Mozak Design Blog
I’ve got an idea … now what?
- Write a contact. How frequently do you get stymied for which to express in an email to a friend? Probably not very often. So rather than telling yourself you’re writing A Article (which can sound intimidating and important), tell yourself you’re writing a contact to some friend. You can even do this inside your email program. Put your headline in the subject line, keep your point and call to action in mind, and begin writing. Then you can cut and paste to your blog publishing software, editing a little when needed, and you are done.
- Outline it. This is probably my favorite method, though it gives some people uncomfortable flashbacks to ninth grade English class. Write your title, after which list 3 or 4 main points you’d like to make or examples you need to include. Flesh them out, and you’re done!
- Speak it. Record yourself referring to the topic, or just take a seat with a friend and talk through your posting, taking notes of points and ideas generate as you chat. (Bonus: If your audio recording is pretty coherent, you can release it as being a podcast on iTunes for added value for your money).
- Just write. Take a seat, start typing, and see what comes out. Don’t edit yourself until you’re done. Then go back and reformat, tighten, cut, and expand when needed.
Writing is as difficult or as simple as you allow it to be. Many of us originate from backgrounds where we were told we weren’t good writers, or that our spelling and grammar were atrocious. But don’t allow that to stop you for those who have something to say!
First, blog writing is not like the essay-writing I was graded on as students; it’s much more conversational. Second, no one (probably not even your ninth grade English teacher!) is going to be grading your blogging efforts. Third, great writers, even Stephen King, Scott Turow, and Problogger Darrin Rowse edit their work. And if they do not, they must be.
Remembering Your Audience
When online entrepreneurs speak about blogging, they usually consider all of the ways it can help them. They wax nostalgic about traffic, sales, and their soon-to-be-achieved “expert status.” But what they often forget is always that to achieve traffic, revenue, and attention, you need to provide something your audience wants. If you are centered on your organization and what blogging can do for you personally, you are going to alienate your potential customers.
Here are the most notable five mistakes that bloggers make and the way to prevent them:
- Thinking “What do I want to write?” vs. “What does my audience desire to read?” It’s okay to include some personal information or stories every so often. But remember that your target market doesn’t care an excessive amount of about your brand-new car or your kitten’s coeliac disease – unless it features a direct touching on their life or even the niche you’re currently talking about. If the website is all about natural health cures for pets, then are the gory details of Fluffy’s gastrointestinal distress. Otherwise, concentrate on your readers’ biggest worries and problems and just how you can solve them. Save the chit-chat for your therapist or your spouse.
- Taking “informal” past an acceptable limit. One of the greatest mistakes many bloggers make is to get carried away in their efforts to become informal, with the result that they seem downright unprofessional. By their very nature, blogs tend to be casual, according to conversation and interaction. Just avoid getting sloppy. Be sure to check spelling and grammar, and capitalize words where. Think about it… Would you trust a brain surgeon who cannot be bothered to capitalize and punctuate properly?
- Becoming undependable. You don’t have to blog daily if you do not wish to, however, you have to blog consistently. In the event you blog fifteen times 1 week after which disappear for a a short while, you’ll appear flaky and disorganized. Instead, utilize the scheduling function on your own blogging service to set up a regular posting routine. If you want to take a seat one time a month to publish, that’s fine. But be sure to set up your posts so they really be visible on a regular schedule.
- Ignoring the interactive part of blogging. Blogs should be dialogues. You begin the the conversational ball, and your readers catch it and toss it through comments, e-mails, and even responses on their own blogs. If you write try not to listen or respond, you’ll seem distant and unapproachable. It’s crucial that you care what your visitors and readers have to say.
- Making your blog read being a press release. Customers love blogs simply because they believe they’re finding a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the business. However, if your post reads like a corporate pr release, no one is going to stay around. After all, they can read your annual report. Instead, share with your readers what you are focusing on, the challenges you’re facing and just how you’re overcoming them, and details about your process. Occasionally, you may even request advice on how you can solve a business problem. Asking individuals to provide input allows them to feel like a part of the team and increases brand loyalty.
As you can see, these aren’t difficult concepts to understand. You don’t have to write Pulitzer-winning prose or answer complex “meaning of life” questions. Instead, you should be yourself – your better self! – and keep the readers’ interests in mind.
Every Post Needs a Clear Purpose
Here are some goals that blog posts may have:
To encourage subscriptions. Should you write what Darren Rowse of Problogger.net calls a “pillar post,” you might impress the future prospect so much that they’re wanting for more. At the end of these posts, include a sign-up box for the list so you can capture traffic while they’re still wowed because of your brilliance.
To market something. Whether it’s your personal products or someone else’s, websites can make people more receptive to buying something. Reviews, case studies, and new service announcements can help you sell a product or service. Just be sure to skip the hard sell.
To engage the future prospect. Sometimes, you might like to reinforce that community feel. To get your potential customers to respond, you might ask questions, invite discussion, or actually suggest that readers respond inside the comments section of your blog.
To encourage viral marketing. If you’d like your posts to go viral, you have to create valuable, evergreen content that others may wish to save and spread to friends, and even tweet with their followers on Twitter. While they may not be directly monetized, they encourage readers to come back again and again, also to recommend your site to their colleagues and friends.
There are many reasons for blogging. The bottom line is to have a reason, and to know that reason before you even start writing. Only then does that post belong in your blog.
Maximizing your WordPress Blog’s Marketing Effectiveness
Is your wordpress blog integrated with your website?
By this I mean, is the blog built into the website so it feels like any other page is the site. If it is not, you are missing a valuable opportunity to maximize your blogs impact on your business.
To understand why, let’s look at how traffic flows to your site. Typically, web traffic that goes to your homepage reflects someone who either knows of your business by name or is looking for a specific product or service. Your wordpress blog on the other hand tends to draw traffic based on an interest in a topic or a solution to a problem. In both cases they are each bringing new visitors to your business. What is missed by not integrating your wordpress blog seamlessly with your website is the cross marketing that can occur.
A new client may discover your business by searching for a service you provide. Yet, if you have not been recommended to them, how can you instill confidence that you are an expert? Likewise, a client may have Googled a topic you discussed at length in a blog post, yet how are they to your you offer services as well?
By integrating the two; your website and your wordpress blog you get the best of both worlds. I potential client who lands on your site can see you as an expert and build his trust in you through your business’ blog. Likewise, someone who happens to find your blog will notice that you are a business and offer relevant services. By having the two pieces presented the same way they work together to showcase your business.
Good Copy Tip #3: Linking within your website
One opportunity that is often missed is linking to internal pages within your website.
This is valuable in several ways:
- It enables easier creation of scannable pages.
- It creates Google optimized, topic specific, pages.
- It allows you to guide readers into older blog posts.
By linking deeper into your website you can provide a readers with simple lists that they can scan; with the option to learn more on that topic if they follow the link. In addition, linking within your website allows you a way to continue using older posts in your blog. Most blog posts are not looked at once they are about 5 posts old. By guiding readers to older posts and series you have written, you are able to maximize your imvestment in them.
Finally, linking deeper into your site helps to guide your guest through your site to the information that interest them the most. This is crucial as web surfers have little patience hunting for what they are looking for.