The WRONG Ways to Blog
There are many right reasons to blog, but that doesn’t stop people from blogging for the WRONG reasons. Here is a quick list of what a blog won’t do for you, and why you should not position your blog in these ways.
1. You tell people what you want them to know rather than what they want to know.
People come to your blog to find answers to their questions. What are the most common things clients or potential clients ask about your business, service or product? What are the most often-listed questions on the Internet on this subject? When you hear or find questions, write them down and use these as blog topics.
2. You write in “corporate speak.”
A blog is a casual conversation between you and the readers. Talking in a corporate language, or using acronyms, will turn off your readers rather than engage them. Save the corporate talk for your white papers when readers want to know intricate details.
3. You think you won’t be original.
If you’re holding back from publishing a business blog because you think you don’t have anything original to say, you’re wrong. When your prospects are researching their question, they are looking for 1) answers and 2) rapport. If they have the choice between two (or more) companies, they will likely choose the one they feel speaks to them. You don’t have to have original thoughts; you just need to be sincere.
Continue reading →Win a Sale with the Triangulation Technique
I came across a wonderful technique from Ed Gandia (copywriter, author, speaker and coach) that helps answer the dilemma of not having specific samples to show a client.
Here’s the scenario: your prospective client is a dentist, for example, and while you’re pitching your service, the prospect asks if you have any experience working with businesses like his.
You don’t.
You could just say “no” and walk away. Instead, Gandia offers this alternative: the triangulation technique.
The Triangulation Technique
The steps of the Triangulation Technique are as follows, in this order:
- The client wants a project done and asks if you have specific experience in their field. You don’t.
- You tell the client what you DO have and have done, and offer examples.
- You justify why you will do a great job and ask for the sale.
1. Tell Them What You DO Have
Instead, of “no,” you answer, “I don’t have that specific experience…but here’s what I DO have that will enable me to do a good job.” Proceed to show specific examples that would relate to this type of job–even if it was in a different field. Continue reading →
People need your change | Writing Quotes
“People need your craft of writing, but they need your change more.”
Seth Godin, author and dot com business executive
How Do You Prove Your Expertise?
I follow marketing expert Marcia Yudkin, author of The Marketing Minute, and her latest marketing advice got me thinking. She begins with stating that your About page must address two crucial questions your prospects might wonder:
- Are you, in fact, good at what you do?
- Can I count on you to deliver as promised?
She goes on to state that your bio must include what marketers call “proof elements.” Without them, you have a trustworthiness gap.
So what are proof elements?
A proof element must provide an external indicator of competence and reliability. That means the proof must come from an outside source other than yourself or someone within your organization. Here are some examples and ways you can obtain and use your proof elements.
Types of Third-Party Proof Elements
Testimonials
Most websites have a page dedicated to testimonials. These are endorsements of a personal experience this person had with you or your company regarding quality and reliability. You should include the person’s name (or at least their initials and city), or a reference to the source, in every post to ensure that it is indeed an outside source. If you don’t have a testimonials page on your website, add one. People love to hear about other people’s experiences and trust their opinions. Testimonials can be written, or opt for video testimonials of your customers talking about their experience. Continue reading →
Why Should I Blog?
Is blogging a difficult thing to do? No. Is it essential? Yes. Many clients ask us, “Why should I blog?” That shows us that they don’t know or understand the benefits of blogging, so let’s review those benefits here.
Blogging attracts interested prospects
People are searching the Internet for answers to solve their problems. When your business blog post offers that solution, you are immediately on their radar as a qualified resource, without their having to make a commitment.
Blogging establishes and reinforces your expertise
Your business blog posts are prime locations in which to establish and reinforce your expertise in your field. Post answers to the most often-asked questions about your business. Post evidence of your expertise with awards and links to articles in which you appear. Post proof that you are an expert with examples and explanations of your products and services. Post reviews and testimonials. There are numerous ways you can build your credibility.
The business mentorship organization Score offers 10 reasons to keep an active business blog, beginning with the fact that “customers who read your blog at 97% more likely to click on your website.” The answer to “Why should I blog” is to attract and convince potential customers and clients. Continue reading →
What to Look for in a Really Good Copywriter
The hardest thing any business owner can do is to write about him or herself or their business. It just can’t be done—or at least done well. You need that outside eye—preferably a writer with a good marketing background and solid writing reputation—to create copy about you that others will find compelling. If you try to write about yourself, you will get bogged down in too many details, wondering which are the most important. You will also labor for hours on end trying to get the copy “just right.”
What Makes a Really Good Copywriter?
When you’ve decided it is best for both your sanity and your time to hire an outside writer, here’s what you should look for:
Style of copywriting experience
Your copywriter should be up to date on the latest ways to write for the particular medium you’re writing for, be it the web, brochures, a media kit or an author bio, for example. The writing styles for each are entirely different. If the writer doesn’t know the difference, look for one who does.
Great interview skills
Most of the information for the copy will come from you. A great copywriter has the confidence to conduct an interview to gather what they need in the shortest time possible. We know you’re busy and we need to use our skills to ferret out details quickly that make your copy shine. Expect some “off the wall” questions, and roll with them. We’re also looking for insights into your personality so we can inject that into the copy.
Continue reading →
25 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Business Blog
Do you write a blog for your business and keep posting to it regularly? It’s a great way to talk about your industry, provide information about your business, and to entertain. It’s also a great way to build a following for your business. Yet many business owners ask how to make people aware of their blog and to attract followers.
25 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Business Blog
- Tell everyone you have a blog
- Post your blog name and link in your email signature
- Include your blog link on your business cards, stationery and all forms
- Add your blog link to your bio
- Post snippets of your blog posts on your social media with links to the blog
- Add your blog link to your social media profiles
- Be active on your social media accounts and social networking sites like StumbleUpon and Mixx
Types of Blog Posts
We all know that we should be blogging in our business. Blog posts not only keep relevant content on our website for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes, they give people a way to learn more about what you do and what you can do for them. There are a number of types of blog posts, as we’ll discuss here.
Types of Blog Posts:
- Story
Tell readers a story about your product, your company, a client case study, or an industry happening. People love to read about other people’s experiences. - List
Offer an easy-to-read bulleted list of items that can help someone overcome an obstacle or organize their lives, for example. - How To
Take the reader step by step through a process to an outcome. Highlight how to best use and benefit from one of your products or services.
Why a Well-Done Intake Interview is Vitally Important to Writing Copy
When working with a new client, we always perform what we call an “Intake Interview.” This interview is valuable in a number of ways.
Get the Facts
First, it provides us with the facts we need about a company’s products, services, customer service policies, history, background, target customer audience and goals.
Get the Tone
Second, it gives us the opportunity to “hear” the company owner. We listen not just for the facts but for how the owner represents the business. Does he or she speak using technical language? Are the sentences long or short? Is there humor? This helps us to write in “their voice,” not our own, and is especially helpful when writing a speech the interviewee will be delivering. Most of the time our client remarks, “It sounds just like me!”
Get the Customer
Listening also helps us to uncover problems the owner may be having in the business, or issues their customers might be having. These can and should be addressed when creating good copy. Continue reading →
Value is What You Get
Price is what you pay.
Value is what you get.
I love this quote from Warren Buffett because it truly describes what sales and marketing is all about.
If your clients or customers are complaining about the price of the services or goods you are offering, they probably don’t understand the value of what they are buying. And this is where you need to beef up your marketing efforts.
We’ve all heard how we must feature the benefits of an item, not its features when selling. This concept takes that credo to a new level. People will pay — and pay handsomely — for something they value.
Within the past few months I had the opportunity to work with a start-up company in creating its brand and new website. We went round and round with the pricing for copywriting on their new site. If it weren’t for the fact that I was referred to them by someone they respected, I’m not sure they would have hired a copywriter at all. They simply didn’t see the value in good writing or the need to pay for it. But in the end, Continue reading →
All the Buzz 