4 Questions for Prompting Fresh Blog Topics

Writing a blog article can prove challenging enough without having to write hundreds of the stupid things. But once you launch your company blog, that's just what you've put yourself (or your associates) on the hook to do. The generation of topic ideas is as mentally draining as the creation of the articles themselves, if not more so. That's why so many businesses fall down in their attempts to blog regularly -- or never even bother to try, despite the importance of blogging as a means of refreshing their online presence in the eyes of Google and other major search engines.

Fortunately, you can often make the ideation process a little easier simply by providing your brain with the right prompts. Here are four basic questions to ask yourself whenever you're having trouble coming up with that next great idea:

1. "Are there big events impacting my industry right now?"

No matter what line of work you're in, there's bound to be some major event related to it occurring at some point or points during the year. If you're in the healthcare field, for instance, you've pretty much got it made -- there's always a National X Awareness Month or National Y Week designed to raise public consciousness about this or that health condition. Maybe your industry has a national convention coming up, or a professional association has just released a major study affecting users of your products or services. Use these events as springboards for blog articles.

2. "What are my competitors blogging about?"

The last thing you want to do is copycat your competitors' blogs, since the whole point of any marketing effort is to stand out from the crowd. But it never hurts to study the other guys' blogs just to see what issues they've identified as pain points or interest points for their target audience (which presumably is also your target audience). What basic concerns are they addressing? They may well inspire your own unique spin on the subject matter.

3. "What are my competitors not blogging about?"

Here's a golden opportunity to fill an important information gap for your readers, if you can spot it. Do you keep looking for a particular topic that surprises you by its absence? Are you asking yourself, "Why is nobody writing about this issue?" Hey, even the smartest people can overlook the obvious -- or maybe it's only obvious to you, thanks to your special expertise and experience. Either way, once that negative space reveals itself as a potential topic, grab it and fill it with words!

4. "Who have I rescued lately?"

You probably have some great success stories to share, from resolving customers' emergencies to helping a small business grow into a large one. Sure, you could (and probably should) have some of these written up as full-blown white papers and case studies, but there's no reason you can't blog about them as well. You can even write the blog article as a summary or tease of the larger piece, with a link for further reading. On the other hand, if the success story in question doesn't merit the full treatment, maybe a little blog article would make the perfect frame for it.

Don't let the need for a steady stream of blog articles prevent you from performing this essential marketing task. Make the ideation/writing process easier and more efficient by hiring an experienced freelance blog writer. It just so happens that I know a guy....

Networking Pointers for Writers

As I’ve said on many previous occasions, networking can be a really effective way to establish and strengthen in-person relationships with prospective clients and referral partners. I’ve done a lot of networking over the years, and I’m planning on doing even more in the future. But this type of self-promotion doesn’t always come naturally or easily to writers, many of whom would prefer to hide behind their keyboards rather than initiate conversations with a bunch of strangers. But the return on the investment can be substantial -- if you’re doing it right. Here are some networking pointers aimed at you writers in the crowd, although they'll also work for just about anyone else.

1. Paint a Clear Picture

As a writer, you already know the importance of painting a vivid picture in the mind's eye. Say “I’m a writer” to someone, and you could set off all sorts of speculations about what might mean -- none of them specific enough to evoke a sharp image of what you actually do. This will cause you to get either no referrals at all or referrals you can’t use. If you focus on a specific type of writing, describe it as clearly and succinctly as possible: “I write Web and print marketing content for businesses” will ensure that you don’t receive technical writing referrals, for example. If there’s a particular industry or business size you concentrate on, clarify that as well. Even if you don't limit yourself to one kind of writing or client, choose some memorable, easy-to-understand specifics for the purposes of this particular event. You want those you meet to be able to tell others precisely what you provide, and for whom.

2. Describe Your Ideal Client or Partner

Once again, specifics matter, and that's where your skill at employing just the right words at the right time comes into play. Whether you’re offering your writing services directly to the person in front of you or asking that person for referrals to great networking partners, use your gift with words as precisely as possible. “I’m looking for introductions to marketing coordinators at small technology companies” is a much more helpful statement than “I want to talk to anybody who needs marketing content.” If you really want to narrow it down, ask if your conversation partner has a direct or indirect connection to a specific individual at a company you’re trying to crack. Don't be afraid of pigeonholing yourself too much -- you may get fewer referrals, but they'll be better ones.

3. Follow Up

I’m convinced that one of the reasons writers don’t find networking effective for them is because they go home from the event, put their accumulated business cards in a drawer, get back to their writing -- and forget all about what just transpired. You can’t wait for the people you conversed with to take the initiative and follow up with you; you absolutely must contact them shortly after the event, provide them with additional information about your services, schedule a second meeting, and do everything you can to send qualified referrals in their direction. Focus on cultivating relationships instead of making sales (farming versus hunting). Only then will the long-term benefits of networking pay off for your writing business. So good luck -- and happy networking!

Who Loves You, Baby? How (and How Not) to Use Positive Feedback

It's happened to all of us: You're browsing the "Now Playing" movie ads and see a brief quote from a rave review that flies in the face of everything else you've heard critics and friends. Then you notice that the quote is attributed to some local radio DJ you never heard of. In the space of a few seconds, your feelings about that movie go from indifference to excitement to skepticism. But that's the problem with testimonials and other types of positive feedback -- they can't always be taken at face value.

What about the testimonials you've posted on your organization's website? First of all, yes, you should have some. Legitimate testimonials from satisfied customers are easy enough to obtain -- all you have to do is ask for a few choice words, over the phone or on paper. What you don't want to do is make up bogus quotes. Sooner or later, some way or other, you'll be found out, and then you'll have some big explaining to do. And viewers can generally tell bogus quotes a mile away. They're always a little too perfectly expressed, they all tend to be the same length, and they often use initials instead of names -- not to protect anyone's anonymity, but to keep you from inquiring further. A testimonial that sounds like a real person wrote it, and has a full name attached to it, is always more credible. So keep it real when you're gilding your web pages with thanks and compliments.

Phony positive feedback isn't just a website thing; it's caused its share of problems on social media channels as well. Yelp is a prime example. It's always had a problem filtering out the fake reviews from the real ones, and I can't tell you how many times I've heard business owners say, "Hey, please go to our Yelp page and write a great review for us," regardless of whether I'd ever actually used their products or services. If your company depends on Yelp for a percentage of its business, you may not be able to control who says what (including the inevitable negative review from time to time), but you can at least keep your nose clean by not blatantly soliciting rave write-ups. Even that marketing monolith, Facebook, felt compelled to remove "like-gating" (the practice of forcing viewers to like a page in exchange for special incentives) as a possible option for business owners. That's bad news for those who love to game the system, but ultimately it adds credibility to the likes a business does receive, making your Facebook popularity that much more meaningful.

All this boils down to the need to go for the purest, most genuine testimonials you can get. If they're over-long or clumsily written, ask for permission to clean them up. A skilled copywriter can do a little cosmetic work that makes a big difference without distorting the meaning behind the quote. I've performed this service for many clients and never had any complaints. It makes the website read more smoothly, and it makes the contributor of the quote sound more eloquent. The right words can really help you boost your business -- as long as you use them properly!

Boosting Your Business's Metabolism

In case you haven't noticed, we're experiencing a sort of national deep-freeze this winter (and unless you're reading this from Southern Florida, you most definitely have noticed). Many areas are struggling to get out of the negative digits, and we're not done with meteorological winter yet. So what are your options as far as keeping warming and staying alive and all that good stuff? Well, there are are two basic strategies: raising your external temperature, or raising your internal temperature.

If you're not willing to wait for your town to thaw itself out naturally (and you can't move to the aforementioned Southern Florida), then raising the external temperature will involve turning up your thermostat, switching a space heater on, or getting a fire going in the fireplace. But heating yourself is usually more cost-effective than heating an entire room or house. Wrapping up in warm clothing is a smart way to keep your body warmth next to you -- but you can also increase the level of warmth by raising your metabolism. This can be done in a variety of ways, including eating calorie-dense foods, performing aerobic exercise, and consuming spices such as ginger and cayenne pepper. Heat yourself up, and you're less dependent on the kindness of a chilly world.

With all that in mind, then, ask yourself: Has your business "gone cold" lately? Has a certain product, service, or even your entire brand cooled off in response to economic seasons, or as a result of sluggish marketing and development? If so, rest assured that you don't have to sit there and freeze to death. Sure, if you have deep enough pockets you might be able to weather your economic environment until circumstances change, but don't count on your competitors hibernating alongside you. Anyway, burning through your emergency resources is like throwing money on a fire to enjoy some temporary warmth.

I suggest a much more active and efficient strategy. Make your business a hotter property by fueling it with new, fresh, stronger marketing. Create content that generates a sizzle and raises the pulse rates of your customer base. Radiate your marketing outward by posting it on a variety of social media outlets. Spark new enthusiasm within the company by launching new marketing initiatives, refreshing the brand, and inviting your staff to jump on the excitement train. If it's a cold world out there, then take the necessary steps to heat things up and thaw things out yourself. Marketing content can be a powerful catalyst, so fuel up on it and get things cooking. You'll probably be rewarded with a healthy flow of that other essential fuel source -- revenue!

Writing for Your (Unintended) Audience

Not too long ago I met with a representative from a non-profit educational technology organization. This group had been blogging on their own for some time, and they'd finally decided that they would be better off outsourcing that laborious, imagination-sapping task. The representative noted that the articles seemed "dull," overly dry and technical in language and tone. After looking at some the previous posts, I had to agree.

But that led to the next obvious question: Who was the intended audience? His answer: "Well, primarily we want to reach out to IT managers and administrators at school districts. But we also get some teachers and non-technical people who read the blog too." 

That second group the rep was describing is what I call the secondary or "unintended" audience. They're good to have on board. They could help talk up your products or services. They may even be the ones who end up using and benefiting from those products or services most directly. They just don't happen to be the specific population will place the order. The problem is that this group doesn't know the technobabble or business buzzwords that your core audience bats around so effortlessly. So what do you do? Do you "dumb down" your content and risk turning off your target demographic, or do you continue using inside lingo that informs the intellect without grabbing the guts?

Fortunately, it's not really an either-or question. A skilled copywriter can present extremely sophisticated processes and concepts as clear, simple, engaging text. This opens up a blog or website to a broader potential readership, allowing it to attract many potentially valuable individuals the owners might never have thought to cater to. This approach doesn't alienate the industry insiders, either; it simply addresses the topics that matter to this audience in a more entertaining and readable way. Who wouldn't appreciate that? 

This approach is especially important if your prime directive is to create new customers, encourage repeat business, recruit supporters -- you know, persuade. (And that's pretty much everyone, if you think about it.) Are you worried about the accessibility of your written content, but you aren't sure how to fix it without robbing it of its depth. Then put that project in the hands of someone who knows how to translate it into powerful, meaningful words for a larger chunk of the World Wide Web.

Have I made myself clear?

Frequently Asked Questions About Frequently Asked Questions

No, the title of this post isn't some bizarre typo caused by one too many late-night writing sessions. FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) pages are a fixture of Internet commerce; in fact, it's pretty hard to visit kind any kind of business site without seeing an "FAQ" tab on the home page. FAQ pages serve a valuable purpose. They can help you defuse common concerns and objections right off the bat, smoothing the way toward a purchase or at least further conversation. They can debunk popular myths about your industry, explain individual products or services, dispense important advice, explain how to place orders, and shed additional light on your business's values and mission. Having written my share of FAQ pages for clients over the years, however, I've come to realize that they can inspire as many questions as they aim to answer. So here's a little FAQ page about FAQ pages.

Q: What should my FAQ page include?

A: There's really no list of "must-have" questions and answers, which means that there's no single way to populate an FAQ page. One of the beauties of FAQ pages is that you get to decide which questions need answering. Simply ask yourself which questions you hear all the time from your clients, prospects, and referral partners, or go through old emails to see which questions you've answered over and over again. At the same time, think about including questions that you wish people would ask, or that you suspect they're keeping to themselves.

Q: How long should my answers be?

A: There are no particular rules about answer length, but use common sense. Abraham Lincoln stated that a man's legs should be long enough to reach the ground. Your answers be long enough to answer the question -- and no longer. If your reader see that his question has an interminable answer, it'll only make him more leery to wade into deeper waters.

Q: How should I address legitimate worries or known problems in my industry or product line?

A: Either don't include them on the FAQ page at all, or answer them honestly. You can always find positive ways to couch those negative situations, such as: "We know you're concerned about this issue, and so are we. That's why doing X, Y and Z to make your outcome more pleasant and productive."

Q: Should I put my company bio in the FAQ page?

A: Probably not, although you could answer some specific questions about skills, experience, et cetera. A full bio paragraph about your company or its leaders more properly belongs on your About Us page. Reserve your FAQ page for questions that might come up after the reader has perused your Home, About Us, and Products/Services pages.

Q: Should I leave some popular questions unaddressed?

A: In my humble opinion, yes. Generally speaking, marketing materials that try to cross every T and dot every I leave the reader with the impression that there's nothing left to ask -- and that could very well kill your chances of receiving calls and having productive chats that result in closed sales.

So, there's my brief FAQ page about FAQ pages. Do you feel a little better equipped to write your own? I hope so -- but if you still don't feel like bothering it yourself, rest assured that I can help you in that department too!

A New Year Calls for a New Marketing Plan

So here we are, already well into January, hustling and bustling to build new success in a new year. (I'm cooking up some new notions myself, as a matter of fact.) For many business owners, the beginning of the year is an ideal time to launch new programs, projects and directions -- including some new and improved marketing strategies to help turn all these great ideas into real-world revenue. Why? Because these folks aren't interested in continuing to run in place; they want to gain speed and move out ahead of the crowd. But before you can change your fortunes, you usually have to change your plan.

How's your January shaping up in that regard? Are you perfectly content to keep on keeping on, or are you looking to make some changes that will enable you to grow, adapt and thrive in an ever-changing environment? After all, new marketing trends, technologies and techniques spring up seemingly every day. Google adjusts its algorithm, and the entire online marketing industry changes course accordingly. Traditional websites are supplemented by mobile websites, then morph into responsive websites. In short, times change -- and so do buyer behaviors. So if the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results, how sane are your current marketing strategies?

I encourage business owners to refresh their marketing plans periodically, and the beginning of the year seems as sensible a time as any. Some of the items you might want to look at include:

Your overall business plan - Does it still address your company's needs, mission, values and goals? Are its timelines and milestones still doable? Do the various budgets (including the marketing budget) need adjusting?

Your marketing content - Does your current marketing content do your business proud? Does it actively boost your conversion rates? Do your latest and greatest products and services require promotion via new content? Are you prepared to freshen the existing content on a regular basis, and if so, what's your plan for that?

Your channels - Have you fallen behind the curve in utilizing a full array of social media and other state-of-the-art marketing channels -- or do you actually need to narrow your focus in this area? Could your website be more responsive to a wide range of browsers and mobile devices? Do you need to get more interactive in handling comments and questions from current and prospective customers?

Your analytics - Do you have an information collection system that sifts incoming buyer data into metrics you can use to guide your future marketing endeavors? Do you need to engage an outside provider of turnkey Web analytics, monitoring and management? Could you do a better job of building drip campaigns that automatically send out the right marketing touches to the right customers at the right point in the relationship?

There's still loads of time to make this year your best-ever year for new business growth and development. Just make sure that your marketing grows and develops too!