Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

Five reasons to write an article, not an ad

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At a recent event for business owners, a lot of people were talking about the best way to spend your advertising dollar.

My advice? Use your advertising dollar to create a blog where you post high-quality informational articles that solve the problems of your ideal clients. Bonus: You'll probably even have money left over!

Here are my five reasons to write an article, not an ad:

  1. Ads are about selling, articles are about giving. When people browse online, they're not out to spend money. They're looking for information about YOUR area of expertise. If you supply those solutions generously, professionally and effectively, they will remember you when they ARE ready to spend. 
  2. Ads are all about you, articles are all about your reader. People are focused on their own needs. When you write high-quality articles about the topics they care about, it shows that you care about them!
  3. Ads suck you dry, articles build you up. Paying for an ad dings your wallet and may or may not result in new business. Writing an article about a problem you help solve, on the other hand, helps you develop yourself and improve the services you deliver.
  4. Ads are an intrusion, articles are a solution. People mute commercials on TV, toss flyers in the trash and curse at telemarketers. High-quality information about a topic they care about will always be appreciated.
  5. Ads say you have money, articles say you have knowledge. When you reveal your expertise and your personality in your writing, people will come to know, like and trust you. If you've shown you're a good match for their needs, then when they're ready to purchase a service, they will think of you first.

Content marketing is a highly effective form of promotion that works to attract your ideal clients. Before you decide where to spend your next advertising dollar, consider spending it on content marketing instead.

How to turn a long article or book chapter into bite-size blog posts

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I've long talked about the danger of trying to write the article of a lifetime, and advised you to break up longer articles – especially if you're trying to make more than one point.

People who visit your blog may or may not know you, may or may not have time to read a longer item, and may or may not be interested in more than the one topic that brought them there in the first place.

But what if you're trying to explain a model, theory or method that has many pieces? You want to explore each of the pieces in depth, and those pieces may break down even further in several parts.

Does that mean you have to scrap this longer content and start again? Not at all! Here are four steps to help you turn a long article or book chapter into bite-size blog posts:

Step 1: Compose an introduction to the series. Sometimes this will be a stand-alone post, as I wrote here. Other times, your introduction will be part of the first post of the series, as in this example.

Step 2: Look at what you've written and find the natural breaking point(s), where you've finished talking about one element and you've started talking about another one.

Step 3: Decide on a format for each post in your series – will they be quick and to-the-point (example), or use a typical article format (example)?

Step 4: If you're going with an article format, compose an introduction and conclusion for each of your blog posts. Otherwise, just insert each separate point into its own blog post, using the format you chose.

Here are some additional helpful tips for turning your long article or book chapter into bite-size blog posts:

  • Language: Carry over some of the same language and phrasing in each post, so that you reinforce your unique writing style and personality. Above all, try to use some of the same language that your typical client might use when they discuss the topic.
  • Independence: Assume people are reading each piece as a stand-alone blog post. They may never read the related posts, or they may read them in a different order than you wrote them. Make sure each post makes sense on its own.

It IS possible to cover topics in more depth on your blog. And if you've taken the steps I've suggested, you've provided a road map of your ideas to the person who has the time and interest (and the good eyesight!) to sit and read them all at once.

The bonus is that you haven't lost the person who just came for a quick look! You gave them a quality taste of what you have to offer, and if they're a good match for you they will be back. That is the magic of content marketing.

Content Marketers, don’t let your blog fade away…

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It might start with an innocent thought like, "Well, it's okay if I don't post this week, I posted last week." But if you eventually find yourself saying, "I hope no one clicks on that  'Blog' tab on the website," you've probably fallen victim to the dreaded "blog fade."

It's great that you decided to progress from doing a monthly email newsletter to publishing new content more frequently and consistently.You're a Content Marketer now!

But then your blog turned into some sort of hungry beast, demanding to be fed more often than you could handle – and here you are.

The good news is that you can publish new blog posts without having to always come up with brand new content. I call it a connective piece, and you may have read about it in my series about the three types of online content, or the follow-up post about how to build a relationship with your ideal client using each of the types.

I've put together a free call to help you make the most of this writing strategy and apply it to your own content marketing efforts.

Connective Content: How to balance your blog by combining your expertise with other people's content

Date: Thursday, May 27, 2010
Time: 2:00-2:30 p.m. Eastern (in, out and on with your day)
Cost: FREE (open to Content Mastery Guide subscribers only)

Agenda:

  • Why do you need connective content?
  • What is connective content?
  • Three ways to claim your expertise using other people's content
  • Three ways to claim your expertise using your own existing content
  • Five magical questions that can turn existing content into new content

Is it okay to go back and edit your published blog posts?

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As part of the process of writing my books, I’ve been reviewing a lot of my archived blog posts. That’s brought up the question of whether it’s okay to edit blog posts, essentially changing history (as I was working on this post, Jeff Korhan published one about how to rewrite your life story with social media).

My answer? It depends.

If there are typos, spelling errors or broken links, I would absolutely encourage you to edit those immediately, whenever you spot them (or someone else spots them for you).

If there are things you wish you had said differently or better, you can make those changes as well, however in that case I would add a note where you’ve made the change, e.g., [Edited on May 16, 2010] or at the end of your post, e.g., [This post was edited on May 16, 2010].

With my own blog recently celebrating its three-year anniversary, I’ve also been thinking a lot about how a blog is really a public chronicle of our evolution as writers, marketers and entrepreneurs.

While some older content may make me cringe and wish I’d known then what I know now, I try to celebrate my learning and how far I’ve come.

Can you edit your blog posts and change history? Certainly. Should you? That depends on your relationship with your past self.

How different types of online content can help you build a relationship with your ideal client

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For more information about these three different types of online content, please see the Content Marketing à la Carte series.

While I commented briefly at the end of the series that one type of content isn't better than the other (it's a matter of personal preference and the suitability of your message), I wanted to talk more about how your choice of content will help you build relationships online.

The thought piece

A thought piece naturally positions you as a leader in your industry, particularly if it challenges or innovates a commonly-held practice or opinion. This creates a level of comfort for your ideal client that you are a credible expert. It can also set up a structure for your work together (such as my self-assessment for content marketers). 

How you can help it along: Surround yourself with a community of fellow innovators who support you to express your original ideas. Let thought pieces happen naturally in their own time, and then highlight them in your blog or newsletter. Invite some of your most influential industry colleagues to read and comment – sometimes they're the ones you'll most connect to with a thought piece.

Remember to balance: Some potential clients won't spend the time to read a longer or deeper piece, and others simply are not interested in your musings or theories – they don't want to watch you figure it out, they just want you to tell them what to do or show them how others are doing it!

The connective piece

A connective piece naturally positions you as a trusted resource for your ideal clients – both a connector who knows a lot of people and a maven who has a lot of good information to share. The connective piece also does a wonderful job of nurturing your relationships with your peers, encouraging reciprocal links and referrals when they happen to run into your ideal clients.

How you can help it along: Be on the lookout for information and resources that will benefit your ideal client, whether that's from a colleague or a "competitor." Trust that there is enough work for everyone and that the right clients will be attracted to you if you express yourself authentically.

Remember to balance: Potential clients want to see some original content from you, both theory and practice – it reassures them that you have something to offer.

The core piece

A core piece naturally strengthens your ideal client's trust that you will be able to help them with their problem. By delivering bite-sized pieces of your unique solutions, you give them a taste of what the experience of working with you will be like.

How you can help it along: Listen to what your clients and readers are telling you and asking you. Give them the solutions they're looking for, not just the ones you think they should have (Alicia Forest and I discussed this in an interview).

Remember to balance: There's not much of a downside to publishing a high volume of well-written core pieces, other than the fact that your ideal client would likely enjoy seeing different types of content from you. And mixing it up can also keep your creativity stoked!

Each type of online content has a role in your relationship-building efforts, and balancing between them can help maintain your rapport with your reader. If you usually stick with one kind of article, challenge yourself to write a different one this week. Want to go further with the challenge? Aim to write at least one of each type over the next month.