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Better Business Blogging
This document provides tips and best practices for business blogging. It discusses why businesses should blog, how to write effective blog posts through headlines and content types, and how to deliver content and engage readers. Key recommendations include having a clear goal for the blog, writing useful and shareable content, diversifying content across different formats, using contributors with expertise, and including clear calls to action. Common mistakes to avoid are not having a clear direction or resources for the blog.
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Better Business Blogging
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- 3. 1. Why Blog?2. Writing3. Headlines 4. SEO5. Content Delivery6. Content Types7. Contributors8. Action Items9. Common Mistakes10. ExamplesQ&A
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- 5. Every post thatgets real traction on my blog comes from the mindset of being helpful.– Chris Brogan
- 6. WHY BLOG?CORE QUESTIONS1.Who do I want to help? 2. How can I be helpful?3. What do I want it to accomplish?
- 7. WHY BLOG?CORE ANSWERS1.Audience 2. Content3. Action
- 8. Deciding On TheKey Action DrivesEVERYTHING
- 9. Examples of Goals1.Thought leadership2. Product sales3. Sales leads4. New clients
- 10. Examples of Actions1.Subscribe2. Buy a product or service3. Complete a sales lead form4. Return to the site5. Continue to the next page6. Sign up as a member
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- 12. If everyone knewhow to write and did it well, people like us would be out of work.– Content Rules
- 13. Every element ofcompelling copy has just one purpose…to get the next sentence read.– Brian Clark
- 14. 4 Example PostTypesOpinionHow To’sListsResearch
- 15. 8 Writing TipsBe aware of word countHave an opinionBe usefulWrite with passionMake your posts easy to scanSpend time on snappy headlines
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- 17. The words inyour headline are the most powerful words that you’ll write.- Darren Rowse
- 18. The 4U HeadlineApproachUsefulUrgentUniqueUltra Specific
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- 20. Let it guideyou but not too muchTopicsHeadlinesLinksAssessment
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- 22. Great Content IsNothing IfIt Never Finds An Audience
- 23. HeadlinesPortioningMake It EasyTo ShareCreating Sharable ContentUse Your ResourcesContent Delivery Tips
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- 25. Don’t Focus OnYourself
- 26. Diversify Your ContentBlogpost seriesCornerstone pageseBooksImagesInfographicsVideoSlide decksPodcastsLink bait
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- 36. Your Blog isa LANDING PAGE
- 37. Make a clearaskOFFER VALUE
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- 40. Most Blogs LackTwo Main Ingredients
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- 43. Too many callsto actionNo calls to actionUsing writers who are not savvy bloggersMe Too ContentWorrying about the wrong metricWriting for the wrong audienceCommon Pitfalls To Avoid
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Editor's Notes
- #6 You will see the sentiment of this quote echoed throughout social media, offer value first. Being helpful attaches the reader, the audience, to you. It puts them on your team. They listen to you. They want more help from you. This is the enviable position of a good content marketer.
- #8 Audience: Existing customers,Potential Customers,Employees,Industry InsidersContent: Company culture, news, training, expertise, opinionAction: Follow our social accounts, read more, subscribe to blog, fill out lead form, buy our product, give us feedback, sign up for an account, subscribe to newsletter,
- #9 Set the goal Set the metricsDefine the contentDevelop an editorial calendarCreate your contributor profileDesign the blogDesign the action itemsDefine your promotion plan
- #13 This is another part of why blogging is hard. Because writing, good writing that connects with other humans, that drives them to act, that moves them. That kind of writing is hard. The good news is, there are simple, smaller goals you can focus on to get you there. (Great content book by CC Chapman)
- #14 And ultimately to your action. Read headline, read intro, read whole article, read call to action. Act. Repeat.Focus on why you are writing. Again a “clear direction” and you are halfway there. You are ahead of 90% of blogs in the world.
- #15 Opinion = thought leadershipHow To’s = Lists = links, bookmarksResearch = Opinion is the easiest to write and the hardest to produce results. How to’s and lists and research all create in your blog a valuable resources. Helping someone. Lists create links.
- #16 250 words + for search engines450 words seems primed for one time consumptionNo length limit when writing for bookmarking ie 100 examples of tweets that will always be retweetedStand out with an opinion. No “me too” contentHelp your target audience and they will want to help youEasy to read = read more - - - PortioningKeywords?Headlines are crucial
- #18 When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar Each additional word in your headline lowers your chances of enticing the reader to consume your content.
- #19 Useful - Be useful to the reader. A compelling promise to the reader. What are they going to spend their valuable time on? Their life and internet browser and email inbox are cluttered. Inspiring. Funny. Instructional. Thought provoking. Examples.Urgent - Get them to click now. They will never come back. When you bookmark something or move it to a follow up folder, you never go back. You want people to feel like they have to read it now or they will miss out. The impact of the usefulness creates usefulness. A number moves people quickly because the number makes things consumable or it creates value. I have filtered this list for you.Assumption: It has to be useful to your target audience. Are they emotionally involved? Emotion creates urgency. Affirmation. "That's right, they are talking to me.”Unique - Somehow, what you are presenting, has to be new. In it's own way. Creates curiosity. Novel, contradictory, new. We crave novelty. This is why experience makes blogging and headline writing easier. The subject matter expert is the one who understand uniqueness better.Ultra Specific - Specificity makes a promise more real and more credible. It cuts through the language cloud. "We are talking about THIS." List posts are about specificity. Example:Rumors that Microsoft May Buy Yahoo, but No Confirmation YetMicrosoft Buying Yahoo?
- #23 images, videos, bullets, sub headlines, short paragraphs, etc.
- #24 images, videos, bullets, sub headlines, short paragraphs, etc.
- #27 Blog post seriesCornerstone pagesEbooksImages, Photos from events, culture photos, most shared and retweeted items online are photos. Instagram is one of the hottest new social networks.Infographics, (stats, research, graphs, press releases) Kissmetrics.com,Video, Brian Solis, Allen & Gerritsen, ProBlogger.netSlide decks, Slideshare.netPodcasts, Copyblogger.com, Marketing Over CoffeeLink bait is any content or feature, within a website, designed specifically to gain attention or encourage others to link to the website
- #30 Email stats: Gizmodo (61,913 views!), The Huffington Post (562 comments!), ABC News, The Los Angeles Times tech blog, and many other sites all over the world58 CommentsInfographic: 5000 likes and 10000 tweets on Mashable – 200 comments at Hunch
- #31 Brian Solis – interviewsAllen & Gerritsen – Entertainment and thought leadership Darren Rowse – how to, instructional, knowledge share
- #33 Using the talent and content creators you have, efficiently Good bloggers have:Insight to share (tactics, strategy, opinion, examples)Willingness to shareCopywriting skillBlogging experienceAbility to promoteWillingness is the biggest first sign of a good bloggerTitle, prestige and authority count, but not for much if the content
- #34 Using the talent and content creators you have, efficiently Good bloggers have:Insight to share (tactics, strategy, opinion, examples)Willingness to shareCopywriting skillBlogging experienceAbility to promoteWillingness is the biggest first sign of a good bloggerTitle, prestige and authority count, but not for much if the content
- #35 Using the talent and content creators you have, efficiently Good bloggers have:Insight to share (tactics, strategy, opinion, examples)Willingness to shareCopywriting skillBlogging experienceAbility to promoteWillingness is the biggest first sign of a good bloggerTitle, prestige and authority count, but not for much if the content
- #37 Above the fold. Ask for what you want. Give a clear benefitAbout pageContact pageArchives, search, 404
- #38 Above the fold. Ask for what you want. Give a clear benefitAbout pageContact pageArchives, search, 4041. 2. Make a clear ask3. CVI – Center of Visual Impact4. Offer incentives5. Above the fold6. After value is received7. At points of investigation
- #39 What do we want readers to actually do?Should they read more? Yes, most blogs want readers to keep reading, to come back to read, to stay engaged. This is not served well with archives or tags or categories for the most part (not always). Instead, curate top posts with cornerstone pages or through “Popular Posts” widgets.Do you want Sales Leads? Hubspot and SEOmozShould they subscribe to email, rss, facebook, twitter? Consider how many places you are pointing the reader. Narrow their focus the one metric that really matters most to you.Should they buy a product? EXAMPLE of
- #41 Which is fine. Especially if it is a personal blog or a diary or a past time. But if you are blogging for a business without either of these two things, then very little will follow in the way of results. Blogging without a clear direction or the right resources is a hobby, not media.
- #42 Which is fine. Especially if it is a personal blog or a diary or a past time. But if you are blogging for a business without either of these two things, then very little will follow in the way of results. Blogging without a clear direction or the right resources is a hobby, not media.
- #43 Which is fine. Especially if it is a personal blog or a diary or a past time. But if you are blogging for a business without either of these two things, then very little will follow in the way of results. Blogging without a clear direction or the right resources is a hobby, not media.