Blogging Basics – Page 25

Get Bossy with Your Blog: Five Ways to Boost Your Blogging Confidence

April 22, 2012 By Linda Dessau

In a recent newsletter, publishing and strategy consultant Janet Goldstein wrote about the concept of getting “lovingly bossy” with your book. Janet has given me her permission to share some of the article here, and explore how we can apply it to business blogging as well.

Janet writes:

So many writers and experts I work with (myself included) feel intimidated by their work. But you’re the boss. We can get our ideas and writing to work (and we can get the help we need if we have the clarity and the bossy-ness to move forward).

If the book and ideas aren’t coming, you can give yourself and your pages a talking-to. There’s the stern, “I can figure this out and I can write 2 paragraphs or 2 pages or 20. I can get this concept down on paper right now and I can go back and revise, add, disagree, improve.”

I loved this idea, especially in conjunction with the Barrie Business Blogathon event that I presented on Saturday, April 14th, 2012 (the first of many!).

One of my goals for the event was to inspire confidence in the bloggers to move forward with their blogs – whether they were just starting out with blogging, or they had started blogging and then stopped.

I hear from many beginner bloggers that they’re intimidated by the process, whether they’re recovering academic writers, brand new to the blogosphere or they’re just plain stuck about what to write.

Here are five simple ways to boost your blogging confidence and show your blog who’s the boss:

Am I blogging about the right thing? Come up with one frequently asked question and answer it in your blog. You can be sure that if a few people have asked, there are many others who are wondering the same thing.
Is my writing any good? Ask someone whose opinion you value to listen as you read your blog post out loud (this is also a great way to catch typos – see #3).
Have I made any embarrassing typos or writing errors? Have your work professionally edited by a blogging expert (hey, we do that!). At the very least, proofread before publishing and review your post again after you’ve taken a break.
Is blogging worth my time? You may have some preconceived notions about blogging that have convinced you it’s not possible to make money from blogging. Browse these articles about the benefits of blogging or read this study about one company that discovered just how much of a difference blogging can make.
How do I ________ (insert technical blogging task here)? If the mechanics of blogging are holding you back, search online for tutorials. I do this all the time for cooking and other household tasks. It’s amazing what you’ll find just by typing “how do I ___?” You can also hire someone to manage your blog for you (hey, we do that!).

Like any other task, your blogging skills and confidence will grow with time and practice. Until then, even if you don’t feel like it, you’re going to have to pull rank on your blog – because you’re the boss!

Is Your Blog a Ghost Town?

March 19, 2012 By Linda Dessau

Did you know that a 2010 IBM research study revealed that about 80 percent of corporate bloggers never post more than five entries? (Here’s the gigaom story, via Joe Pulizzi.)

The Internet is littered with these abandoned blogs. If you have one on your site, it could damage your reputation and scare away potential clients who may think that you stopped blogging because:

You’re no longer in business
You don’t have any information worth sharing
You don’t care about your business or your clients
You start things and don’t finish them

None of that is true, but how do you get back on track once your blog has become a ghost town?

Just start again! It’s as easy as one, two, three:

Step back and look at the big picture of your blog and consider why you’re blogging in the first place. Think about the blog categories that intersect your own interests, passion and experience with the specific problems your ideal clients are trying to solve.
Rekindle your romance with your editorial calendar or start one. Don’t let this be a source of pressure, rather use it as a guide to make sure that blogging gets its fair share of your work schedule. Blogging is a valuable marketing activity that WILL help you attract you new clients if you do it well and keep it up.
Explore the different types of blog content, by writing a combination of “how to” posts, thought leadership posts, connective content and personal posts (just make sure there’s always a business reason for telling your personal story and that you’re not confusing a business blog with a diary).

If your blog is a ghost town or if you’re hesitating to start blogging because you’re not sure you can keep it up, check out the next Barrie Business Blogathon event.

Why Your Business Blog Needs to be More Than a Diary

March 12, 2012 By Linda Dessau

As your business grows (and grows up), it can be inspiring to look back at a chronicle of what you’ve accomplished and how far you’ve come. Having that record is one of the benefits of blogging, and a reason to continue dating your posts.

But when business blogs are completely filled with announcements and personal musings from the business owner, that’s a missed opportunity to connect with your prospective clients.

Sure, your family, clients and other supporters will always be thrilled to hear of your latest successes, accomplishments and lessons learned, but what about someone who is just getting to know you? Will those things mean as much?

Let’s say you have a prospective client named Rosanne. She’s at a networking event and tells your friend Jeff that she’s dealing with a difficult situation right now. “I’ve got just the person who can help you!” Jeff says. He hands her your business card and tells Rosanne that you provide services and solutions for people just like her.

When she gets home, she visits your website to find out more about you, and sees a link to your blog. Here are five possible reasons that Rosanne might check out your blog, and how your “personal update” posts might meet her needs (or not):

To see how active your business is, and the current state of operations. Congratulations, your personal updates will do a great job with this one. Be sure to create a category that makes it easy to find your latest news, such as “News,” “What’s New,” “Announcements” or “Updates.”
To get to know the voice and personality behind the business – who is the person (or people) she’ll be receiving services from? Great, your personal updates can definitely deliver this, as long you write authentically while staying consistent with your brand.
To get a sense of how well you take care of people, including the care you take to provide helpful information that is clearly written and easy to find. Uh-oh, personal updates won’t help you much here. You’ll want to add some client success stories as a glimpse into your approach to client care.
To learn tips she can use immediately to relieve her problem. Hmm, I don’t think your personal stories will help here, either, unless you combine them with “how to” articles that break down her complex problem into bite-sized pieces. Of course you can’t diagnose or help Rosanne until you get to know her, but you can start caring for her with these basic solutions and resources.
To assess how knowledgeable you are. Rosanne wants to know that you’re an expert she can trust with her problem. After all, she may be considering investing her time, money and energy into working with you. For that you’ll need to share your expertise, not just your experience. At this point, Rosanne doesn’t want to hear funny stories, rants or creative musings. She wants reassurance that you know your stuff!

(These points were adapted from my previous article, Should You Call Your Blog a Blog?)

Personal reflections are just one example of what I call “connective content.” Ideally, you’ll want to balance your blog between all three main types of content.

If you do want to share a personal story on your business blog, think about how you can turn that story into a lesson that highlights your expertise and reinforces your brand. How can you make a connection between your experience and the problems you help your clients solve?

Getting people to visit your website is a pretty empty goal for your blog. Make sure you’re helping them once they get there. By doing that, you can turn someone from a stranger into a prospective client. From there, you can work together to decide whether you’re a good fit.

At the very least you’ll attract new readers who are likely to come back (and maybe even bring some friends) – as long you continue to invite them.

How to Write a Wellness Blog That People Want to Read

February 28, 2012 By Linda Dessau

Let’s examine five things that people are looking for when they search online for health and wellness topics, and how your blog can address those needs and attract these prospective clients to your services.

Am I all alone? People want to know they’re not the only ones who’ve experienced whatever problem they’re having. Blogging tips: Write about the most common complaints and issues your clients have when they hire you. Describe exactly what they may be going through. Use the same words your prospective clients would use in a conversation with a friend.
Is this ever going to get better? People want to hear that you’ve known and helped others like them, maybe even that you were once like them and you found a way out (if you happen to be a member of your own target market). They want their lives to improve, they want to get better, they want reassurance and hope that things won’t always be this way. Blogging tips: Use examples, client stories and your own life stories. Balance your expertise with real-life experience. Paint a vibrant picture of how wonderful life could be once they’ve found the right solution for them.
Will I be able to cope with this and do what it takes to help myself? People are looking for immediate relief, along with long-term change. They also want to know that your suggestions will be different from others they’ve tried and abandoned. Blogging tips: Give your readers plenty of straightforward, practical steps they can begin immediately to improve their situation. Remember that your readers will be at various stages of readiness for making changes in their lives, so don’t suggest too much, too soon.
Is this serious? As I mentioned above, sometimes when people are researching, they’re not ready to take action yet. In terms of the transtheoretical model of change developed by addiction researchers Prochaska and DiClemente in 1983, they’re still in the contemplation or preparation stage. That’s why some of your blog posts should aim to motivate someone to address their problem. Blogging tips: Just as you painted a picture in tip #2, now you want to paint an equally vivid picture of how life might look if they never overcome this problem. What will be the impact on their physical, emotional and mental well-being? For an example, see this article about metabolic syndrome and hypertension on the Wellness Blogs site.
Who can I trust to help me with this situation, and what can I expect from that process? People need to know, like and trust you before they even consider hiring you for such an intimate service as a wellness treatment. They want you to be a knowledgeable expert who is still approachable. Blogging tips: Explain how your treatment modality works. For example, there are excellent introductions to reflexology and craniosacral therapy on the Wellness Blogs site. Tell more case stories about the people you’ve helped and how you helped them. Weave in details about your approach to client care. Help people feel what it will be like to be under your care. Write to each individual reader as if he or she is already one of your precious clients.

By addressing these needs of your blog readers, you’ll be establishing a trusting relationship as an expert they can rely on. When they’re ready to take the next step and get help for their situation, you’ll be first on their minds.

Do you need help writing your wellness blog? Contact me today to learn how I can help!

How Do I Keep People Coming Back to My Blog?

February 14, 2012 By Linda Dessau

This question came up from two different audiences recently. First while I was speaking to a class of business students at Georgian College about entrepreneurship and blogging, and next it was among the questions that attendees submitted when they registered for the Wellness Blogging Seminar.

Blogging has many benefits, but one of its challenges is that it requires your audience to come to you. However groundbreaking, creative, helpful, consistent or timely your blog posts are, readers have to bring themselves to your blog in order to read them.

So how do you keep people coming back to your blog? You need to keep inviting them! That was one of the housekeeping tips for living online that I shared on the Blogging Mindset webinar last week.

Here are five ways to invite people back to your blog:

Announce and promote your blog posts via social media – Not just once, but several times – your friends, fans and followers check in at various times in the day and week. Write a compelling “teaser” such as a question or headline that entices people to read more. There are many tools that allow you to update your social media accounts automatically when you publish a new post. You can also preschedule several messages at once to batch your tasks (just be sure you don’t automate your entire social media presence!).
Display your latest blog posts in your email signature – You can do this manually by updating your signature each time you publish a new blog post (be sure to use the permalink) or use WiseStamp to do it automatically.
Send regular email broadcasts with links to your latest informative articles – If your focus is on sending valuable, helpful content, these emails will always be a gift, not an intrusion.
Send blog post links as responses to questions – One of the benefits of building a mountain of content is that when people ask common questions about your area of specialty, you’ll likely have one or several blog posts that answer the question. Whether you’re replying to an email or popping into social media or an online forum, a well-placed article link can boost your credibility and build new relationships.
Provide an RSS subscription – RSS (really simple syndication) is a way to automatically send your latest blog posts to people who’ve specifically requested to see them. If someone has an RSS reader, they can either search for your blog and add it to their account, or when they’re visiting your site they can look for this icon:

You don’t need to jump through SEO hoops to get people back to your blog, but you do need to make an effort to keep inviting them. That’s just good housekeeping.