Blog – Page 11

Three Ways to Turn a New Blog Post Into a New Local Client – Without Google!

June 7, 2016 By Linda Dessau

When you deliver a personal service such as a wellness treatment, it can be challenging to explain what you do in a 60-second introduction or a three-minute conversation in the buffet line.

Prospective clients need more time to learn about you and decide whether to trust you with their wellness care. A frequently updated website is a key marketing tool, but how do you get people there?

Would you be relieved to hear that you don’t need to be on the first page of Google in order to attract new local clients? If so, you’ll want to keep reading.

Here are three ways that your blog can help you reach, teach and draw in prospective local clients who would be ideal for your wellness practice:

Scenario #1: From one friend to another

Your current clients will always be your best source of referrals, so be sure to make it easy for them to tell their friends and family about you. For example, if you’re looking to attract more clients with sleep problems, write a blog post with some sleep hygiene tips.

Follow that up with a case study about how you helped another client to sleep better (here are some more tips about how to write a client story). Be sure to link the two posts so your readers can get from one to the other.

You may be concerned that blog posts about very specific conditions and treatments may not appeal or relate to everyone. That’s absolutely true! That’s why those posts will do such a great job of reaching the exact people who need your help – and those who care about them.

Your current clients want to refer you, they may just be unsure of how to describe what you do. Your blog post will help them do it!

To be sure your clients see them, insert blog post links (use the permalink for each specific post) into your email signature line (WiseStamp does this automatically) or even into your client invoices. If you’re on social media, share links there as well.

Scenario #2: From one expert to another

If you stay active in your professional community, you’ll build a rapport with other practitioners. You’re bound to have different approaches, specialties and personalities, so some clients will be a better fit for them and some will be better for you.

Watch for opportunities to keep in touch (e.g., congratulate someone for moving into a new space or launching a new service), and/or schedule it in your calendar every three months or so. As part of this email, share links to your best blog posts.

Just as in the first scenario, your blog posts will help these other practitioners identify who might be a good client for you AND it will give them an effective and low-pressure way of introducing you.

Scenario #3: Getting checked out

Whether you’ve met at a networking event, through a personal connection or in the checkout line at the grocery store, it’s common to pass along your contact details – including your website address – to prospective clients. And if they’re like most of us these days, they’re going to check out your website before they consider doing business with you. What will they find?

If you’re blogging, they’ll find evidence and examples of your specific expertise. Whether that’s a fit for them or not, you’ve just gained trust and esteem in their eyes. They’ll also see how generous you are with your information, and how conscientious you are about keeping your site and blog up to date with the latest relevant information.

If they’re not ready at the moment, but they want to stay in touch with you, they can subscribe to your mailing list or the RSS feed of your blog. When they are ready, you’ll be in their Inbox and on their minds.

Just be sure to blog consistently so you can build on the good impression you’ve made.

P.S. If you liked this post, you might enjoy the Blogging Tips newsletter, delivered weekly to your inbox! Sign up here.

12 Most Freeing Reasons to Scrap an Unfinished Blog Post

May 31, 2016 By Linda Dessau

© fotofabrika - Fotolia.com — © fotofabrika – Fotolia.com

Most of us have a limited amount of time for blogging. That’s why it can be so frustrating to keep coming back to the same unfinished post, but feel like we’re not making any progress.

Just because a post is in your blogging plan, doesn’t mean you have to publish it at all costs. Plans are meant to be flexible, and some posts were not meant to be written – at least not by you.

Here are 12 signs it may be time to let go of a blog post and move on:

1. It’s not aligned with your blog’s categories

Your categories show readers what your business is known for and what they can expect from you. It may be a great idea, but if a post goes beyond the scope of the categories defined in your blogging plan, leave it out. The next time you review your plan, consider adding the topic.

2. It’s too personal

A business blog is not the place to discuss personal issues, unless you’ve found a creative way to use your stories to make a business point. Is this something better suited for your personal Facebook page, a private message to a friend, or your own journal?

3. The topic has no value for your ideal customers

While a topic may be fascinating to you (especially if it’s personal – see #2), this can sometimes cloud your judgment about what will be most interesting to your audience. Try on those readers’ shoes and consider what they want to be reading about on your blog.

4. You avoid working on it

Sometimes procrastination is an important message from a source of wisdom deep within each of us, that the thing we’re resisting is not the right thing for us to be doing. Honestly consider if that’s the case, or if you’re just taking the easy way out.

5. You’ve lost interest

Even if the topic is relevant to your business and aligned with your categories, it may not be something you’re jazzed about anymore. The farther out you plan your blogging calendar, the more likely this is to happen.

6. It’s no longer relevant

Similarly, if you planned a topic months ago, it may simply be old news at this point, or you may even have discovered new information that negates the premise of your planned post.

7. You found something better

Sometimes doing the research for a post can yield new ideas for topics that are more timely, relevant and exciting to you than the one you started. Go with the excitement because that’s where you’ll do your best writing.

8. Someone scooped the topic

While it’s perfectly okay – and effective – to put your own slant on a widely-covered topic, if you travel in the same circles as another expert and their post is almost a duplicate of what you’re working on, take it back to the drawing board and find another angle. Or you might want to simply write a paragraph or two about why you find the topic so relevant, and then post a link to your colleague’s post (this is called a curated blog post).

9. It’s too promotional

The primary purpose of your blog is to provide valuable information and ask nothing in return. Once you’ve delivered that, you can guide readers towards a relevant offer with a smart call-to-action that takes them to another section of your website.

10. It’s unnecessary

If you find yourself apologizing for not blogging, explaining why you haven’t been blogging, or publicly re-committing to a new blogging schedule, STOP and scrap that post! These types of messages take away from your credibility. The best way to show that you’re serious about delivering value with your blog is to do it – consistently.

11. It’s not a post you should be writing

If this topic is an extension of your main subject matter, consider finding another expert to interview or write a guest post. This is a genuinely win-win situation, as your guest gets exposure to a new audience and will likely promote the post to their own audience as well. You also demonstrate your collaborative mindset, and show that you’re well-connected in your industry.

12. It has a short shelf life

News that will be quickly outdated or irrelevant may be better delivered in another format such as email, social media and/or a static website page you can take down or hide later. You can also create a special News category that is displayed in a separate area of the site and not on your main blog archives page.

Has an unfinished blog post ever stalled your online marketing efforts or soured your enthusiasm for blogging? Which of these 12 scenarios do you suspect was the culprit?

P.S. If you liked this post, you might enjoy the Blogging Tips newsletter, delivered weekly to your inbox! Sign up here.

How to Bulk Up a Short Blog Post

May 25, 2016 By Linda Dessau

When I present my workshop about how to write your first four blog posts, I remove the pressure of needing a new in-depth article for your blog every week.

Instead, I suggest that you aim to write a feature article once a month, and then in the weeks in between you can write other types of posts such as personal posts, curated posts, and spotlight posts.

The funny thing about relieving pressure is that it can really open a channel for creativity. You may start to notice blog post ideas popping up more often, blooming in all sorts of unexpected places.

I encourage you to keep a notepad or mobile note-taking app nearby (I use a combination of Wunderlist and Google Docs), so you can capture these gems and build on them during your next scheduled blog writing session.

Brainstorming is a great start, but you still need to turn that stream of consciousness writing into a full-fledged blog post. Here are five suggestions that can help:

Set the stage – Introduce your article with some standalone text such as a quote or a powerful question, use your opening paragraph to start telling your story, or simply speak directly to the reader about the topic and why it’s important (e.g., “Have you ever….” or “I hear from so many of you that…”).
Show as you tell – Provide an example that supports what you’ve written, such as a personal story, a client story, or something about a well-known public figure. Note: If you have (or want) a global audience, be sure to provide enough context that the story is relatable even if the reader hasn’t heard of the person.
Sprinkle in some stats – Support your main point by sharing some data. Visual charts and graphs are particularly powerful, just be sure to spell out some of the results in your text as well, along with your commentary about what you’ve shared. You can also reference other bloggers, authors and experts and describe their findings or opinions.
Quote yourself – Look to your own previous blog posts, social media messages, and email conversations for phrases, sentences or even entire paragraphs that you can bring over into this new post. Freshen them up and rework them for the new setting. This reinforces the core message of your blog, plus it’s likely some of your readers missed this content the first time around.
Work them up – Once you’ve presented your topic, summarize your main points and suggestions. Inspire your readers to take an action or make a change. Give them hope that if they do, they will see improvements to their health and wellness.

If you’ve come up with an idea you love, there’s no need to keep it hidden just because of a low word count. Bulk up your blog post with these tips and get it out into the world.

P.S. If you liked this post, you might enjoy the Blogging Tips newsletter, delivered weekly to your inbox! Sign up here.

9 Most Illuminating Ways Blogging Can Spotlight Your Wellness Clinic

May 17, 2016 By Linda Dessau

© VILevi - Fotolia.com — © VILevi – Fotolia.com

People are searching for health information online, but so many of them get stuck in the research phase because they don’t know who to trust.

This was quantified in a study called “The Power of the Purse: Engaging Women Decision Makers for Healthy Outcomes,” which found that while 53% of women think the best health information is online, only 31 percent of these women trust what they find.

Here are nine ways that blogging helps your wellness clinic be both found and trusted as a reliable resource for online health seekers.

Credibility – By answering customer questions and demonstrating your knowledge, you and your practitioners are seen as experts in your industry.
Comfort – People will see that you understand their needs and want to help; you’re not just pushing sales messages at them.
Searchability – Companies that blog have 97% more inbound links (source: Hubspot via Writtent). Provided that you stick to the core categories your ideal clients care about, these links will generate visits from exactly the type of people you’re trying to attract.
Recognition – As people read different blog posts on your site, they will gain comfort with your online presence and be more likely to come back the next time they see a link from you. The more time they spend on your site, the more they may see or seek out information about your services.
Service – How you take care of your readers is how people will assume you take care of your clients. By blogging you can show your commitment to consistency, quality, generosity, helpfulness, and excellence.
Passion – By each writing authentically about what’s important to you, you and your practitioners can reveal your passion for what you do. The clinic blog then becomes a vehicle to share that passion with clients, prospective clients, and other health seekers around the world.
Visibility – Promoting your blog posts on social media brings you into the online conversations people are already having about your areas of expertise.
Familiarity – When you have well-crafted bylines and bios on your clinic blog, readers get to know individual practitioners and other people connected with your clinic. This can jumpstart relationships with prospective clients.
Generosity – When people see you are willing to give away your expertise and be helpful without expecting anything in return, it cultivates goodwill and fortifies the long-term, trusting relationships that lead to repeat client visits.

Blogging is a very effective way to attract positive attention for your wellness clinic. Once they discover your blog through a web search or someone in their network, it becomes a portal through which prospective clients can evaluate whether you are well-matched to meet their wellness goals.

P.S. If you liked this post, you might enjoy the Blogging Tips newsletter, delivered weekly to your inbox! Sign up here.

12 Most Altruistic Reasons to Keep Blogging

May 11, 2016 By Linda Dessau

© Aleksandar Mijatovic - Fotolia.com — © Aleksandar Mijatovic – Fotolia.com

Many wellness practitioners say it’s challenging or near impossible to find time in the week to keep up with their blogging. Yet consistency is key when it comes to building trust, visibility and credibility online.

If helping your business grow isn’t motivating enough to give blogging your attention, here are 12 ways your blogging can help others:

Blogging is teaching – Whether you’re sharing tips, explaining how your treatment modality works, or telling stories about topics your clients care about, you’re giving people information and insights they didn’t have before.
Blogging is gratifying – Because blogs are indexed quickly by search engines, and posts are so easy to share and promote on social media, blogging gives people quick and easy access to what they want now.
Blogging can heal – By teaching others what you know, you’re empowering them with tools they can use to address their health issues and improve their lives.
Blogging opens minds – You have a unique set of ideas, experiences, skills and beliefs. By writing authentically about these and how they relate to your blog topics, you never know what new awareness you’ll spark in someone else’s mind.
Blogging builds trust – When you use your experience, knowledge and research to present helpful and accurate information, people can rely on your blog as a credible resource for guidance.
Blogging can advocate – Building credibility through blogging makes you a powerful advocate because people are more likely to listen to an expert – whether you’re speaking for those without a voice or advancing your own ideas for change.
Blogging can inspire – Putting your ideas into the world and being an expert encourages other people to claim their expertise and raise their own voices.
Blogging gives back – A blog is a great forum for highlighting and promoting the good work being done by charitable organizations in your local or global community, and asking others to support them as well.
Blogging shares the wealth – By spotlighting a colleague, product or service or colleague on your blog, you can give another business the gift of exposure to a wider audience.
Blogging creates community – When you blog effectively about topics that are interesting and helpful to your ideal customers, it draws those people to you. When your blog turns into a community it becomes a treasured place for people to gather and celebrate passion for an industry, tool, belief or resource.
Blogging is personal – By responding to all individual comments and questions sent via your blog, social media pages, and email, you’re offering a personal touch that so many people are missing these days. Not only is that good for people, it’s good for business.
Blogging is good for business – While you’re sharing helpful information, inspiring new ideas and actions, growing a larger audience, advancing worthy causes, building a community, and connecting on a personal level, you’ll be attracting the ideal clients (and referrals to them) who resonate with your unique values and mission.

By blogging to create a more successful business, you will generate more resources to make the world a better place.

This post was originally published on the 12 Most site, which was closed in 2016.

P.S. If you liked this post, you might enjoy the Blogging Tips newsletter, delivered weekly to your inbox! Sign up here.