Tom Treanor, CEO of Right Mix Marketing shares his outline for building a great blog post.

1. Blog Writing Workshop
Presented by Tom Treanor
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2. Who’s Tom?
 Tom Treanor, CEO ofRight Mix Marketing is a
Social Media Marketing consultant and teacher
 He is also a prolific blogger who has been
published in top blogs such as Copyblogger,
Problogger, Basic Blog Tips, Technorati,
DeniseWakeman.com and Firepole Marketing.
 In addition, the Right Mix Marketing blog is
featured as one of the leading blogs by
AllTop.com.
 Tom teaches about Social Media at San
Francisco State University.
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3. This is an interactive working session
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4. The process…
Your angle/
headline Myths or Mistakes
What
customers Topic
care about
Picture
Closing
Opening & Call to
Action
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5. The process…
Your angle/
headline Myths or Mistakes
What
customers Topic
care about
Picture
Closing
Opening & Call to
Action
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6. Poll #1
Are you blogging now?
Not yet and not sure if I will
Not yet but I plan to
Just started, not much traction yet
Feeling pretty comfortable but still looking for visitors!
I’ve been blogging for a while. I post regularly and get a decent amount of
visitors.
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8. Wedding photographer
Their customers worry about…
Reliable, won’t be late
Shots that are the envy of my friends
Something unique – like no one else
Reasonable price range
Make me look amazing!
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9. Architect
Their customers worry about…
How do I avoid a disaster remodel?
Can I afford my remodel?
Do I need an architect or just a contractor?
How do I find a reliable contractor?
Can I finish before Thanksgiving?
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10. Online Marketing Consultant
Their customers worry about…
Understanding SEO
Creating blog content
Getting leads from a website
Dealing with social media
Building a mailing list
Get in their heads before you decide what to write!
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11. What do your customers care about?
 What do they worry about?
 What are they fixated on?
 What are they frustrated about?
 Where do they typically cause problems for
themselves?
Document 3-5 things your customers care about
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12. The process…
Your angle/
headline Myths or Mistakes
What
customers Topic
care about
Picture
Closing
Opening & Call to
Action
12 © Copyright Right Mix Marketing Inc. (do not distribute)

13. Online Marketing Consultant
Their customers worry about…
Understanding SEO
Creating blog content
Creating blog content
Getting leads from a website
Dealing with social media
Building a mailing list
Pick the topic you’ll be writing about today
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14. The process…
Your angle/
headline Myths or Mistakes
What
customers Topic
care about
Picture
Closing
Opening & Call to
Action
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15. Your headline and angle
Creating blog content
• 6 Small Business Blogging Myths Debunked
Small Business Blogging Myths Debunked
• 6 Blogging Mistakes Small Businesses Make (and how to
fix them)
• 6 Reasons Your Small Business Blog Isn’t Getting Visitors
Pick a “working” headline
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16. The process…
Your angle/
headline Myths or Mistakes
What
customers Topic
care about
Picture
Closing
Opening & Call to
Action
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18. Blogging Myths
 You have to write all the time
 Traffic is the most important measure of success
 You have to be a great writer
 Every post has to be completely unique in the world
 Build your blog and people will find it
 Blogging and SEO and Social Media are separate
These are the myths I encounter
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19. Myths or Mistakes
 What are typical mistakes your customers make?
 What are common misperceptions?
 What wrong advice to customers often hear?
 What myths are perpetuated in the industry?
Brainstorm 3-5 Myths or Mistakes
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20. The process…
Your angle/
headline Myths or Mistakes
What
customers Topic
care about
Picture
Closing
Opening & Call to
Action
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21. Your opening – designed to draw them in
 Keep it short and sweet
 “A recent survey showed that…”
 Talk about why this is an important topic
 “Home remodels are probably one of the most important….”
 Tell a story
 “The other day I met with a new client…”
 Put yourself in their shoes
 “You’ve worked hard on your blog post. You’ve poured your heart and
soul into it.
 But something’s bothering you…”
Write a first sentence…
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22. The process…
Your angle/
headline Myths or Mistakes
What
customers Topic
care about
Picture
Closing
Opening & Call to
Action
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24. Closing / Call to Action
Closing:
 Wrap up the post – don’t limp into the finish line!
Call To Action:
 Don’t try to do multiple calls to action
 Focus on one main call to action
 Be explicit – make it easy
Call To Action Examples:
 Sign up for a free report or webinar
 Request a free consultation
 Subscribe to my mailing list
 Follow us on Twitter
Do you have a call to action planned?
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25. The process…
Your angle/
headline Myths or Mistakes
What
customers Topic
care about
Picture
Closing
Opening & Call to
Action
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26. Why the picture matters
 Attention-getter
 Breaks up the monotony
 Adds life and color
 Helps tell the story
 Required for people to share on Pinterest!
Istockphoto.com Fotalia.com CreativeCommons.org
What kind of picture can you add? Tell us about it
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27. HEADLINE
OPENING
PICTURE
MYTHS
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28. CALL TO ACTION
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29. Poll #2: Was this type of session valuable?
Would you attend this type of training again?
 Extremely valuable
 Pretty valuable
 It was okay
 Not that valuable. I need more advanced content
 Not that valuable. I don’t love this kind of format
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30. Tips
 Keep it simple at first
 Just tell it like it is!
 Look at other blogs to get ideas
 Practice will make you better
 Sometimes I picture a person I’m writing to
 Other times I recall a conversation I’ve had
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31. Blog post examples (3 lists + some others):
 6 Small Business Blogging Myths Debunked
 http://www.rightmixmarketing.com/right-mix-blog/small-business-
blogging-myths/
 14 Ways to Build Strategic Relationships
With the Who’s Who of Social Media (Problogger)
 http://www.copyblogger.com/social-media-networking/
 Charles Darwin’s 12 Rules of Blogging Survival (Copyblogger)
 http://www.problogger.net/archives/2011/11/30/charles-
darwins-12-rules-of-blogging-survival/
 Do You Know Your Product’s Risk-Reward Ratio?
 http://www.rightmixmarketing.com/sales-tips/do-you-know-your-
products-risk-reward-ratio/
 Why I’m no longer monogamous with you, my dear (blog):
 http://www.rightmixmarketing.com/guest-blogging-2/not-
monogamous-blogger/
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32. Blog Post Ideas Toolkit
 How to make your blog
stand out from the pack
 Over 140 blog post
“templates”
 Where to find new blog
post ideas
www.RightMixMarketing.com/Ideas
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