Benefits of Blogging

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.

5 Ways to Lead Local Clients From Your Blog to Your Clinic

August 30, 2017 By Linda Dessau

Local client at wellness clinic — © romankosolapov – Fotolia.com

If you’re new to the concept of content marketing, it may be difficult to imagine how publishing an article on your website could help bring clients into your local clinic.

After all, if you give people home-care tips to solve their problems, won’t you be blogging yourself out of new clients?

Actually, the opposite is true! Effective wellness blogging will lead local clients from your website right to your clinic. Here are five ways:

1. They see and think of you often

It makes sense that the more content you post on your blog and on social media, the more people will see and think of you. What’s most important is what you’re posting.

Sales promotions and ads can feel intrusive and give a negative impression of your business, even subconsciously. If, on the other hand, you consistently send helpful, interesting, and entertaining content that people appreciate and enjoy, that positive association will permeate every interaction.

From blog to business: As you promote each helpful new blog post in email and on social media, you create positive feelings and establish trust.

2. They start to associate your business with a specific topic or area, and see you as an expert

You don’t only want people to see and think of you often – you want them to think of you in relation to a particular topic or set of topics.

On your blog and on social media, I recommend sharing a combination of high-quality original content that your company produces, and equally high-quality content from other sources.

The key is that all of this content is centered around key topics that reinforce the expertise you deliver with your products and services.

From blog to business: When your network sees you consistently post high-quality content about a particular set of topics, you will be the first one they think of when they or someone they know needs your service or program.

3. They start to rely on you as a resource

When the tips and suggestions you provide are relevant and get positive results, you become a trusted resource in the minds of your readers.

By giving advice about the issues they most care about – related to your topic areas – you connect with your readers on different levels and become a bigger part of their lives.

From blog to business: People may wonder, “If they give away this much great information for free, I wonder how much more they could help me if I hired them!”

4. They feel like a part of your business

Aside from sharing information that helps prospective clients solve a problem, you can also use blogging to invite them behind the scenes of your business to meet your other clients, your suppliers and vendors, your partners, and your staff. These backstage tours create a sense of comfort and familiarity before they even walk in the door.

You can also turn the tables and offer people a chance for you to get to know them. Invite them to submit questions, recipes, tips, photos, stories – the sky’s the limit!

From blog to business: Familiarity breeds trust, and so the more often you connect with people in meaningful ways, the more comfortable they will feel approaching you to do business.

Bonus: As people join in public discussions with you and about you, they can soon turn into customer evangelists who help others discover and trust you.

5. They know exactly when to come in

Building onto that sense of familiarity and community, your blog readers and social media followers can enjoy a sense of privilege and exclusivity. While you’ll mainly use your blog for information and not promotion, occasionally you can directly promote your business and something that’s going on there.

Your loyal readers and social media followers will be the first to hear, and will want to boost their own online reputation by passing on these great opportunities to their network.

From blog to business: Because of the trust, familiarity and goodwill you’ve built by sharing helpful, relevant information, people will be much more open to your sales offers, and more likely to say yes if they’re the right fit.

From Cobwebs and Crickets to Content and Crowds

November 30, 2016 By Linda Dessau

© losw100 - Fotolia.com — © losw100 – Fotolia.com

Now that the winter is getting closer, I’m noticing a few more spiders seeking shelter in my house. We’ve had a long-standing agreement – if they stay out of my way I’ll stay out of theirs.

One thing I do take care of are the intricate webs they leave behind in the corners. As beautiful as they are, they make my house feel tidy and uncared for.

The website equivalent to cobwebs in the corner is a blog that hasn’t been updated. When your website looks uncared for, the risk is that potential clients may think they might not be cared for either.

Aside from the unprofessional impression it makes on website visitors, a ghost town blog can affect your own confidence in your website, your business, and yourself.

You may stop wanting to send people to your website because you’re embarrassed by it; you may question whether you have any value to offer; and you may feel guilt or shame that you set a blogging goal and didn’t achieve it.

I’ve noticed that when it comes to fitness, the less I do, the less I want to do. While most days I look forward to going to the gym, if I miss even one workout, my motivation starts to wane.

Similarly, when your website is full of cobwebs because you haven’t blogged in awhile, you can quickly lose momentum and fall out of any blogging routine you may have started.

From cobwebs to content

On the flip-side, when you blog consistently at a level you can manage – start with once a month and go from there – your website, your business and you all reap the benefits.

Your website is updated more frequently (search engines love that!) and visitors stay longer.
Prospective clients get both an instant snapshot and an in-depth tour of your areas of expertise. This provides a better sense of who you are as a practitioner and a person, helping them build more trust in you. As well, colleagues and fans have a direct way to refer people to you for specific solutions.
When you follow through on your blogging commitment, you experience a heightened self-confidence in your own strengths and expertise. You get to develop and refine your ideas, then try them out and get feedback from your audience. Plus you gain material for other resources like presentations and books.

Spiders aren’t the only critters that can damage your blog. When your blog posts elicit no responses or feedback, your blog and social media pages become so quiet you can hear crickets chirp.

The problem with crickets is that you’re left with self-doubt about your content (am I writing about the right topics?), your business (does anyone want what I have to offer?), and yourself (do I even know what I’m talking about?).

As you keep writing (IF you keep writing), you may be going further down the wrong path of content that isn’t connecting with its intended audience. For the people who do find your content, they may be less inclined to take an action (like, share, comment) if they don’t see any other activity.

From crickets to crowds

When you consistently and repeatedly promote your new posts (and your archived posts, too) on social media, you build a community of people who appreciate your ideas and will share them with others. This includes both prospective clients and those who refer them to you.

This “social proof” encourages more people to read and share your work, giving you a wider audience and an invaluable feedback loop that can refine your future writing. This will keep your content on the right track and aligned with the needs of your target audience of prospective clients.

Exposure to a larger community can also attract invitations for content collaboration, speaking opportunities, and media exposure.

Here are the five key ingredients for promoting your blog posts on social media:

An enticing message – why should they click?
Separate messages for each social media platform – the right length and the right approach
Permalink – send them to one particular post, not just your blog or website
Related hashtags – join a wider conversation
Usernames for tagging – make powerful connections and show your appreciation

It’s not the end of the world to hit a blogging slump (it happens to the best of us!). You can always dust off the cobwebs and start again. Just don’t forget to make some noise when you do!

P.S. If you liked this post, you might enjoy the Blogging Tips newsletter, delivered weekly to your inbox! Sign up here.

How Blogging Supports a Launch – With Launch Geek Cristina Favreau

September 28, 2016 By Linda Dessau

© vector1st - Fotolia.com — © vector1st – Fotolia.com

I hear many people talk about how September feels like a new beginning in their life and in their business. And the launch of a new season often comes with the launch of something they haven’t done before in their business.

When you’re already so busy with a launch, where does blogging fit in? It’s often the first thing to go on the back burner, but you may not realize all the ways blogging can help make your launch a success.

To delve into this topic, we’ll hear from Cristina Favreau, the Launch Geek. Cristina and I met online and worked together many years ago, and have launched and relaunched many things in our businesses since then.

Today, she’s in the business of launching stuff online – courses, products and programs, events, businesses, membership sites, podcasts, blogs, you name it, she’ll help you launch it! Best of all, she helps you come up with a launch plan that fits YOU – your product or service, your personality, and your level of technical know-how.

How does a blog enhance your credibility during a launch, and how might that affect your results?

I know this is a given, but it’s important to point out that launching is not the time to start BUILDING credibility. You build credibility, over time, through your articles and blog marketing activities.

During a launch, your blog will help you achieve a few goals (depending on your situation):

Building your launch interest list
Creating curiosity, anticipation, buzz for what’s coming
Improving keyword rank
Demonstrating social proof
Attracting media or guest opportunities

While all of these elements are important, in my opinion building your interest list is the most important goal to work toward.

That way you’ll have a list of interested people (AKA a warm list) to send launch promo emails (versus sending a barrage of launch emails to your entire list for the duration of your launch).

What shape should your blog be in before you launch?

Because every blog and each launch is different, there’s not one right answer.

I advocate for starting where you are with what you have (“shoulds” just make everything more intimidating).

There are, however a few best practices to consider. I’ll also share some of my suggestions, based on my experience.

First and foremost, no matter how long you’ve been blogging, the most important factor of launching is PLANNING!

I know, I know! Planning isn’t sexy.

I’m sure you have better things to do than create an elaborate launch campaign. So don’t. Create a simple one.

Creating a simple launch plan will give you a clear picture of what blog elements are needed to support your launch (which may affect your timeline and/or budget).

Here are elements to include in your simple launch plan:

Important dates (open cart, close cart, teaser period, pre-launch phase, content release, live/virtual events, bonus release, program start/end, etc.)
Tasks to complete, when and by whom
Teaser, pre-launch and launch content plan
Visibility/promotion strategy for each piece of content
Teaser, pre-launch and launch email strategy
2-3 launch goals and a way to track them

Your blog plays an important role in each of these elements, but especially during the teaser period (3-6 weeks before pre-launch) and pre-launch phase (5-10 days before you open the cart) where you “prime” your audience for what’s coming up.

Here’s a suggested blog strategy for the teaser period and pre-launch phase:

Write a weekly blog post (or more, depending on your schedule), only about your product/program topic

Create a freebie that is directly related to your product/program topic
Link to that freebie in each blog post
Send a link to each blog post to your entire email list
If you’re planning a launch a few months in advance, share “behind the scenes” of your upcoming launch (people love getting the inside scoop)

Keep in mind that during the teaser period, discuss the TOPIC of your product or program; don’t mention the product or program you’re about to launch (not just yet).

What are the top 3 ways that blogging can support the launch of…

An online business:

SEO and keyword ranking
Builds your list
Gets backlinks and shares (links, post excerpts, quotables, shareables, e.g., Click To Tweet)

An in-person event:

Your audience sees you being active in your industry (even if they can’t make the event)
Acts as your virtual business card where people can learn more about you after the event
Gets backlinks and shares (links, post excerpts, quotables, shareables, e.g., Click To Tweet)

A virtual event (telesummit or webinar):

Demonstrates your industry connections and expert status by association (interview your event speakers)
Gets backlinks and shares (links, post excerpts, quotables, shareables, e.g., Click To Tweet)
Offers added value for event participants (convert presentation transcripts and Q&A into blog posts)

A recurring podcast, blog or newsletter:

Offers added value and alternative learning methods (post transcripts of audio and other content upgrades like worksheets and PDF reports)
Adds SEO value when you turn audio into text transcripts
Interviews mean more and content for you and potential exposure to the other person’s audience)

A book or other information product:

Gets backlinks and shares (links, post excerpts, quotables, shareables, e.g., Click To Tweet)
Creates buzz with free chapters and other book excerpts
Generates content for your book or info product

A course or training program:

Demonstrates that your program works (blog about success stories/case studies of students)
Gives people value while they wait for the course to start
Generates interest in the program with “behind the scenes” posts as you create your program

A membership site:

Attracts new members with a sneak peek of course content
Provides subtle ways to mention your membership site
Demonstrates value of site when you write profiles of member success stories

Wow, if I wasn’t already a blogging evangelist, I would be now! Thanks, Cristina, for showing us how integral blogging can be when you’re launching anything in your business.

P.S. If you liked this post, you might enjoy the Blogging Tips newsletter, delivered weekly to your inbox! Sign up here.

How to Manage a Multi-Author Wellness Blog

July 27, 2016 By Linda Dessau

calendar tools multi-author blog — © djvstock – Fotolia.com

You’ve worked hard to create a team of qualified wellness professionals who deliver a range of services to your clients. But does your clinic blog reflect the unique wisdom and experience they each bring to the table?

Giving your team of practitioners a voice on the clinic blog has five key benefits:

It lightens your load as the clinic owner to produce all the content.
It gives each practitioner the chance to develop and express his or her own individual identity (brand) as a wellness professional.
It demonstrates the depth and variety of the services and approaches available at your clinic.
It helps your practitioners, clients, supporters and friends promote your clinic by sharing links to practitioners’ posts on social media.
It cultivates a sense of teamwork, belonging and pride amongst the blog contributors.

Starting a blog and posting consistently can be challenging, and having more bloggers can mean there are more ways for things to go astray. Let’s go through some concrete tips for how to manage a multi-author wellness blog for ultimate success.

Before you start a multi-author wellness blog at your clinic

Long before publishing your first post, create a clinic or team blogging plan so that everyone is on the same page (here are the five things to include in your clinic blogging plan).

How to keep your clinic blog going

Once you have your plan and you’re ready to start, here are some helpful tips to stay consistent:

Create a shared calendar for editorial topics and timelines. Make it easy for writers to plan ahead, and for you or your editor to follow up as needed. Try Google Calendar or blogging-specific WordPress plugins such as CoSchedule, Edit Flow, or Editorial Calendar.
Hold regular meetings for the blogging team, where you can brainstorm ideas, troubleshoot problems, and celebrate results. If you keep restating the blog’s purpose and goals, it will boost motivation and enthusiasm for the project.
Offer alternatives for reluctant writers. Some of your practitioners may not have the time, patience or skill for writing, but with a little creativity, everyone’s voice can be heard. For example, let them talk out their ideas as a video or audio recording. Then have an editor or ghostwriter turn those ideas into a written post or a bulleted list of highlights published along with the video or audio message.

Promoting your wellness clinic blog

Readers will not remember to visit your blog, so you have to invite them back to read every new post. Ask everyone on your team to share links to the latest blog post – on social media, in their email signature, or in response to a question related the post’s topic. You can even supply pre-written social media teasers that will get readers curious about the post.

Give readers an easy way to share your posts on social media by installing social sharing apps and plugins (ask your web developer for help and recommendations).

As well, show your appreciation to your blogging team by spotlighting your contributors in your clinic communications on social media, in emails and/or newsletters, and in flyers posted at the clinic.

What can go wrong with a multi-author wellness blog

Here are some of the most common issues that may arise for multi-author blogs, and my suggestions for how to overcome them:

Maintaining quality – When writers are feeling pressured to finish a post on time, or just unsure of how to write an effective blog post, quality can vary. Share examples of the types of posts you’re looking for, as well as a style guide or simple checklist for writers.
Running out of steam – Things start out well, but then begin to fade. Eventually, posts get less and less frequent and in some cases they stop completely. Sometimes it’s because contributors aren’t seeing clear results so they have no motivation to put in the effort. Hold regular meetings to discuss concerns and celebrate results. Work as a group to brainstorm topics and reignite enthusiasm for the project.
Losing contributors – If one of your prominent bloggers or even the blog manager leaves the clinic, gets an influx of clients, or has a personal situation, the blog can flounder. Head back to the drawing board and make sure all five elements of your blogging plan are in place and still relevant, including someone to take ownership of the blog.
Competing priorities – There are many moving pieces in the day-to-day life of your clinic, and sometimes blogging might need to take a back seat. Do what you have to do, whether that’s stretching out the frequency of posts or taking a break. Get back on track as soon as you can. Always start with a fresh blogging plan so everyone has clear guidelines and the same goals in mind.

A clinic blog can give your practitioners more visibility and credibility to potential clients, current clients, referral partners and other supporters. Use these strategies to ensure your blogging team’s success.

P.S. How healthy is your wellness clinic blog? Join me for a personalized review and free advice.