Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

Why a Blog is the Only Website You’ll Ever Need: An Interview with Scott Gingrich of Piggybank Technology, Part One

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Scott Gingrich owns Piggybank Marketing, a web design and marketing firm devoted to delighting their customers with marketing websites that deliver measureable results. Scott and his wife and co-owner Jennifer have been marketing their own businesses on the Internet since the early 90’s and now bring those years of experience to every web marketing project they do.

Scott says, “Before we created websites for other people, we were running our own web-based businesses to put food on the family table and we learned very quickly that our web marketing better work!”

Linda: Welcome, Scott! So what are some of the benefits of having a blog as your website?

Scott: With content management systems such as Joomla and WordPress, your site can be more than just a blog. By adding the extra elements that these systems offer, your “blogsite” (combination of blog and website) truly is the only website you’ll ever need.

My clients are mostly local businesses and their main reason to have a website is to generate qualified leads. To accomplish that objective, the website must serve two key functions:

  1. Attract qualified visitors (i.e., people who live in their area and are looking for information relevant to the company’s offerings)
  2. Convert those visitors into leads (prospective clients or customers)

Well-written blog content can certainly attract the qualified visitors. But when it comes to converting those visitors into leads, we’ll need to bring in those additional elements I mentioned earlier – additional pages with:

  • Overview of services
  • Portfolio of project samples
  • Testimonials from happy clients or customers
  • Biographical information about the business owner
  • Background information about the business
  • Sales/order page with shopping card/payment buttons

Let’s look more closely at two scenarios:

  1. Visitor hears of a business and goes to their website. Perhaps they were referred there by a friend or found the website address on a business card. This potential customer is going to the website to “check out” that business. Looking at website statistics, we know that these visitors will often first check out pages such as Portfolio, Services and Testimonials before going to the blog.
  2. Visitor finds a blog post article through a Google Search. If this visitor is to wind up as a lead for the local business, we know that the visitor must take an action (e.g., read more about services, sign up for a mailing list, contact the business owner directly) before leaving to browse the next site that came up in the Google Search.

In both scenarios, the blog article attracts visitors and builds trust and credibility. However, without pages like Services, About Us, etc. there is a much smaller chance of conversion. You need both.

Linda: What options does Piggybank Marketing have for someone who wants to launch their web presence with a blog?

Scott: We work with both Joomla and WordPress. Whether starting out with a simple blogsite or launching a more sophisticated site that also incorporates blogging, we have packages that suit.

We also build in best practices from the start, which can have a huge impact on a site’s results. Important things like:

  • Enhanced security protocol
  • Coded to be search engine-friendly
  • Built-in social sharing and RSS feeds
  • Marketing intelligence based on your goals (for example, if you want people to call you, we’ll make sure your phone number is prominently displayed on every page)
  • Choosing stable, secure extensions (third-party applications and plugins) that have a good track record for upgrades and support

Business owners can call us and we’ll have a conversation about your objectives, so we can put together the best plan for your budget and goals.

Linda: Thanks, Scott! Stay tuned for Part Two of this interview series, Read This Before You Set Up Your Blog. In the meantime, here is another blog post with some simple writing tips for your blogsite pages.

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.

Is Anybody Out There? Providing Good Customer Service On Social Media

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Social media is a great way to demonstrate your commitment to customer service. But once you attract a prospective client into your virtual storefront, will they find you behind the counter or are you nowhere to be seen?

There is a lot of pressure for business owners to jump into social media ("You have to be there," you're told, "Or you'll be left behind!") before you truly understand what will be required of you.

Over-automating is ugly

Yes, there are plenty of online marketing tasks that you can outsource and automate, just be sure that customer service is taken care of by a real person in real time.

It's very easy to see who is automating instead of engaging, because their social media accounts display a stream of announcements, links and advertisements, with no replies, referrals or conversation.

And to someone who sends you a message or replies to one of your updates, but gets no response (just more blasts of information), that silence speaks volumes about you and your business.

Sorry-this-business-is-closed

Once you've put yourself out there on social media, the customer service is only beginning. There must be a response, and it must come from you.

Are you concerned about missing messages but you don't want to spend time checking your account? Hire someone else to monitor it for you, or subscribe to a service like Postling or Nutshell Mail to get email updates of all your account activity.

NOTE: It is sometimes appropriate to outsource your ongoing social media conversations, just be sure your audience knows that someone is writing on your behalf, e.g., with a note in your profile that says, "Tweets by _____, on behalf of _____."

Content marketing is customer service

Social media is simply another mode of communication; a chance to demonstrate your commitment by responding to your clients and potential clients – quickly, courteously and professionally.

And perhaps the best way to respond is to create new content that addresses the questions and comments you're hearing. I've written before about how blogging improves your customer service. By being constantly focused on what your ideal client needs, you will be more tuned into delivering those solutions. Denise Wakeman calls this growing "blog antennae," while Jeff Korhan says, "blogging gives you clarity."

Sharing your content via social media is another way to be of service to people in your network – with tips, tools, insights and strategies to help them in their lives and/or businesses.

After all, helping out is one of the key principles of networking – whether you're offline or online – and it allows you to turn social networking into business networking.

Whether they're prospective clients, referral sources or fellow business owners in your community, show your online network that you're here and you care. That's good customer service. And that's good for business. 

Three Powerful Ways That Blogging Can Help You Follow Up After a Networking Event

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Business-handshake Have you ever met someone at a networking event who would be an ideal client for you? Yet you struggle with how to follow up without seeming “sales-y” or putting any pressure on the person?

Imagine returning home from a networking event and calmly sending an email like this:

Hi ______ (Fred, Anne, John, etc.),

It was great meeting you this morning at the ______ (name of event). I wanted to follow up with some resources about what we chatted about.

You mentioned that _______ has been a challenge for you. Here is a blog post that I wrote about that very problem. It includes some basic information and some suggestions for how to apply it. (#1) You can view the post at _________ (link to the specific post). (#2)

Please let me know if you have any questions! You can reach me at ___________ (phone number). Or feel free to connect with me on ________ (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.).

See you soon, _________ (your name)

P.S. If the blog post was helpful, feel free to sign up for my weekly updates, from the top right-hand corner of my website. That way you’ll see my newest posts with similar information. (#3)

Congratulations! You’ve just deepened your relationship and shortened the distance between blogging and business.

(#1) Sending helpful information exactly when it’s needed creates goodwill with your contact. It also shows that you were listening and that you care. NOTE: At some point during your conversation, you will have needed to ask, “What is your biggest challenge when it comes to ______ (YOUR area of expertise)?”

(#2) Your well-written, focused blog post establishes you as an expert at solving the exact problems this person is dealing with. NOTE: Be sure to provide the permanent link (“permalink”) to the specific post, which you can get by visiting your blog, clicking on the blog post title and then copying the URL that appears in the address bar of your web browser.

For example, the permalink of this post is https://contentmasteryguide.com/2011/06/how-blogging-can-help-you-follow-up-after-a-networking-event.html – do you see it up there in your address bar?

(#3) Inviting the person to your blog/website gives the person a non-threatening way to find out more about you and your services. NOTE: You can turn your blog into a website (a “blogsite”) by adding just a few crucial details. See my simple writing tips for your blogsite pages. ALSO: Be sure there is a subscription form for your email list on every page of your website or blog.

With a mountain of high-quality content on a blog to draw from, following up with new networking contacts is as easy as 1-2-3.