Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

How Passive Blogging Can Inspire Active Conversations

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When I say in my bio that I have attracted nearly 100% of my own clients through content marketing, that doesn't mean that I never go out. 

I learned early on that there are two forms of marketing: passive and active. As an introvert, it's no surprise that I prefer marketing in the comfort and quiet of my home office – passive marketing activities like blogging, upgrading my website and scheduling social media updates.

I also know that to market my business I need to have real conversations with real people. Here's how my blogging efforts support me during those conversations (and vice versa):

Clients: It used to baffle me when clients would ask a question that I had already answered in a blog post. Then I remembered that they have full lives and businesses and – gasp! – don't always read my blog posts or newsletters.

Does that mean my blogging isn't working? Hardly! Do you think those clients are impressed when I have a well-written answer to their question right at my fingertips? Absolutely!

And the other side of that coin is when I'm able to take a client's questions and draft my answer in the form of a blog post – benefitting that client, as well as other people with the same concern.

Networking contacts: As I describe in this blog post about using your blog to follow up with networking contacts, conversations with other business owners are easier when I take the time to discover their blogging questions. Then I can follow up by emailing them a blog post that addresses that very concern.

Social networking contacts: When I alert my networks about new content on my blog, that helps me get the conversation started. Sharing my content is what turns social networking into business networking.

That's only the start, though. From there, it's my job (not something to outsource) to nurture my connections by responding to comments or starting new conversations about what other people are up to. 

Audiences: I often use content from blog posts as the basis for my training webinars or when I speak as a guest at someone else's event. If it's a new audience, all of the content is new to them, so why not use my best material? If they're regular readers, they appreciate the reinforcement of my core message.

Referral partners: Through all of those other activities, I've built a network of people who know me, stand behind my passion for what I do, and trust that I will take good care of whoever they refer.

I stay on their minds by publishing consistently, being active on social media and by reaching out via email. By striving to produce quality content, I show them that I have expertise in a very specific area so it's clear what types of referrals would be best. Who will they think of first when someone expresses a need for blogging support? 

When you put the effort into creating high-quality content for your blog, you'll feel more confident about your expert status. That confidence will shine through all of your conversations, attracting your ideal clients as well as the people who will refer them to you. 

How to Pare Down a Long Blog Post

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Whittling-woodWhen I recommend 500 words as the optimal length for a feature article (such as a "how to" post or thought leadership post), some clients have trouble sticking to that length.

Please know that I'm not trying to inhibit your creativity or water down your content. If a post really needs to be 750 words, then let it be.

Usually, though, tighter writing and editing will reveal the truth: You can make your point in far fewer words than you think you can.

To the client who inspired this blog post, you know who you are. I hope these tips are helpful to you, as well to others whose posts may be overflowing. 

  1. Stay active – You'll use less words with an active voice (the dog bit John) than a passive one (John was bit by the dog). 
  2. Tighten up your story – There are many benefits to telling a personal story in your blog post, but sometimes you just need to cut to the chase.  
  3. Focus, focus, focus – Don't try to cram everything you know into one article. Focus on a very specific topic, and then turn your attention to the next post.
  4. Break it down – Maybe your article is actually a blog post series in disguise - check out these tips for how to divide it. 
  5. Be ruthless – Ruth is actually the name of my sister/editor. If you're Ruth-less, without an editor of your own (hey, we do that!), then you MUST be ruthless with your self-editing. 
  6. Watch for repetition – When you're in the flow, the same important point may pop into your head more than once. Don't censor yourself in the writing stage, but edit out these repetitions. 
  7. Take time for quality – Above all, give yourself time for editing (and ALL four phases of the writing process). Avoid planning to write and publish the same day.
  8. Walk away for today – Ideally, you'll want to step away from the article after you finish, so you can come back with new eyes another day.
  9. Read it out loud – You'll catch lots of errors this way. Also be sure to shorten and simplify any run-on sentences. 
  10. Ask for help - If you've done your best and the article is still longer than you want it to be, ask someone else what you can cut out. And if you've already edited, this person can tell you if the article still makes sense. 

As writers we can get pretty attached to our words – they all seem essential. Yet with a little work, time and distance, you'll see how much crisper your writing can be.

How does that lead to more business? Plain language makes it easier for your readers to get your message and benefit from your expertise. Then they'll remember you when they're looking for more help on the topic.

Are you interested in more blog writing strategies? Check out the series, How to Write a Blog Post. Here's the first post in the series. 

Ten Reasons to Share Your Blog Post on Social Media

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As I’ve mentioned before, blogging helps you turn social networking into business networking. It allows you to promote your business in a subtle way, by sharing valuable information that your ideal clients are looking for. I call that Blogging for Business 101.

Blog-megaphoneThe first step is to make sure you send out a notice to your social networks when you post something new to your blog.

But what do you do after that? Here are ten suggestions for when and why to link to your latest blog post from your social media accounts.

  1. You posted something new – Integrate your blog with your social media accounts so this happens automatically. Typepad makes an app that streams any RSS feed to your LinkedIn account and WordPress has many social networking plugins – ask around for recommendations and find one that works for you.
  2. You sent a link to the blog post to your mailing list – Similarly, you can set up most email broadcast systems to automatically post an announcement/link to your social networks when you’ve sent an email broadcast.
  3. You mentioned a friend, colleague or industry bigwig in your blog post – Alert the person you wrote about. It’s a great way to start or deepen a relationship. And if the other person continues the conversation, then you both get an introduction to each other’s network.
  4. It’s been a couple of days (or hours) – since you posted – The people in your network are not watching your stream 24/7. So link to your new blog post on Twitter and LinkedIn several times and on different days, to give them the chance to see it. (Note: Unless you have a high volume on your Facebook Fan Page, I suggest limiting your blog post links to once per day).
  5. You have (or want) readers from all over the world – On a similar note, remember that if you post something at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time, people across the pond in the U.K. have already ended their business day. And making a big announcement about your latest post at 8:30 a.m. Eastern won’t have much impact on your friends on the west coast who are still sleeping.
  6. Someone left an interesting comment – You can link directly to a particular comment or to the post itself so people can read it for themselves and then peruse the comments at the bottom.
  7. No one left any comments – Ask people in your social networks for their feedback or opinion about what you’ve written. Just don’t be discouraged if comments are quiet.
  8. Someone has posted a question you can answer – You can set up a Google Alert or Twitter search, or just watch your streams for people talking about your area of expertise. When you see a question you’ve already answered in a blog post, send that link.
  9. There is a call to action in your blog post – Whether your call to action is to attend an upcoming program or try out a new service, you’ll want to remind people about this opportunity. Try using a variety of “teaser” phrases to entice people to click through to your post.
  10. You’re feeling shy, busy or you just haven’t posted in awhile – Sharing helpful information is always a welcome addition to a conversation. Once you’ve jumped in with that, be sure to follow up by responding directly to what someone else has shared.

By blogging about topics that your ideal clients care about, you are creating a mountain of content that will build your credibility and visibility online. Use these 10 reasons to keep sharing that content long after you’ve posted it on your blog.

P.S. You may also want to add a link to your latest blog post to your email signature line – WiseStamp helps you do this automatically.

Should You Call Your Blog a Blog?

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blog-letters-centrodigitale.com-400-322Titles and names are important. As we know, people skim when they read online and titles help them decide whether to keep reading.

So when people land on your main website and you want to lead them to your blog, what do you call it? “Blog” seems like an obvious choice, but it may not necessarily be the right fit for you.

If your particular readers don’t understand what a blog is, or what they’ll find there, they won’t click on it. So they’ll never see the high-quality content you’ve worked so hard to produce (unless, of course, you’re also sending email newsletters).

When you’re setting up your blog and choosing the names of your navigation buttons, consider one of these names for your blog: Free Tips, Health Tips, Career Tips, Articles, Resources, Musings, News, Journal or Updates.

I have one caution about using the title News: Be sure you’re delivering on your promise by posting current industry news or announcements about your business. Also, make sure to publish new posts frequently, or it will seem as though nothing is happening or that you’re not on top of things.

When a blog is a blog

As I was brainstorming about this post, I reflected on what I’m looking for when I click on the name Blog. Not as Linda Dessau the blogging consultant, but as Linda, a consumer looking at hiring a prospective service provider.

Here’s why I click on a blog named Blog:

  • To see how active the business or clinic is, and what’s going on with them
  • To observe how they communicate with their clients and prospective clients, before I take the next step of joining a mailing list or speaking to them directly
  • To get to know the voice and personality behind the business – who is the person (or people) I’d be receiving services from?
  • To learn tips I can use to improve my business and my life
  • To assess how knowledgable the service provider is

When you’re deciding whether to call your blog a blog, consider what your audience is looking for on your site, and what terminology they’ll be using.

[This post was updated on August 26, 2016.]

Two Words to Avoid on a Wellness Clinic Blog

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wellness blogger hiding face
© vectorfusionart – Fotolia.com

This post was lightly edited on November 30, 2017.

1) Posted by: Anonymous (also known as Anon. or Admin). Along the same lines, I also see Posted by: _______ (clinic name) or ______ (clinic owner name – even when it was written by another team member).

These words put a barrier between you and your audience, and keep your readers from seeing all of the real people behind the team blog.

Instead, create a profile for each of your team bloggers, complete with their title or specialty. You can even get fancy and have a bio page and photo for each person.

The benefit of taking this step is that it profiles each individual team member and shows your audience the diversity of skills and knowledge you have in your clinic. Plus, the person is likely to feel prouder of the post and share it more freely amongst family, friends and colleagues.

Note: If you have guest bloggers, you won’t necessarily want to create a profile for them – especially when you’re just starting out in your relationship.

Instead create one Guest Author user account and use that for all your occasional guest bloggers. Once they’ve contributed a few times, go back and add their name as a tag to each post, and for all new posts going forward.

2) Posted in: Uncategorized. This can make your blog seem disorganized. Instead, choose 5-10 meaningful categories and assign each blog post to one or more relevant categories.

The benefit of taking this step is that it will help your readers find the information they’re most interested in. Blog post categories also help you to plan and write your content.

For help making these changes to your blog, consult the person who set up your site in the first place. If you’re on WordPress, you can also contact my friend Sandra De Freitas. After all, she wrote the book on WordPress blogsites (I should know, I edited it!).

For more tips, check out these Team Blogging Success Tips for Wellness Clinics.