Hearing a radio host quote David Camp, chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, reminded me how important it is, in business blog writing, to put things in context.

In talking about the tax code needing to be reformed, he said, "It’s bigger than the Bible but not nearly as helpful."

Camp was being waggish, to be sure, but here’s the aspect of that remark I believe can be of business blogging help: Unless you’re a CPA, chances are you really don’t know how big the tax code document is, so comparing it to something familiar to emphasize its magnitude is an effective way to get the point across. It’s  part of good blog marketing strategy to help online searchers "take your business measure", so as to put what you do in context.

One thing I’ve come to realize as a freelance SEO copywriter is that readers of your SEO marketing blog know what they need, and in fact have found your blog because what you offer is a good match for those needs, but at the same time, they almost certainly lack expert knowledge in your field. They literally don’t know how to judge the validity of the information you’re providing in the content of your business blog posts. 

• Are your prices fair compared to your peers?
   
• Are your services different from those offered by competitors?
   
• How big are you compared to others in your field? (If smaller, how is that good? If bigger, how is that a good thing for the customer?)

As a professional ghost blogger teaching corporate blogging for business, I emphasize putting claims in context. Whatever statistic you might mention, whatever claim you make about your business, whatever information you provide about what you know, what you do, and what you sell, put it in the context of all the choices out there. 

One of the most important things I can do in offering blog writing help is to remind business owners to clearly show why a fact is important and why it’s good for the blog readers who are your potential buyers.

Apply the Rule of 12, advises Mindy Weaver-Flask, writing in the Indianapolis Star. Since more than 70% of human resource departments rely on job fairs to recruit employees, it’s crucial for job seekers, Weaver-Flask explains, to make a good first impression.

In doing corporate blogging training, I don’t typically use the number twelve. The general ideas Weaver-Flask suggests for capturing positive attention, though, are an excellent fit for corporate blog writing:

"12 feet, 12 inches, 12 minutes. Sometimes that’s all it takes
before a hiring decision is made."

As a freelance SEO copywriter offering business blogging help, I know we have far less than those "three twelves" at our disposal for any business’ marketing strategy and tactics development.

"At 12 feet away, the recruiter is taking in the entire package." (Weaver-Flask’s conclusion: Don’t underestimate what you wear at the career fair.)

The distance between an online searcher’s eyes and your blog post on their computer screen may be only one foot, but the importance of a good first impression can hardly be overestimated. For clarity and visual appeal in business blog writing, use bolding and italics to highlight key points, and images and photos for color and appeal.

"When you’re 12 inches away, make eye contact, smile, and have a firm handshake," Weaver-Flask cautions.

In corporate blogging for business, the equivalent of a firm handshake are the opening lines of the blog post, which need to put the reader at ease by reassuring them they’ve come to precisely the right place to find all the information, services, and products they need.

"You likely won’t have a recruiter’s undivided attention for 12 minutes," warns Weaver-Flask. Her message to job seekers: Make the most of your time.

Blog content writers almost certainly won’t have anywhere near 12 minutes, and probably only seconds, to capture the attention of online readers. In fact, when offering business blogging assistance, I remind blog content writers that searchers tend to be scanners more than readers, and engaging their attention needs to happen within seconds of their clicking on your blog post.

At a career fair, the Rule of 12 emphasizes, every contact counts.  That’s at least twelve times as true in the blogosphere!