Benefits of Blogging

Weekly Blog Posts I’d Like to See from Beaches Fine Market Grill in Barrie

March 14, 2011 By Linda Dessau

I'm not the easiest person to cook for. Between the foods that don't agree with me and the ones I stay away from for health reasons, there's not a lot to work with!

That's why I'm always glad to find a restaurant that can accommodate me and still make my meals taste amazing.

I recently met Tom Friedli, co-owner (with his wife Dale) of Beaches Fine Market Grill here in Barrie. I had an amazing meal featuring fresh, local food, and it got me thinking: How could Tom apply some of the weekly blogging techniques I covered in last week's call about how to be a weekly blogger?

For starters, I'd like to see a feature article that reinforces the philosophies of the business, e.g., the health benefits of eating locally-produced food.

Following up that article, I'd like to read about one of their suppliers, e.g., a local farm, and hear more about where my food comes from.

Then, maybe in another week, I could get the background story on one of their regular customers and hear about why eating locally is important to him or her.

At the end of the month, maybe Tom could provide some tips for shopping at the farmer's market – since I can't eat ALL of my meals at his restaurant.

And in each email, why not tantalize me by describing a featured menu item – maybe something a little different that I wouldn't have thought to try.

Receiving these gems by email every week, would I be more likely to think of Beaches Fine Market Grill the next time someone asks me to join them for a meal or a coffee? Absolutely! I'll probably be dreaming up reasons to eat out!

There, Tom, now you're set for the month! You can thank me later, and YES, I will work for food 😉

Just kidding! I definitely paid for my own meal at Beaches Fine Market Grill, and this blog post was my idea, not Tom's. I wanted to show all of you that thinking of weekly blog post ideas can be creative, fun and easy! Stay tuned, because I'll be posting more ideas using other businesses as examples.

UPDATE! March 23, 2011 – Tom's new blogging journey has begun: Fresh, locally sourced food…many PROs…any CONs?

Curious what kind of ideas I might have for YOUR weekly blog posts? You can submit your blog for consideration and I will write a post just like this one – but it will be about YOU, YOUR business and YOUR prospective clients.

Click here to apply now.

Blog Like a Writer, Write Like a Blogger

February 18, 2011 By Linda Dessau

The other day, I met with a woman who happened to be an ex-journalism student. While we were chatting about how she might make the transition to online writing and blogging, I commented that she had a great starting point by already being a writer. To which she exclaimed, "Oh, I can write, but I'm not a writer!"

We have so many preconceived notions of what makes someone a writer. Is it only someone who's published (and if so, does self-published count)? Is it only someone who writes every day (or week or month)?

And then what's a blogger? Is it only someone who blogs about a personal topic? Or is it the opposite – someone who just blogs for business? Is it only someone who sells/makes money from their blog?

I actually got chills when Charlie Gilkey stood up at the Wealthy Thought Leader event (Vancouver, March 2010) and said, "I'm not a blogger with a business. I'm a thought leader with a blog as a vehicle."

Because to write your way to more clients online, it really doesn't matter what you call yourself. Your writing is simply another platform from which to share your expertise, establish trust, deepen relationships and achieve visibility.

Just for fun, let's see what writers and bloggers might be able to learn from each other.

To blog like a writer, try to be more:

Clear – "When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing." – Enrique Jardiel Poncela
Concise – Give yourself a word count limit (I recommend 500 words) and don't waste any precious space
Creative – Challenge yourself to expand your vocabulary and play with your words
Careful – Self-edit your work, or borrow another pair of eyes (hey, we do that!)

To write like a blogger, try to be more:

Current – Keep up with the news, yes, but also be willing to update your own ideas and theories; this will help keep your blog fresh
Casual – A blog is a conversation; read your work out loud to be sure it sounds like how you talk
Passionate – Help your ideal clients find you, by writing authentically about what you care about
Social – Share your new content with people in your social networks, using this as the starting point for new conversations

Even if you don't feel like a writer OR a blogger, take heart. Once you get started, keep going and build some momentum, your writing identity will find you – and so will your ideal clients!

Choose Your Words Carefully (Lessons from My Morning Meditation)

December 22, 2010 By Linda Dessau

What are you building with your words?

This question occurred to me after my morning meditation session. I was reflecting on how I could be most useful today, and I decided to get some help from a new iPhone/iPad coaching app that I recently discovered.

ThinkPal is designed to "kick-start your creativity and unearth new perspectives," by delivering a series of random coaching questions that you can apply to any topic. The one I clicked to this morning asked, "What are you building?"

That led to some powerful insights as I reflected on how the actions I choose to take today could intersect with what I want to be building in my business and my life.

Then I wondered how the question might help you, and this blog post was born.

What you DON'T want to be building

Here's what you may be unintentionally building with the words you write on the web:

Overwhelm – By trying to pack too much into one article or post, you may be creating confusion instead of clarity
Doubt – Overwhelm and confusion can lead your readers to doubt themselves (and you!)
Distance – If you're using a lot of jargon or technical language in order to sound smart, your readers may feel that you're talking down to them
Disrespect – Too many typos, misused words or grammatical errors will have your readers questioning your professionalism and capabilities

What you DO want to be building

Here's what you may be intentionally building with your online messages:

Insights – Just like the ThinkPal app brought me new insights this morning, your writing has the power to inspire the same for your readers
Understanding – You can help someone grasp a concept that's new to them – even if it's obvious or old news to you
Action – By building insight and understanding, you guide and inspire your readers to take action
Suspense – Michael J. Katz's writing provides a stellar example of suspense and other story-telling techniques that help you engage your reader

Will you help me finish this post?

I thought of some other examples, but I wanted to leave room here for YOUR thoughts: What are you trying to build when you write a new blog post? What results have you gotten? What have you built with your blog? Please enter your comments below.

Three Ways that Blogging Improves Your Customer Service

December 20, 2010 By Linda Dessau

When you publish new content on a consistent basis, it encourages you to continually ask the question: What is my ideal client looking for now? And how about now?

You'll get new answers all the time – and that also means more new ideas for your blog posts.

Customer service benefit #1: When you approach blogging with the intention of meeting your clients' needs in each moment, it will ripple through the rest of your business. Your services are bound to be more relevant, and your delivery more effective.

Earlier, I wrote that if you want to write more, read more. Specifically, read blogs, articles, books, reports and websites about your specialty area. Don't forget these important sources – often free and right at your fingertips – when you're planning your continuing education and professional development for 2011.

Customer service benefit #2: When you immerse yourself in the current voices of your industry and/or your clients' industry, you will be able to share the latest and greatest ideas, tools and resources with your clients and readers.

"Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care." (I've seen this quote attributed to both Theodore Roosevelt and John Maxwell.) Swooping in once a month to write a brilliant thought leadership post doesn't do much to show that you care.

Instead, stick around through the month with a variety of posts, and take part in conversations via the comments section and/or social media.

Customer service benefit #3: When you publish new content consistently, several times a month (or more), you demonstrate to your readers and clients that you are committed to their development and success.

Although you will not meet or even speak to everyone who visits your blog, it is a natural place to express your commitment to customer service. Yet another benefit of blogging!