Blame It On… the Printer? the Advertising Department? the Client?

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TJust whose mistake was that stray apostrophe anyway? I wondered, reading a very clever print ad for a local logistics company in a business publication a couple of weeks ago. Just who should shoulder the blame for writing that its client provide’s quality ingredients?

Great ad, by the way, showing a truck making its way up the layers of a tiered, iced cake. The concept – when the baking ingredient manufacturer was looking for an innovative and trusted logistics partner, they didn’t settle for half-baked solutions. After all, the logistics company claims that “we can ship better.”  But – somebody didn’t punctuate better, that’s for sure!

Aw, who’s gonna notice? Well, I did, for one. Typos can have a devastating financial impact on the publishers, companies, and people who make them, explains Zack Crockett in the grammarly blog.  Yes, but who should eat the crow/ foot the bill?

“We have a clause in our agreements that states it is the responsibility of the client to check spelling,” says David Scott of Cosmic Graphic Design & Advertising. (Well, that’s certainly one approach…)

Bloggers who commit punctuation and grammar sins don’t have clauses like that – there’s nobody to pass the buck to (“to whom” would be better, but, hey, the blog writing style is conversational, no?)  But, let’s draw the line in the sand. As Melissa Culbertson says so aptly in her blog, “Bad grammar and spelling is WAY different than using conversation style or slang.”  Proper grammar and spelling matter, even in the blogging world, she points out. Treat your blog like your resume, she advises. In fact, she adds, it IS your resume.

I agree, but, just in case, it will be my printer’s fault…

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Softly, Softly Advertising by Blogging for Business

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company name“An advertorial is ‘softly softly’ advertising,” cautions write.co.nz., by using a news or human-interest story to sell your product or service. The art of writing a good advertorial, write.co explains, is getting the right balance between story and sale. To do it right, the author warns, your advertorial must start and finish with the story, putting the sales message in the middle, never lower than the third paragraph.

Imagine you’re writing an advertorial about your new sports therapy clinic, says write.co. If you’re promoting the clinic as a whole, the story might be about the growing popularity of holistic therapy clinics. If, on the other hand, you’re promoting a particular service, the story might consist of facts and figures about that service. But if you’re promoting the clinic’s staff, your story might consist of a personal profile.

There’s a parallel here with business blog content writing. Sure, when people go online to search for information and click on different blogs or on different websites, they’re aware of the fact that the providers of the information are out to do business.  But as long as the material is valuable and relevant for the searchers, they’re perfectly fine with knowing there’s someone who wants them for a client or customer.  The secret of successful business blogging, I found, is just that – not coming on too strong, staying in “softly, softly” mode.

As in the example write.co offers about the sports therapy clinic, each separate blog post should have a definite focus on only one aspect of the business or practice. In designing blog content, we need to present the “condensed” version of the information, then offer as one CTA (call to action) with the ability to click through to a landing page on the business’ or practice’s website to obtain more information. In fact, blog posts have a distinct advantage over the more static website copy, because you can have a razor-sharp focus on just one story, one idea, one aspect of your business in today’s post, saving other topics for later posts.

The story ties it all together – the answers to readers’ questions, and the solution you’re proposing.  You set the scene, introduce the characters, have them encounter, then overcome the obstacles.

Keep softly, softly advertising by blogging for business!

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You Can Pretty Well Ask Them to Applaud

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“You can pretty much ask the audience to applaud anything and they will,” observes professional speaker Judy Carter. “Let’s have some Successapplause for the dessert chef who gave us cake and pie!”

Why does such a simple, even “corny”, ploy work? It’s because people like to be on the joke, Carter explains, and mentioning something obvious and inclusive accomplishes that goal.

In blogging about a business or practice, getting readers involved is always a good thing, and as is true in a speech, establishing common ground is always a good starting point. On the other hand, I’m not sure you can pretty much ask readers to do anything (in the form of a Call to Action) and be assured even some will follow along. For one thing, online readers don’t have the reinforcement of other audience members physically surrounding them.

That’s precisely why good content creates commonality. What problems do readers share, problems that can be solved using your products and services? You can pretty much get readers to “applaud” in relief that their issue is a common one, and that they’ve come to the right place to make the situation better.

As readers progress (typically not a systematic read, but a scan) through the post, they should encounter more than one CTA. Those ready to buy should be able to do that right away. Incremental buys need to be offered. Those readers who need more information before making a decision should be able to pick up the phone and easily reach a knowledgeable rep. For those not quite ready for even a phone conversation, perhaps the blog can include a brief video they can watch. The CTAs themselves can be scattered through the text, so if a reader feels ready to act or to find out more after reading only a particular snippet – that’s great – offer that opportunity!

In blogging for business, you can pretty much ask them to applaud, and – they just might!

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Blog About Unexpected Benefits

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beerWhen it comes to choosing a title that attracts attention, I think Lifehack.org was onto something with its

“12 Unexpected Benefits of Beer That Give You Good Reasons to Drink It”

For one, I was curious to read about beer in a publication focused on healthy living (the same issue of the magazine carried an article warning of the negative effects of smoking and alcohol on the body).

But, see, here’s the thing.  It was unexpected. Surrounded by content about the science of beautiful skin, the skinny on indoor cycling, and winning the weight war, readers have every right to be surprised to see beer as a recommended healthful consumable.

Author Candace Nelson starts out by unifying her audience with a commonality: “Who among us hasn’t rounded down when doctors or nutritionists ask how much (beer) we imbibe?”  She goes on to list no fewer than twelve benefits of beer. The drink is rich in Vitamin B, and high in fiber and silicon. It’s anti-microbial, and helps reduce the risk of heart disease, muscle deterioration, and gallstones. Only the last item on her list (“Beer is a social lubricant”) seems a stretch in terms of being health-related.

As Steve Tobak writes in Entrepreneur Magazine, “Doing the unexpected is key to success in business. After all, the next big thing is never what anyone expects.”

As a corporate blogging trainer, I remind content writers that blogging about unusual ways your products or services have been applied in different situations is good way to capture interest in posts. Even sharing past business mistakes that resulted in unexpected improvements in the company’s products and service makes for engaging blog content.

That’s the question I’d pose to business owners and professional practitioners: Tell me about the benefits you offer, sure. But what are some of the UNEXPECTED benefits of what you have, what you know, and what you know how to do?

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Winning Ways to Keep Blog Readers Up on Industry Trends

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Staying up to date in an industry that’s constantly shifting isn’t easy, but being aware of changes as they happen can keep you ahead of the The Top Trends Hot New Ideas Latest Fads Fashion Ideas Innovatiocurve, according to Yael Grauer of verticalreponse.com.   And, even more important to us business blog content writers, our readers, whether or not they’re inclined towards the “trendy”, like to feel they’re keeping up with the trends.

Grauer offers ten suggestions to business owners and professionals who want to stay abreast of trends in their fields, including subscribing to trade journals and consumer magazines, scouring websites, blogs, and newspapers, and talking to colleagues and customers.

What I’ve learned over the years of helping clients in different industries create content, is that customers expect their service and product providers to do all the work for them, keeping them up-to-date by condensing all that website/newspaper/magazine/trade journal wisdom into bite-sized pieces and, on top of that, putting all that information into perspective.

“Museums curate works of art. We digital marketers curate blog posts,” says Kevan Lee of buffersocial.com.  “We’re all seeking only the best material to pass along to our patrons, customers, fans, or followers.” Why? According to Lee, “People love being told what’s good to read or essential to see.”

Content curation is very different, points out John Tann on Hootsuite.com. It doesn’t include creating new content, he explains, but does include discovering, compiling, and sharing existing content with online followers.  That allows you, he adds, to provide extra value to your brand’s audience and customers.

As a business blogwriting trainer, I think some of the most valuable content consists of a combination of curation and marketing.  I encourage freelance content writers and business owners alike to gather OPW (Other People’s Wisdom) and share that with their readers, but then to comment on that material and relate it to their own topic.

Ideally, I explain to business owners, your content keeps your readers savvy about what’s trending, while at the same time establishing you as a thought leader in your field!

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