Cancellation Notice for Blogs

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I read a lot.  If you’re a business blogger, I hope you read a lot, too.

That’s because, no matter what business, what professional practice, or what organization you’re blogging about, ideas for content are everywhere.  Only thing is, you’ve got to make you mind available in some unlikely spots to find them.

In the May issue of Discover Magazine, in the Hot Tech section, there’s a story called “Cancellation Notice.” An estimated 10 million Americans, the article reminds us, suffer from a rhythmic trembling in their hands that intensifies with action. Up until recently, the technology was focused on restraining the shaking, and the devices used were bulky and largely ineffective.  The newest technology, called Liftware, uses “active cancellation”.  In other words, it offsets the shakes, rather than trying to suppress them.

Constantly alert for ideas that can help my freelance blog content writers fill the various marketing needs of our clients, I find that mostly what’s wanted by the clients is attracting traffic and moving readers to action.  Every so often, though, we’re working as part of a “damage control” effort.

One of the themes I keep coming back to in this Say It For You blog is that corporate and organizational blogging can be used to exercise control over the way the public perceives any negative developments and to correct any inaccurate press statements.  The general concept of damage control, as fellow blogger David Meerman Scott explains, is to “get out in front” of any media crisis, rather than hiding from bad publicity.

There’s another plus to blogging a lot following some kind of negative press. Providing relevant content that is more recent has the power to supplant the negative story by “pushing down” the older content on the first page of the search engine.  And, whether you’ve realized it or not, explains John Hacker, “There is probably some negative criticism about you out there on other blogs, other websites, or even forums that you’re not going to want your potential customers to spend time reader.” Starting a blog and writing often is “one of your most valuable allies to pushing down negative search results,” he adds. 

Blogging for business takes advantage of the Liftware “active cancellation” principle.  Offset the shakes (the negative publicity items), rather than trying to suppress them!

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Unpackaging Information in Business Blogs

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I’m sure the last thing on the WIBC newscaster Mike Corbin’s mind was business blog content writing – he wasn’t even aware I was listening to him on my drive home! Still, Corbin managed to give me the kind of gift I treasure – a word tidbit.

The topic of the moment was Republican House Majority Leader Cantor’s loss in the recent primary election. To introduce the discussion, Corbin used three words: “Let’s unpackage this”, he said.

“Unpackaging” – I’d never used the word to apply to our work as content writers, but, yes. That’s actually a perfect description of the way bloggers can help online readers connect with information presented in a blog post. Facts and statistics need to be “unpackaged” or put into perspective, so that readers realize there’s something important here for them.

It’s fascinating, what a big difference skillful use of language can make in every aspect of life and particularly in business. As business owners and professional practitioners, we can get so tied up in manufacturing a good, marketable product and in serving our customers’ needs, we forget how much help the right words can be.

Of course, for content writers, it’s all about words, so that the right word tidbit can be a true gift. When it comes to “unpackaging” information for our readers, we business bloggers are nothing if not interpreters. Effective blog posts, I teach, must go from information-dispensing to offering the business owner’s (or the professional’s, or the organizational executive’s) unique perspective on issues related to the search topic.

One form of un-packaging consists of putting your own “spin” on any messages the public might be receiving about your industry – or about you – from competitors or critics. Sometimes negative perceptions arise from inaccurate press statements, but often, accurate information, incompletely explained, causes negative perceptions.  Blogs are a way for business owners to exercise a degree of control over myths and misunderstandings.

Unpackaging, though, doesn’t need to be reactive.  In blogging for business, it’s important to proactively interpret information in ways that are not only understandable, but usable by readers, “unwrapping”and drilling down to the core of the message.

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Nail Polish Remover for Business Blogs

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Ink-smudged laptop keys or floor tile? Haul out the nail polish remover, advises Alison Caporino in one of my favorite Reader’s Digest sections “Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things”.
https://www.overdrive.com/media/1581946/extraordinary-uses-for-ordinary-things

How-to ideas are always a good idea for business blog posts.  By teaching, rather than selling, I explain to blog content writers, business owners or professional practitioners can enhance their own value in the eyes of readers.

To me, this tactic is a blog marketing no-brainer.  But what so often happens is that I’ll be discussing blog content ideas with new Say It For You clients, and I’ll get a lot of pushback. The fear is that if they include “how-to” ideas in their blog,proprietors or practitioners will lose, rather than gain, customers and clients.  (Those readers won’t need them, is the worry.)
In the real world, I hasten to assure the fearful, things usually work the opposite way. Giving advice by sharing “recipes” and instructions is a great way to showcase your experience and expertise, and consumers who feel fairly informed might actually prove more willing to make buying decisions.
The “extraordinary” part of the blog content equation needs some further explanation, I realize. Like spices in cooking, less is more. Blogging about unusual ways your products or services have been applied in different situations is a good way to capture interest. (Remember the song “You Gotta Have a Gimmick” in “Gypsy”?) “

But in order for the stuff to be really useful to readers, your reason for including it in the blog posts has to be apparent. It’s best if the new information relates, not only to your topic, but to something with which readers are already familiar.

In other words, while it’s fine to include “extraordinary” information tidbits in your business blog posts, assuming the goal is winning click-throughs and acquiring customers, your main emphasis should be extraordinary solutions to ordinary needs.

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Business Blogs Help Readers Put Theory Into Practice

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“Colleagues tell me that stories and examples work best in helping students understand how to put theory into practice,” says Elizabeth Natalle in “Teaching Interpersonal Communication”. So, for every concept Natalle teaches in class, she gives an example in the form of a scenario or story. For variety, she sometimes has groups of students analyze a case study.

We blog content writers would do well to follow Natalle’s example, harnessing the power of storytelling to bring out the points we’re trying to make in our posts. And we should do it for the same reason: stories and examples help readers understand the information we offer and relate to what we’re saying.

If one secret of successful business blog writing is, in fact, telling stories, the trick to finding story ideas may be, as Malcolm Gladwell says in What the Dog Saw, “to convince yourself that everyone and everything has a story to tell.” In fact, a big, big part of providing business blogging assistance to my Say It For You clients is helping them formulate stories.  Those stories have the power to forge an emotional connection between them and their potential customers.

The setting of a business’ story refers to where it is (where the plant, the distribution area or the professional practice is actually located). The setting also includes the backdrop of the market and the industry or field in which that business or practice operates.

The history of the company or practice makes up the “plot” or story line. The story unfolds as the owners and employees answer questions such as “What do we do?” “How?” “Why?” What does ‘success’ look like to us?” “What values do we stand for?”

I call it the training benefit. Whether owners are doing their own blog content writing or working with a freelance blog writer like me, in the process of verbalizing positive aspects of their own business, helping readers relate to them and trust them, leaders are constantly providing themselves with training about how to tell their own story!

Elizabeth Natalle is on to something: For interpersonal communication (and that’s exactly what blogging for business is designed to be), nothing beats a good story!

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What Distinguishes Blogging From Other Social Media?

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Came across a very useful blog post the other day, written by Jeremiah Owyang of Social Media and titled “Understanding the difference between Forums, Blogs, and Social Networks”.

As a freelance blog content writer and corporate blogging trainer, I agree with Owyang that there’s a lot of confusion out there about what distinguishes blogs from other social networking tools.

Backtrack a bit: Social media, as defined by ESCP Europe Business School marketing professor Andreas Marcus, consists of “a group of Internet-based applications that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content.”

But, with so many platforms out there, it’s easy to get the tools mixed up, says Owyang. Forums, he explains, are like social mixers, where everyone mills about and discusses things with others. Social networks, in contrast, are like topic tables at a conference luncheon. People connect through common interests and share information.

Owyang compares blogs, on the other hand, to keynote speeches. (As a longtime member of the National Speakers Association, I can relate to that comparison.) The blogger is in control of the discussion, but allows questions and comments from the audience. Blogs, he adds, are journals often authored by one individual or by a team, used to talk with the marketplace.

Why do I find the Owyang blog post particularly informative for business owners and professional practitioners (and of course for us content writers telling their stories)?

 “It’s important to know the many different tools in your tool chest as every type of accessory fulfills a different need. Before you jump to tools, you should first understand who your community is, where they are, how they use social technologies, and most importantly, what they’re talking about.”

Yasmin Bendror of Marketing Matters sums up the topic in this potent paragraph:

 “It’s obvious that social media will continue to have a significant impact in 2014 on marketers and business owners: They now have the ability to reach out and communicate on a personal level with their target audience on a daily basis. This is a game changer for businesses engaging in marketing, sales, customer service and other business activities.

At Say It For You in Indianapolis, we couldn’t agree more!

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