Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

Five Reasons to Give Your Blog, Not Your Clients, the Best Part of Your Day

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I’m often flooded with ideas for content and services first thing in the morning. It’s as if the rejuvenation of sleep allows me to clear the channel to my Higher Power and receive the divine inspiration that’s always beneath the surface (but I’m sometimes too caught up in other things to notice).

Blogging-top-of-to-do-listThe challenge? I usually feel like I “should” (warning bell) be spending my early morning, highly creative, clear thinking time on client projects. Isn’t being of service to them my highest priority? After all, without clients, where would I be?

Yes, and…

Here are five reasons why I’ve re-committed to the (almost) daily practice of giving my blog, not my clients, the best part of my day (and why you may want to as well):

  1. Blogging turns me on – Blogging awakens my creativity, which I need for all aspects of being an entrepreneur, and especially working on client projects. My clients benefit from me being in this state.
  2. Blogging sustains my business – By consistently building a mountain of high-quality content on my blog, I will grow my visibility, my reputation and my business. That frees me up to concentrate on serving my current clients without needing to worry about the future ones.
  3. Blogging empowers me – When I’ve met my blogging goals for the week, or worked towards them, I feel satisfied, proud and confident to do my best work.
  4. Blogging is my thing – I’m a content marketing expert who teaches others how to make time for blogging. And that makes it a key task for my business – not something I cram in once other things are done.
  5. Blogging is a team sport – Whether it’s my sister who is proofreading my blog posts or my VA who is setting up my weekly email broadcast, it’s not fair to request quick turnarounds because my blog posts weren’t finished early enough.

Of course the most important member of my team is YOU, my wonderful reader. Whether you visit the blog via a feed reader, follow my links from Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, or wait for the weekly summary by email, I want to make sure you always have a variety of interesting and helpful content to consume.

And that’s why I’m going to continue to give YOU, my blog, and my creative fulfillment the best part of my day.

Blogging is Giving: How your business blog can help you give and gain, again and again

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People-giving-freely-w250-h315 “For it is in giving that we receive.” – St. Francis of Assisi “We make a living by what we get;we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill “You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” – Kahlil Gibran “Love grows by giving. The love we give away is the only love we keep. The only way to retain love is to give it away.” – Elbert Hubbard “The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.” – Albert Einstein “Among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.” – Maya Angelou “The fragrance always remains in the hand that gives the rose.” – Heda Bejar “Givers gain.” – Ivan Meisner

Whether in business networking or in life, it’s a widely accepted fact that when we freely give, we receive multiple benefits in return. The good news is that a business blog can help you carry out this philosophy all month long.

If you’re already a natural giver, these ideas will help you spread your gifts even farther. If you’ve been looking for ways to give more, here are four places to start:

1) Highlight a charity or a charitable campaign that someone in your network is part of, and include links or instructions so your readers can contribute.

What this says about you: You care about your community and you value and support charitable activities.

2) Write a testimonial about someone’s work and how this person helped you. Include the details of the problem you were having, why you chose this particular service and what the results were. Photos are a nice touch if that’s appropriate for the situation. Be sure to include contact details.

What this says about you: Sharing your own experience shows people that you’re human, and that helps them get to know, like and trust you. It also shows that you’re supportive of other business owners and committed to sharing valuable resources with your audience.

3) Comment and/or build on a blog post written by a colleague. You might write a brief introduction, or simply provide a link to the blog so your readers can explore for themselves.

What this says about you: You are at the forefront of your industry and you have access to the latest and greatest news, tips and solutions. You respect your readers enough to introduce them to other service providers and let them decide for themselves who is the best person to help them solve their problem.

NOTE: If you’re using my weekly blogging method, these three types of posts would be perfect for the weeks in between your monthly feature articles. And that leads us to the final way you can give with your blog:

4) Write an article that provides concrete tips, suggestions or strategies and teaches your readers how to solve one of their most pressing problems.

What this says about you: You are an expert in this area, and you have the tools and knowledge to solve the problems that are causing your readers the most trouble. If your article helps them this much, they will think, just imagine what hiring you could do for them!

Giving back in your blog helps your community and your colleagues, by drawing more attention to worthy causes and useful services. It also helps your readers solve their problems. In turn, it helps your business by revealing more about you, what you value, and how much you know.

For more ideas about how to give back with your business blog, see 12 Most Altruistic Reasons to Keep Blogging.

Content Marketing for Coaching Business Success

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I'm thrilled to announce that my article about content marketing is featured in the June 2011 issue of choice, the magazine of professional coaching. Please click on the cover below to read the article.

Content_Marketing_cover_choice_magazine_v9n2_Jun2011 Inside, you'll find insights into the three stages of the relationship-building process, and learn how producing high-quality content on a consistent basis will help you attract your ideal clients.

I also reveal my three must-do writing activities, and tips for applying the five-part content marketing strategy outlined in my book, Write Your Way to More Clients Online.

Click on the cover or click here to read the article. I hope it's helpful to you – please let me know!

To subscribe to choice magazine, visit their website.

It’s a Creativity Party and You’re Invited!

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Jamie Ridler and I met yesterday to chat about the details for our July 14th event:

Creativity Party for Business Bloggers

This photo really captured our excitement, which we hope will be contagious enough to entice you to join us! Click on the audio player below the photo to hear more details about the event.

Creativity-Party-Invitation-Linda-Dessau-Jamie-Ridler-Jul14-2011

Creativity Party for Business Bloggers

When: Thursday, July 14th, 2011, from 9:30-10:00 a.m. Eastern 
Where: Telephone bridge line

Call details will be sent to all Content Mastery Guide subscribers.

Where Is Your Exuberance?

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When we feel, we begin to be alive. When we express a feeling, we share with the rest of the world that we are alive. When we express a feeling through music, we invite the rest of the world to share in our experience of the feeling, and to be alive with us." – Source unknown

I used that quote in my Musical Musings column at Coaching Toys back in 2006. The post was called "Exuberance," and describes some magical moments in my music therapy practice.

Reading the article today through the lens of business blogging, it reminds me of the importance of connecting to the passion of your work.

When I'm writing a blog post, I can conjure up the image of past clients or colleagues who've confessed that they feel trapped by the writing process – they have a message to share but feel unable to do it. And that's blocking them from reaching the prospective clients they could help.

When I think of all of the people that will benefit from hearing my clients' messages, that image sparks my passion to shout from the rooftops about the benefits of blogging, and provide tips that make writing easier.

As my friend Jeff Korhan commented on Twitter about his recent blog post, "whatever it takes to get more folks making the most of their expertise." Even if that means getting rid of the word "blog."

Writing prompt: What potential do you see in your clients and prospective clients? What information do you have that will get them started towards achieving it? Now that's something to be excited about! Tap into that exuberance and blog from there.