Entries Tagged 'blogging for business' ↓

It’s 2014 – what are you going to do this year?

How about starting that blog you’ve been talking about for the past 18 months, but never quite got round to.

Whoa – I may not be able to hear you, but I know you’ve just started listing all the excuses you can think of to illustrate that now’s not the right time to start.

Poppycock.

Excuses are for losers. If you want to succeed, get off your butt and do something.

Here are the 7 top excuses for not starting a blog and the reasons why they are just a figment of your imagination.

1. People won’t like what I have to say

Really? Have you asked them?

Of course you haven’t. And who’s to say they won’t like your stuff?

Sure, you’re never going to appeal to everyone – no one can do that (not even J K Rowling), but that’s no reason not to blog.

Blogs are very personal, some people will like your style, and others will hate it. If they hate it they won’t come back so there’s no need to worry about them, if they love it they’ll be hanging on your every word, which is pretty cool.

You’ll get some amazing comments and you’ll get some rants from small minded people who get their kicks out of trolling blogs, who, quite frankly, aren’t worth worrying about.

The main thing is that there will be people who like what you say, so that’s that excuse blown out of the water.

2. I don’t have anything new to say

There aren’t that many subjects out there where there is anything new to say, especially if you’re giving tips.

Take the subject of blogging for example, there are zillions of posts out there telling you why you should blog, how to blog and the benefits of blogging, but that didn’t stop those authors getting their message out.

What makes each and every post worthwhile is that they are all told from someone else’s point of view. No one else writes like you, so whatever you write about will be original because it’s your take on the subject.

Boom, there goes number two.

3. Overcrowded

So what if your particular niche already has hundreds of bloggers writing about it. That doesn’t signal that it’s overcrowded, it means it’s a topic that has a huge audience and they’re all waiting to hear what you have to say.

Take that number three.

4. No time

Oh right, and the rest of us bloggers have loads of time?

Nope. None of us have the luxury of just writing blogs – we’re all working or running businesses too.

Take me for example, I run a successful copywriting agency from my home office. I also have two sons I end up running here there and everywhere, 2 dogs that need walking, a pile of washing and ironing that has to be kept up with and a family to feed.

No time? I don’t think so.

5. Where do I start?

How about at the beginning?

Set up your blog and get the first post written. Decide on how often you’ll post and stick to it. You’ll find your blog evolves over time as you grow as a writer, so there’s no point getting hung up on how to start – just do it.

6. Not the right time

When is?

If you are listing the reasons why you can’t start blogging right now, what happens when those excuses are no longer relevant? Do you think of some more?

There never is a right time, so stop procrastinating and get on with it.

7. I might fail

Define fail.

You can’t, can you?

Blogging is a great way to stir up your creativity, drive traffic to your website, boost your online reputation and get stuff off your chest.

It can be very therapeutic and you’ve got absolutely nothing to lose.

The best advice I can give is stop with the excuses and just start writing.  You will get so much out of the blogging experience – your knowledge will grow, your reputation will grow and your business will grow.

Just go and do it!

Author: Sally Ormond

There are several ways to get links for your website, one of which is guest blogging.

But with so many companies out there placing sub-standard blogs on websites in return for a paid for link, how can genuine bloggers be sure their links count in the eyes of Google and not classed as paid for links?

This video from Google’s Matt Cutts should help.

Thanks Matt for your words of wisdom.

Author: Sally Ormond, Copywriter and MD at Briar Copywriting Ltd. Follow her on Twitter and Google+

Why do you blog?

Do you think it will create a steady stream of new customers?

Does it boost your ego?

Is it a way of you getting your knowledge out to the wider world?

Are you doing it purely for financial gain?

During the recent Professional Copywriter’s Network conference in London, this was a subject that came up.

During a panel discussion it became clear that blogging has Marmite qualities – you either love it or hate it.

Firmly in the ‘anti-blogging’ camp was Andy Maslen.

Andy runs a hugely successful copywriting agency and training academy. His argument was that you’d get a far better return for your time if you were to pick up the phone to companies you wanted to work with and talk to them.

That argument definitely has legs assuming you’re the type of person who doesn’t break out into a cold sweat just thinking about cold calling.

But what about using blogging as a promotional tool?

Plenty of successful writers do so – granted it won’t lead to a guaranteed flood of new clients banging on your door (mind you, there’s no guarantee calling people up will either) – but it is a proven way of driving traffic to your website.

And before you shout me down and tell me that large companies don’t ‘Google’ for copywriters, they ask for recommendations, they do – I’ve personally experienced the phenomenon on several occasions.

So is it a waste of time blogging?

No, it isn’t.

Why?

• It is a great way to show yourself as an expert in your field (yes, there are others too, such as talking at events, but you can’t deny blogging’s ability to get your voice out there)
• It helps you reach a vast audience
• It’s a good way of adding fresh, high quality content to your website
• It’s a fantastic way to grow your marketing list (by getting readers to sign up to your newsletter)
• It’s the perfect way to add value to your customers and readers

But if you are going to blog, make sure you add value and do something different. Don’t copy your favourite blogger’s style because:

a)    You won’t get noticed

b)   You won’t be saying anything different

c)    You’ll be downright boring

Write stuff that’s useful and that people haven’t heard before.

Don’t be afraid to put your opinions out there – the more controversial the better – and get a conversation started.

And above all, if you’re going to blog for your business don’t outsource it.

An odd think for a copywriter to say, but I believe it’s vital you develop your own voice and style. Your blog is there to create a relationship – if you get someone else to write it for you it’s a bit like being married, but living elsewhere while a stand-in pretends to be you.

So should you blog?

If you have something new and interesting to day, yes you should. But make sure your marketing strategy doesn’t start and end there. If you’re business is to flourish you must adopt several different ways of marketing it – never put all your eggs in one basket.

A blog is nothing without traffic.

Getting more people to your blog is a constant battle, but one that must be fought. So how do you go about it?

What can you do to encourage more people to read your blog?

1. What do they want?

The only way you’ll get people to stop and read is if you’re offering them what they want.

Yes, that one is obvious, but there are still a lot of bloggers out there who write about stuff that interests them rather than thinking about what they’re readers want.

You can spot hot topics by watching what trends on Twitter, or common themes that appear on Facebook. A more obvious one is to just ask them.

2. Promotion

Make your blog social.

By incorporating the social sharing buttons after each post, you will encourage your readers to spread the love by telling other people about your content.

You can also promote it by having a link to your blog in your email signature, email marketing and newsletters.

3. Niche

Making your blog niche specific will encourage more readers. As people get to know what you write about, you’ll soon become the ‘go to’ blogger for that subject.

4. Guesting

A great way to encourage new streams of traffic to your blog is getting some good guest bloggers on board. Check out other blogs in your niche and see if you can persuade them to write for you.

Not only will you get great content, you will also attract their fans, opening up your blog to a whole new audience.

5. Titles

The titles you use on your blog posts are everything. They are what will draw people to your blog so perhaps its time to rethink them.

People love ‘best’, ‘top tips’, ‘how to’ and that sort of thing, so use them.

6. Frequency

The more often you blog, the more people you’ll attract.

7.  Authentic

Being authentic and writing about things you’re passionate about will bring readers your way.

If you’re just writing about something because it’s the thing to write about, people will pick up on it because your writing will lack conviction and emotion.

Writing a blog is a labour of love. But if you want it to be successful and attract readers it’s important to think about who you are writing for, why you are writing and what your readers will get out of it.

Author: Sally Ormond, Copywriter and MD at Briar Copywriting Ltd. Follow her on Twitter and Google+

It’s an age-old problem every blogger faces – how can you be sure you’re writing the right kind of posts that your readers want to read?

You could blindly write about anything that came into your head, but how can you be sure that’s what your readers want to learn about?

Or you could blog smarter.

How about using your social connections to discover the topics that will perform well and be a hit with your readers?

After all, what’s big in your social sphere will be big on your blog, right?

1. Title

You already know that the headline of your blog post has a huge effect on its popularity.

If it’s eye-catching, people are more likely to read it.

The best headlines (and the most successful ones) are those that show an obvious value to the reader. So, all you have to do is take a look at the leading brands and thought leaders in your industry and find out which of their articles are performing best.

Track them down on Twitter and Facebook and look at the blogs that are getting the most hits. What are they talking about? What issues are they addressing? Then use that knowledge to create your own post.

2. What do you want?

One of the best ways to generate a fresh list of blog topics is to ask your readers.

Don’t just write ‘what do you want to read about?’ Instead, think about a particular area and ask what issues they face, what do they need to make their lives easier etc.

Then, once you have received feedback from them, you’ll have a ready-made list of topics to write about. What’s more, because the list came from your readers, you have an eager audience ready and waiting to read your words of wisdom.

3. Facebook Insights

If you use Facebook Insights you’ll get a birds-eye view of the most popular posts you’ve written in terms of their overall reach, engagement and how many people are talking about them.

This type of information is priceless as it means you can identify the main topics your audience are interest in to boost your post’s reach.

4. Tweet

You can also identify your most popular posts using a tool called Social Sprout. This shows you which tweets had the biggest impact so again, you can make sure you provide more of that type of information for your followers.

As you can see using your social connections as guidance you can take the guesswork out of your blogging. Now you can be sure that what you’re ‘putting out’ there is what your readers want.

Author: Sally Ormond, Copywriter and MD at Briar Copywriting Ltd. Follow her on Twitter and Google+

Image courtesy of KROMKRATHOG/FreeDigitalPhotos