Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

How to Write a Blog Post, Part 2: The personal post

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There is nothing wrong with sharing a personal story on a business blog, as long as you have a business reason for doing so.

Sometimes that might be to demonstrate that you are a member of your own target market. As you’re achieving successes, you’re sharing your experience with your audience.

Sometimes it might be to reinforce a lesson that you wrote about previously.

And sometimes your reason might just to be show your readers more of your personal side, because we do business with those we know, like and trust.

How to write a personal post for your business blog

Business reasons aside, a personal post also gives you the opportunity to focus on the entertainment factor of your blog. So you’ll want to make your story as compelling as possible.

Blogging consultant Brad Shorr has a helpful primer on simple storytelling techniques for your blog. And Lou Hoffman shares a wonderful example from the CEO of Marriott International in his post about applying storytelling techniques to corporate blogging.

And since of course you’re going to be reading your story out loud before you post, you might want to practice some oral storytelling techniques as well.

I suggest you keep your personal posts short at 250-300 words or so. If it’s turning into a full article, consider reworking it into a “how to” or thought leadership post instead.

At some point during your story – maybe in the introduction and/or conclusion, subtly remind the reader who you are and what you do. After all, depending on the subject of your story, this post could end up in front of an entirely new audience.

For both new and returning readers, a personal story is a nice opportunity to show another side of you, your business and your life. If the reader happens to be your ideal client, this will bring you closer together. If they’re not, that will become clearer.

How to Write a Blog Post, Part 1: The “how to” post How to Write a Blog Post, Part 3: The thought leadership post How to Write a Blog Post, Part 4: The connecting post

 

How to Write a Blog Post, Part 1: The “how to” post

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Whether you’re a new blogger, a lapsed blogger or a blossoming blogger-to-be, you may struggle with the very concept of how to write a blog post.

I suggest you start with the “how to” post. It may be the quickest route to building a connection with the prospective clients who need you.

After all, they have a problem to solve. If you help them do that, consistently, it will solidify you as an expert in their eyes. When they’re ready to invest in a more in-depth solution, they’ll remember you.

Writing a “how to” blog post – Pack your bags!

To write the most effective “how to” blog post, I want you become a tourist amongst your target market. Here are my seven suggested stops:

  1. Know the locals – Who is your ideal client? Create a client persona that is detailed enough for you to imagine you are speaking directly to him or her.
  2. Understand their plight – What is the problem your ideal client is trying to solve? Why is he or she looking for help? What impact is this problem having? If you are a member of your own target market, think back to what you wish you’d known.
  3. Pack light – We cannot solve anyone’s problem all at once with one article, but we can still help. By breaking the solution into bite-sized tools, we give our readers small successes they can build on. That feels good – and you made them feel that way!
  4. Put yourself in their shoes – Imagine that you are brand new to hearing about this solution or method. You don’t know the language, you don’t have any of the background materials and you don’t even know what you don’t know. 
  5. Get them from A to B – Create a concrete set of steps that would enable a complete beginner to use one simple tool. Challenge yourself to stay in their shoes and resist the temptation to take them too far, too soon. Test it out on a real tourist (someone outside of your industry, or new to your industry).
  6. Wrap it up – Introduce your steps by addressing your audience (so your reader knows he or she is in the right place) and describing the problem and its impact. Conclude your post with a call to action to deepen the learning (an exercise to try, a question to reflect on or a way to take the next step with you).
  7. Jazz it up – Give your blog post a creative and descriptive title that uses the language your ideal client might type into a search engine.

Bonus tip: Presenting your directions as a list of numbered items or bullet points will make them easier to read and follow. Many people will only skim the list, so be sure each point is very descriptive.

Writing a “how to” or “core” blog post will demonstrate your expertise at solving the unique problems of your prospective clients. You’ll be giving them a small success they can feel good about – and that will make them feel good about you!

So grab your sunscreen, passport and “beginner’s mind.” Visit your target market as a tourist and discover everything you could be teaching them how to do.

Continue reading:

How to Write a Blog Post, Part 2: The personal post
How to Write a Blog Post, Part 3: The thought leadership post
How to Write a Blog Post, Part 4: The connecting post

What’s in a name? How the right title can captivate your readers

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There is a lot of competition for your readers’ attention. They’re busy, they’re distracted and they just want what they want – NOW! And that includes information about your area of expertise.

So you’ve written a great article, but now what? How do you get your subscribers to open that email, your social media followers to click on that link or those website surfers to land on your website?

A captivating title is crucial.

Previously, I suggested you be keyword rich and creative in your article titles. My main point was: Ideally, your titles will be rich enough to show up in front of hundreds of people, and creative enough for your ideal readers to self-select and click through.

We’re going to delve into this topic on November’s Content Mastery Action Day presentation call.

What: Title Teasers, Powerful Questions and Catchy Keywords
When: Thursday, November 11th, 2010. 9:30-10:00 a.m. Eastern (in, out and on with your day)
Where: Telephone conference line – CMG subscribers, watch your emails for call details.

Content Mastery Action Club members will also have the opportunity to join me at 1:30 p.m. to play The Name Game and hear a special guest expert answer your questions about SEO. Watch your members-only emails for more details. 

If your content isn’t working, check for these root problems

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So you're blogging, tweeting and updating and you're growing your numbers of friends, fans and followers. Yet you're discouraged by the lack of concrete results (i.e., more clients and sales) and you're not sure that content marketing is worth the HUGE effort it seems to take.

Before you give up completely, have a look to see if some of these common root causes are to blame:

  1. Lack of planning – Your lack of planning may be more noticeable to you than it will to your readers. Are you constantly scrambling to come up with your next "big idea," or always questioning whether you're on the mark? Back up and do some planning.
  2. Rushing – I'm all for efficiency and batching similar tasks, but be honest: Are you always pushing out your blog posts at the last minute or rushing through the process? Writing artfully is a skill and deserves the respect of your attention and time.
  3. Skipping the editing step – Do you click "Publish" the instant you type your last thought? Or maybe give the article a cursory read-through immediately? That might not be enough - I guarantee you'll find more errors if you walk away and come back to it later.
  4. Patchy publishing – When is the last time you updated your blog? Writing takes practice, like every other skill. Writing and publishing regularly, even if your creativity comes in fits and spurts, gives you that practice. It also sends the message that you are reliable in other ways.
  5. Writing in isolation – What's going on in your industry? Even more importantly, what's going on outside of your industry? If you're in a writing rut, click farther and farther outside of your regular circle. You're bound to find new inspiration and ideas. Then write and share with those new people and expand your network of possibilities.

In my brand new book, Write Your Way to More Clients Online: How to craft captivating content for newsletters, blogs and social media, I address each of these root causes in five parts:

Part 1: Plan Mindfully
Part 2: Write Artfully
Part 3: Edit Skillfully  
Part 4: Publish Consistently
Part 5: Share Widely

The first test copy of the book is already en route to me and as soon as I've signed off on that your orders will be shipped! 

P.S. Here some other article writing mistakes to avoid when you're trying to grow your business with content marketing.

Five reasons to write an article, not an ad

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At a recent event for business owners, a lot of people were talking about the best way to spend your advertising dollar.

My advice? Use your advertising dollar to create a blog where you post high-quality informational articles that solve the problems of your ideal clients. Bonus: You'll probably even have money left over!

Here are my five reasons to write an article, not an ad:

  1. Ads are about selling, articles are about giving. When people browse online, they're not out to spend money. They're looking for information about YOUR area of expertise. If you supply those solutions generously, professionally and effectively, they will remember you when they ARE ready to spend. 
  2. Ads are all about you, articles are all about your reader. People are focused on their own needs. When you write high-quality articles about the topics they care about, it shows that you care about them!
  3. Ads suck you dry, articles build you up. Paying for an ad dings your wallet and may or may not result in new business. Writing an article about a problem you help solve, on the other hand, helps you develop yourself and improve the services you deliver.
  4. Ads are an intrusion, articles are a solution. People mute commercials on TV, toss flyers in the trash and curse at telemarketers. High-quality information about a topic they care about will always be appreciated.
  5. Ads say you have money, articles say you have knowledge. When you reveal your expertise and your personality in your writing, people will come to know, like and trust you. If you've shown you're a good match for their needs, then when they're ready to purchase a service, they will think of you first.

Content marketing is a highly effective form of promotion that works to attract your ideal clients. Before you decide where to spend your next advertising dollar, consider spending it on content marketing instead.