/20 rule, which is that 80% of your social media messages should be about other people (I would include connection/conversation in that portion) or showcasing other people’s work, while 20% should be presenting your own content. Nichole Kelly from SME Digital makes the same recommendation in a recent interview.

New! Want help finding great content to share in your Twitter stream? Check out our content curation services!

Your Twitter stream is another website

Like it or not, the minute you set up a Twitter profile, you’ve got another piece of online real estate to look after. A quick glance at your profile page will show someone a lot about how you’re using Twitter, and your balance between networking and marketing.

I suggest you monitor your Twitter page (http://twitter.com/yourTwittername). Anytime you notice that you’re veering over the 80/20 line, make an effort to rebalance the scale.

You’ve only got 140 characters to make an impression on Twitter. Use them wisely and have fun!

P.S. Please connect with me on Twitter @lindadessau.

You Can Stop Trying to Be a Thought Leader On Your Business Blog

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In-the-spotlightAccording to the Content Marketing Institute, 64% of professional services firms surveyed named thought leadership as a goal of their content marketing.

There is definitely a place for thought leadership as a content marketing strategy. It helps to educate your readers and prospective clients about issues that are important in your field. It helps develop and crystallize your own thinking about these issues. Perhaps most importantly, it cements your credibility as a current expert.

Many people think that in order to succeed with blogging for business, they need to produce earth-shattering original content that will catapult them into the realm of visionary thinkers like Steve Jobs, Seth Godin or Oprah Winfrey. However, as I pointed out in a previous post, How to Write a Thought Leadership Post, you do not need to innovate in order to succeed with business blogging.

So I invite you to lower the pressure you may be feeling to innovate as a thought leader – in fact, why not get rid of it altogether and have some fun with this blogging thing?

Who are you trying to impress?

Ultimately, you’re producing a business blog in order to attract new clients who will hire you. These prospective clients don’t need you to invent new theories about what you do, or turn existing theories on their heads. They need you to explain, in clear English, how to solve their problems.

Your blog readers don’t need to revere you, they need to remember you, particularly when there is a need for your services (for themselves or someone they know).

The people who will be most impressed by your thought leadership are your colleagues in the industry. And in no way am I minimizing the advantages of being the kind of leader who others refer to when they want the latest, greatest news and explanations.

I just want you to give yourself some time to evolve into thought leadership, instead of trying to achieve it with every post.

Stepping stones on the path to thought leadership

Creating thought leadership content isn’t the only way to be a thought leader. As you’re creating your own original content that answers your prospective clients’ questions about their problems and how you solve them, you can also be curating the best content that others are creating.

Sharing these resources on social media and your blog will accomplish three things:

  1. It connects you with those thought leaders so your readers associate you with greatness. It can also start or deepen your relationship with the leaders.
  2. Adding your own commentary will demonstrate your insight into what’s happening and shows that you’re on top of things.
  3. You provide your readers with a more accessible route to today’s thought leaders. They may not necessarily want or need to work directly with the people who are creating the concepts – and in some cases it won’t even be possible. People are usually happiest to work with someone they’re already connected to – especially if you can show that you’re incorporating these innovative ideas and practices into your work.

You cannot force thought leadership

I recently finished the book So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport (thanks to John Jantsch for recommending the book in his equally compelling blog post on the same topic).

The book explains the importance of putting time into mastering your work through deliberate practice, stretching beyond your comfort zone and seeking feedback on your efforts. Newport calls this building “career capital.”

(The book makes the case that if we try to create a business based solely on our passion, before building up this career capital, we may be setting ourselves up for failure.)

Think for a moment about someone you consider to be a thought leader in your industry. It’s likely that one of the things you admire is their years of solid experience – career capital – actively involved in doing whatever they’re writing or talking about.

While you can try to write a thought leadership post, it’s the response to the post that will really determine if you’ve succeeded. For now, you can stop trying to be a thought leader and start working on becoming one. You’ll get there, if you keep blogging consistently, watch other thought leaders for inspiration and stay tuned into industry news.

Writing Original Content Versus Sharing Other People’s Content (Content Curation)

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Passing-along-contentWhen I read the title of Roger Parker’s post, “Writing Versus Content Curation for Personal Branding Success” on Dan Schwabel’s Personal Branding blog, my immediate reply was “Both, of course.” As I read the article, I discovered that Roger had come to a similar conclusion.

I do disagree with one point – that in order to succeed with original content you cannot delegate the task. As a ghostwriter, I have helped dozens of business owners create their own original content.

Roger points out the many benefits of creating original content for your blog, such as increased credibility, thought leadership and the ability to re-purpose your blog post content into other forms such as books, presentations or courses.

The secret to keeping your blog and website fresh with new content

And as I also reminded people recently at my Business Blogathon in Barrie, Ontario, you don’t have to write a full-length (i.e., 500 words) feature article every week in order to keep your blog fresh.

You can alternate your feature articles with shorter posts (i.e., 250-500 words), what I call “connective content.” Connective content might be your own personal reflections on the topic of your feature article, a case study of a client, or recommended resources. These “in between” posts could also be your own comments about related content that you’ve found on other blogs or via social media.

What is content curation?

The formal term for sharing other people’s content is content curation. Though you may not realize it, if you’re active on social media you’re likely already using content curation as part of your online marketing strategy. Have you ever re-tweeted or “liked” someone else’s link on social media? That’s content curation – that’s you saying, “Here is some content that I find valuable, and I’m sharing it with you because you might not have seen it otherwise.”

All of a sudden you’re taking on a whole new role for that person. You’re sifting through all the noise on the Internet and finding the best, most interesting and most important content in your particular topic area. When you pair that with creating your own original content, your value as an expert rises significantly!

Sharing other people’s content on your blog

If you’re already doing this type of content sharing on social media, you may wonder why you would bother doing it on your blog. Here are three reasons to consider:

  1. Your blog is your home – your name is on the door, you decide how things are displayed and you own 100% of your content.
  2. You can find it later – by organizing, categorizing and storing your curated content on your own blog, both you and your readers can easily find it later so it will continue to be of value.
  3. Sharing other people’s content boosts your blog’s credibility with both readers (most importantly) and search engines – by curating and commenting on other people’s content, you enhance your own position as an expert in that area.

Of course once you’ve published the content on your blog you should also widely promote your blog post on social media.

Please be sure to give proper attribution when you’re sharing someone else’s content. For more information, check out my blog post, “How to Share Great Content Without Plagiarizing.”

Also, as Greg Bardwell of B2B Content Engine writes in his e-book, Curation for B2B Content Marketing, you should always read through whatever you’re recommending. “Just because a blog has a great title and you know the author or source does not make it worth curating.” Be sure you’re not inadvertently compromising your readers’ trust by sending them to a site or post that doesn’t share your values.

Sharing other people’s content is truly a win-win-win proposition. Your readers win because they have access to information they didn’t have to find on their own. The other expert wins because their content is seen by a new audience. And you win because you’re increasing your visibility, credibility and consistency.