Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

How to Write a Wellness Blog That People Want to Read

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Looking-for-helpLet’s examine five things that people are looking for when they search online for health and wellness topics, and how your blog can address those needs and attract these prospective clients to your services.

  1. Am I all alone? People want to know they’re not the only ones who’ve experienced whatever problem they’re having. Blogging tips: Write about the most common complaints and issues your clients have when they hire you. Describe exactly what they may be going through. Use the same words your prospective clients would use in a conversation with a friend.
  2. Is this ever going to get better? People want to hear that you’ve known and helped others like them, maybe even that you were once like them and you found a way out (if you happen to be a member of your own target market). They want their lives to improve, they want to get better, they want reassurance and hope that things won’t always be this way. Blogging tips: Use examples, client stories and your own life stories. Balance your expertise with real-life experience. Paint a vibrant picture of how wonderful life could be once they’ve found the right solution for them.
  3. Will I be able to cope with this and do what it takes to help myself? People are looking for immediate relief, along with long-term change. They also want to know that your suggestions will be different from others they’ve tried and abandoned. Blogging tips: Give your readers plenty of straightforward, practical steps they can begin immediately to improve their situation. Remember that your readers will be at various stages of readiness for making changes in their lives, so don’t suggest too much, too soon.
  4. Is this serious? As I mentioned above, sometimes when people are researching, they’re not ready to take action yet. In terms of the transtheoretical model of change developed by addiction researchers Prochaska and DiClemente in 1983, they’re still in the contemplation or preparation stage. That’s why some of your blog posts should aim to motivate someone to address their problem. Blogging tips: Just as you painted a picture in tip #2, now you want to paint an equally vivid picture of how life might look if they never overcome this problem. What will be the impact on their physical, emotional and mental well-being? For an example, see this article about metabolic syndrome and hypertension on the Wellness Blogs site.
  5. Who can I trust to help me with this situation, and what can I expect from that process? People need to know, like and trust you before they even consider hiring you for such an intimate service as a wellness treatment. They want you to be a knowledgeable expert who is still approachable. Blogging tips: Explain how your treatment modality works. For example, there are excellent introductions to reflexology and craniosacral therapy on the Wellness Blogs site. Tell more case stories about the people you’ve helped and how you helped them. Weave in details about your approach to client care. Help people feel what it will be like to be under your care. Write to each individual reader as if he or she is already one of your precious clients.

By addressing these needs of your blog readers, you’ll be establishing a trusting relationship as an expert they can rely on. When they’re ready to take the next step and get help for their situation, you’ll be first on their minds.

Do you need help writing your wellness blog? Contact me today to learn how I can help!

How Do I Keep People Coming Back to My Blog?

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InvitingThis question came up from two different audiences recently. First while I was speaking to a class of business students at Georgian College about entrepreneurship and blogging, and next it was among the questions that attendees submitted when they registered for the Wellness Blogging Seminar.

Blogging has many benefits, but one of its challenges is that it requires your audience to come to you. However groundbreaking, creative, helpful, consistent or timely your blog posts are, readers have to bring themselves to your blog in order to read them.

So how do you keep people coming back to your blog? You need to keep inviting them! That was one of the housekeeping tips for living online that I shared on the Blogging Mindset webinar last week.

Here are five ways to invite people back to your blog:

  1. Announce and promote your blog posts via social media – Not just once, but several times – your friends, fans and followers check in at various times in the day and week. Write a compelling “teaser” such as a question or headline that entices people to read more. There are many tools that allow you to update your social media accounts automatically when you publish a new post. You can also preschedule several messages at once to batch your tasks (just be sure you don’t automate your entire social media presence!).
  2. Display your latest blog posts in your email signature – You can do this manually by updating your signature each time you publish a new blog post (be sure to use the permalink) or use WiseStamp to do it automatically.
  3. Send regular email broadcasts with links to your latest informative articles – If your focus is on sending valuable, helpful content, these emails will always be a gift, not an intrusion.
  4. Send blog post links as responses to questions – One of the benefits of building a mountain of content is that when people ask common questions about your area of specialty, you’ll likely have one or several blog posts that answer the question. Whether you’re replying to an email or popping into social media or an online forum, a well-placed article link can boost your credibility and build new relationships.
  5. Provide an RSS subscription – RSS (really simple syndication) is a way to automatically send your latest blog posts to people who’ve specifically requested to see them. If someone has an RSS reader, they can either search for your blog and add it to their account, or when they’re visiting your site they can look for this icon:

Rss

You don’t need to jump through SEO hoops to get people back to your blog, but you do need to make an effort to keep inviting them. That’s just good housekeeping.

What Business Bloggers Can Learn from Journalists

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Typewriter-blogAccording to Technorati.com’s State of the Blogosphere 2011 report, almost 1/3 of bloggers have worked for the traditional media. That statistic got me thinking about how business bloggers could benefit from a journalism mindset.

Hold the schedule sacred

Whether it’s a daily paper, a weekly column or a monthly magazine, it goes out. On time. With content.

I see many bloggers boast about how they only post when they have something fabulous to say. Great, but when you’re building online visibility you really can’t afford to be absent for too long, or to have your blog/website appear like an outdated ghost town. 

Not to mention the pressure of coming back after 2-3 months without posting – how fabulous do you have to be at that point?

Business bloggers, take note: I recommend posting new content on your blog a minimum of twice a month, and ideally every week. But take it easy – if you’re used to publishing a monthly newsletter, start there and then make the transition.

Know that the more you write, the easier it will be. Check out my post about how to build a daily blogging habit, and these suggestions about what you should be writing every day.

If you’re looking for more support with daily writing, my trusted colleague Cynthia Morris is offering her month-long Free Write Fling beginning this Wednesday, February 1st. Find out more or sign up here. 

If you ever do happen to miss a step in your publication schedule, don’t worry. Blogging is not a matter of life and death. Just pick up and start again.

Share the heavy lifting

Journalists enhance their writing with quotes, research and details from other sources.

Savvy reporters and business owners both rely on Peter Shankman’s HARO database to connect reporters who need information with business owners who can provide their expertise. Since 2008, HARO has facilitated 7,500,000 media pitches. 

Business bloggers, take note: A poll by Cision and George Washington University concluded that 89% of journalists use blogs for story research. The more relevant content you publish, the more chance they’ll find YOU when they’re looking for an expert in your area.  

Sharing the heavy lifting on your blog might mean inviting a guest blogger to contribute or co-write a post with you, or publishing connective content instead of a full-length feature article.

Choose every word

Journalists simply know how to tell a good story.

Their artful headlines compel, inform, inspire and motivate in just a few words. Then they pack a punch by using the inverted pyramid or another powerful article opening. Strict word counts force them to be concise.   

Business bloggers, take note: There are stories happening all around you in your life and business. Check out these posts about how to turn your story into an effective marketing piece and how to turn a client story into a news story. 

If you tend to run on in your writing, give yourself a word count limit of 500 words and pare down your writing.

On the other hand, if you struggle to get past the first paragraph or two, use these tips to add more value for your readers.  

There’s more to being an effective business blogger than using these journalism strategies. To learn more, check out the upcoming free training, The Blogging Mindset.

Welcome to the Blogosphere, Now What?

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Welcome-matWhen I tell people that I'm a blogging consultant, the usual response is, "Now, that's a job that didn't exist a few years ago!"

True enough. And if you're like most business owners, blogging is a strategy that you've never considered, until you started hearing from marketing agencies, web designers and content marketing experts that blogging is not only helpful, but essential. In fact:

  • B2B (those who sell products or services to other businesses) companies that blog generate 67% more leads per month than those who do not
  • B2C (those who sell products or services to consumers/the general public) companies that blog generate 88% more leads per month than those who do not

Source: HubSpot State of Inbound Marketing Lead Generation Report, 2010

There is a lot to know about blogging, but here's the good news and the bad news – and it's one and the same: the same effective marketing principles that work in other settings will also work on your blog.

Why is that good news? Because you can stop thinking of the blogosphere as some sort of secret world, and get down to learning the simple techniques that will allow you to apply sound marketing principles in this new forum.

Why is that bad news? Because blogging is not a cure-all, instant gratification solution that lets you off the hook from knowing your clients, listening to what they want and sticking with one central message.

A blog is an online diary

While a blog may seem like a mysterious entity if you're not familiar with it, a blog is really just a special type of website that can be published both easily and instantaneously. By its very nature, a blog is meant to be updated frequently like an online diary or log. In fact, the name blog came from combining the words "web" and "log."

Blogs are a place where anyone can publish his or her thoughts about a topic they are passionately interested in, so they can share those thoughts with the world. There are plenty of people blogging just for that purpose – "hobby bloggers."

In fact, anyone who uses Facebook or Twitter to update friends and followers are doing what's called "microblogging" (blogging in really small doses). Some people have even blogged their way to success, like Julie Powell of Julie and Julia fame.

If you're curious about who is blogging and why, Technorati.com publishes an annual "State of the Blogosphere" survey. I'll be taking a closer look at some of their numbers in an upcoming series of blog posts about what you – the business blogger – can learn from the other types of bloggers.

This blog series will lead up to the next Secrets of Content Mastery training webinar, "The Blogging Mindset."

For now, I invite you to browse Time's list of the 25 best blogs of 2011, these Canadian Blog Award winners and this list of 2011 Weblog Award winners. You'll see a wide range of topics and treatments that are bound to open your mind and get your imagination swirling. Remember that you can learn just as much from what you don't like as from what you do.

Blog Readers Are Your Friends, But…

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My definition of friend has changed from spending so much time online. I have many friends that I've never met in person, and probably never will. Some friendships began with a five-minute Twitter exchange; others were sparked in person and then deepened online.

I've written before about how you want to engage your blog reader as if you're already friends. After all, even as a brand new reader, that person has still come from somewhere.

Maybe they found you on Google, "Hey, my friend Google the search engine thought I should meet you because I'm looking for…" If they've come via a link on social media, the introduction was even warmer and more meaningful.

But presuming too much intimacy can backfire – both on your blog and on the popular business networking site, LinkedIn.

How to get ignored on LinkedIn

"______ (name) has indicated you are a Friend and would like to add you to his/her professional network."

There's something about that phrase that bothers me, and I click the "Ignore" button when I receive these types of LinkedIn invitations. Unless the person includes a note about how we're "friends." (I used to write back and ask them, but it became too time consuming.)

On LinkedIn, if you can't honestly say that you know someone via work, school or another institution, you have two other options other than "Friend": (a) you can say you don't know the person or (b) you can click "Other" and include a note about why you'd like to connect.

The latter option is what I always choose. You have to enter the person's email address, but don't worry, it's not a test; it just helps LinkedIn deliver your message.

Remind your blog readers why they like you

Blog readers might also ignore your advances if you get too close, too soon. While you want to take a friendly approach, keep in mind that even if they've "met" you once or twice, they may not remember whether or not they liked you.

That's why it's so important to be consistent with your language and branding – it helps remind people who you are and what they liked about you. So you're not just presuming intimacy; you're backing it up.

Keep earning your friendships

Someone recently recommended that I change this phrase in the Wellness Blogs submission guidelines: "Pretend you're chatting with a good friend who came for your help and expertise." He said people wouldn't give the same level of advice to a friend. I disagreed, and kept the phrase as is. What do you think?

This reminded me of an important point, though. Keep making the effort to impress and deliver value to your blog readers. Don't skimp on details or explanations because you assume people read them in a previous post – they may not have. 

How do you define friendship these days? Do you think people throw around the word too liberally? Do you consider your blog readers to be friends? How does that affect your approach to writing?