The conductor raises his baton. A hush falls over the audience.  And then – the "downbeat", the opening bars of the music, sets the mood for the concerto to come.  The equivalent in  blog writing? The opening sentence of each blog post.

I thought about opening sentences and downbeats when reading the first sentence of a recent Indianapolis Business Journal article about potholes:
 
"Alignment shops and dentists started celebrating last September." IBJ reporter Chris O’Malley goes on to explain, "That’s when contractors hired by the city began milling worn-out asphalt on downtown streets."

As a freelance SEO copywriter, of course, I want to use keyword phrases in the title and first sentences of each blog post to help search engines match my content with the search terms online readers used.  Blogging, after all, has an element of "science" to it as well as art. Diane Corriette of Mindsetofablogger.com uses the 80/20 rule, with keywords in the title and opening sentence at least 80% of the time.

But search engine optimization aside, the press release aspect of writing for business
dictates that the first ten words of any post be effective in engaging interest.  And, when it comes to writing in general, Ruth Belena of Helium.com takes this idea one step further: "The importance of an opening sentence," says Belena, "is so great that many writers wait until they have completed a book, or finished a piece of writing before they focus on the first few lines. Some writers spend more time," she adds, "writing, reviewing, and revising an opening sentence than on the rest of their writing." 

So how can blog writing for business make the most effective use of all this advice about amazing opening sentences?  The Happy Freelancer says opening sentences can:

• Raise questions in readers’ minds
• Illustrate a provocative scene
• Connect with readers

  In doing corporate blogging training, I think I can use the IBJ opener to add a fourth item to the list: Startle readers. (What on earth do dentists and alignment shops have in common?)

Naturally, blog content writers are going to be upbeat about their own businesses.  And naturally, companies are going to use their blog posts as part of their marketing strategy and tactics development.

But, in offering business blogging assistance, my Say It For You  question has to be: 

                     Do your blog posts begin with a "downbeat"?

Today’s blog post is by friend and business owner Nick Semon of Insulation Stop. Since I specialize in corporate blog writing and corporate blogging training, it’s always rewarding to be able to share real life blogging success stories.

Imagine this.  You go into your local store to buy something and all you can see are products on the shelf with names and prices.  There is nobody to talk to and no other information available, just products on shelves and prices.  Today, that’s what a business is without an accompanying blog. 

For e-commerce businesses, the bulk of material on our websites is dedicated to products and their related prices and descriptions.  But where do you find the room to communicate directly to your consumer repeatedly, on a wide range of topics?

Blogging is the perfect answer.  Blogging allows businesses an informal and efficient way to communicate a wide variety of ideas and topics.  And for consumers, it’s a medium they are looking for.

For an e-commerce business, it allows you to be more than just a store with products and a shopping cart.  In today’s internet world, there are multiple companies selling products in any given market.  You need to separate yourself from the sea of websites and be more than just another online store. 

At InsulationStop.com, a leading distributor of radiant barriers and reflective foil insulation, we have dedicated a large majority of our marketing efforts to blogging to our customers.  We find it a great way to share all kinds on information with our customers, on a wide variety of fronts. 

Maybe it’s an article about a zip code calculator that shows you the correct amount of insulation to use for your local climate.  Or, maybe it is an article showing you less energy consumption via a customer’s utility bill after using our insulation products.  Our blog has become a great way to communicate to our customer base. 

Our customers expect a hassle free shopping experience.  They don’t want to see a bunch of clutter when purchasing their insulation.  Blogging allows us an area to communicate much needed information away from the store front but still very much integrated into our business. 

Blogging also allows our customers an opportunity to comment on our articles and get answers to their questions, all the while adding more value to future visitors.  We view our blog as an unparalleled tool to communicate with our customers, and our customers have more than once expressed their appreciation for our efforts.  This makes us feel good because the only reason we blog is for them.   

Nick, I particularly liked your point about blogging being an informal and efficient way to communicate ideas. In providing corporate blogging assistance, I urge blog content writers to maintain a conversational tone.  And, while it’s wonderful that your customers appreciate your blog content, many business owners focus their efforts on attracting "strangers".  Their strategy is designed to attract new customers through an SEO marketing blog. The truth is, as you’ve brought out so well in this piece, blogs are good tools for both new and existing customers!
 
– Rhoda