Writing Tips – Page 12

How to Pare Down a Long Blog Post

November 28, 2011 By Linda Dessau

When 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.

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).
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.
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.
Break it down – Maybe your article is actually a blog post series in disguise - check out these tips for how to divide it.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Read it out loud – You'll catch lots of errors this way. Also be sure to shorten and simplify any run-on sentences.
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.

How the One to One Wellness Centre Uses a Team Blog To Attract New Clients

October 19, 2011 By Linda Dessau

When physiotherapist Nick Matheson first raised the idea of using a blog to promote the services of the health care practitioners in his wellness clinic, marketing consultants warned him against it.

I see their point. Many businesses start a blog with the best intentions, only to abandon it later. This not only counteracts any of the benefits of blogging, it can actually detract from the credibility of the business because it looks like you don’t finish what you start.

That hasn’t been an issue for Nick and his team, because “apparently, we have a lot to say!” In fact as weekly bloggers, the One to One Wellness team embody some of the best practices for group blogging.

They launched their blog in January 2010, although Nick Matheson started blogging in 2004 when his daughter was sick (it was a way to process his thoughts and cope with the experience). As a marketing tool, it appealed to him as “a way for us to have a conversation with people when we’re not there.“

The blog has brought them some media attention, including a profile in Process Magazine (Volume 18 No. 2, 2011) and a quote in an upcoming article in Canadian Living Magazine.

Nick says that the other benefits are harder to quantify, but they get a fair amount of positive feedback, and “a number of people check out the blog before coming in for an appointment.”

With eight contributors, each person only needs to produce a blog post every two months – that’s the beauty of team blogging! They have a central blog schedule, so everyone knows what’s expected of them. Nick goes in to edit, approve and publish the posts once a team member has submitted a draft.

I especially like how each post is clearly labeled with the name and speciality of the team member (like one by Nutrition Consultant Liz Manwaring) – no anonymous posters here (although I do see another word I don’t like)! Descriptive category names further organize their content, and there’s also a handy search box to find a particular topic.

Congratulations to Nick and the team at One to One Wellness Centre. And thanks for providing such a positive example of a wellness clinic team blog.

[Update November 24, 2015: This site is no longer active so I have removed all links.]

If you would like to start or re-start a group blog for your wellness clinic or other healthcare practice, contact us today to see how we can help!

Website Traffic Should Not be the Goal of Your Blog

October 9, 2011 By Linda Dessau

We know that website traffic is one of the key benefits of blogging. A 2010 study by the inbound marketing experts at HubSpot showed that companies that blog have 55% more website visitors per month than companies that don't blog.

The study also revealed that business-to-business (B2B) companies that blog generate 67% more leads per month than companies that don't blog. Business-to-consumer (B2C) companies that blog generate a whopping 88% more leads per month than those who do not.

Website traffic should not be the goal of your blog

Warning: When getting more website traffic is the goal of your blog, it will show up in your writing – and it won't be a pretty sight. I explain further in this excerpt from my series about social media writing sins (this one was #3):

While it's important to use the same language your ideal client might type into a search engine, SEO (search engine optimization) should never come at the expense of quality writing.

Trying to force particular keywords into a blog post or title can result in awkward (or just plain bad) writing – especially if you're trying to slip them in after the post is written.

Writing for the search engines, trying to get clicks or traffic at any cost, defeats the purpose of content marketing because you will repel your reader instead of attracting them. What is the gain of getting more clicks if people only leave again because you've failed to make a meaningful connection with your writing?

So how do you choose more meaningful and appropriate goals for your blog? Check out this post about planting the roots of your blogging tree.

Team Blogging Success Tips for Wellness Clinics

October 4, 2011 By Linda Dessau

For healthcare practitioners and alternative therapists, blogging is a non-threatening way to attract clients, not chase them. A well-written blog post about a health issue that your ideal clients struggle with will highlight your expertise in that area, building your clients’ trust in you.

Blogging consistently keeps your website fresh and updated, which shows your visitors (and the search engines who direct those visitors to you) that your clinic is an active, thriving business and that you and your team have lots of valuable content to share.

Even more importantly, blogging will show these prospective clients how much you care about and understand them. Since blogging tends to be a less formal style of writing, they will see that you and your team members are real people who can provide practical, useful information in plain English they can understand.

Blogging is a team sport

There’s a saying that “many hands make light work,” and the same is true for a blog. Instead of one person being responsible to post something new every single week, with a group blog you’ll have a whole team to share the task.

Top 10 Success Tips for Your Wellness Clinic Team Blog

Appoint a blog captain – Have one person be responsible for keeping everyone on track with your publication schedule. This may be your clinic administrator or owner, a team member with good organizational skills, or you may choose to hire a blog editor/consultant (hey, we do that!).
Edit, rewrite and polish – Ensure that your blog posts are free of errors or confusing language. Use a checklist, style guide, blog editor or any other tools that will ensure consistency and quality. After all, you want your blog to reflect the same high standards as your business.
Publish consistently – Create a shared calendar (e.g., Google Calendar), where everyone can see the time line for upcoming publication dates. Remember to leave extra time for editing by setting each blog post’s due date a week before you actually want to publish.
Meet regularly – Get the team together to brainstorm ideas, choose a monthly theme and get the power of your creative minds working together. Maintain your commitment to this valuable marketing strategy.
Celebrate your diversity – Encourage each team member to blog from his or her own expertise, discipline and speciality. Tap into each person’s unique perspective and tone of voice.
Produce good content – Apply these proven content marketing practices: write with your readers’ interests in mind, focus your writing into bite-sized pieces and address the most pressing problems your ideal clients are looking to solve.
Suggest the next step – Create a unique call to action in every article, e.g., attend an event, sign up for your mailing list or call the office for more information. Remember that people will arrive on your site at different times in the relationship-building process.
Keep in touch – Make it easy for readers to find out about your newest articles and events by posting a subscription form on every page of your website and blog. Then, in your monthly or bi-weekly newsletter, share one of your blog posts (plus links to all recent posts), as well as information about upcoming events, featured services or new team members.
Shout from the rooftops – Ask every team member to promote the blog by adding the blog link to your email signatures. Share links to each other’s blog posts on your social media networks, online forums or email groups. And when you get a specific request for information on a particular topic, use the blog as your primary resource.
Lead the way – Make it easy for blog readers to take the next step of getting to know you and your clinic. Either integrate your blog right into your website or add extra pages to your blog so they can take action right away.

If you need help to implement these ideas and manage your team blog, contact us today to learn how we can help!