Blog Post Titles: Let Me Count The Ways

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My children have children of their own, all older than kindergarten age, so what made me feel compelled to read that Indianapolis Star article about teaching kindergarteners? It was the number that aroused my curiosity: "9 Problems We Must Overcome".
 
The O Magazine title this month is "100 Things That Are (Actually) Getting Better". Somehow
I doubt that, minus the number 100, the title would have been as much of a grabber.  I know it was the number 100 that made me pause (It’s hard, these days, to avoid the perception that a lot of things are actually getting worse, not better, and I just had to know what 100 things I might be missing!)

To freshen up blog post content, start with one idea about your product or service. Then try putting a number to it:

  • 2 Best Ways To Eliminate Unpleasant Room Odors…
  • 3 Discipline Problem Fixes to Try First….
  • 4 Simple Home Remedies for Headache…
  • 5 Home Décor Tips…
  • 6 Knottiest Financial Issues in a Marriage….

The point of the "lists", of course, is to demonstrate ways in which your product or service is different, and to provide valuable information that engages readers, helping them see you as a go-to guy or gal to solve their problem or fulfill their need.

Who’s on your list? Ted Demopoulos suggests you ask yourself, referring to other blogs and online resources in your "space".  Listing different viewpoints or tips from others, then clarifying your own position is one way to make your blog be the go-to site. 
"4 Different Viewpoints on Rearing Money-wise Kids…" is somehow more enticing than just "Viewpoints on Rearing Money-wise Kids", wouldn’t you agree?

To top off the positives of using numbers in blog post titles, at least some SEO experts believe bullet points and numbered lists earn "Brownie points" with search engines.

Just one more reason to count the ways…

 

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Blog Post Titles: Let Me Count The Ways

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The Goodwill TV commercial sums it all up: there are four kinds of clothes in your closet, and if you give three of those to Goodwill, there will be room for the only kind worth keeping, meaning clothes you wear – and should. The other three categories:

  • Clothes you don’t wear
  • Clothes you shouldn’t wear
  • Clothes you can’t wear

The Goodwill four categories of clothes closet contents might apply to creating content for your business blog posts as well.
 

Posts You SHOULD blog:

  • Telling how you skillfully solved a common problem for a consumer
  • Describing an unusual use or application for your product or service
  • What your business core values are and how your "corporate culture" reflects those
  • Explaining what’s special about your product or service and what you’re trying to achieve

 

Posts You DON’T Blog (enough of):

  • Employee posts, composed by real people actually doing the work and talking to your customers
  • Testimonials from customers and clients
  • True tales and anecdotes of problems solved and successes
  • Recognizing other bloggers and sources on your topic

Posts you CAN’T blog:

  • Topics too big and broad that are outside the scope of your expertise. Your business blog is there to win friends and do business, not convert the world.
  • Information that is not "on brand". 

 

Posts you SHOULDN’T blog:

  • Negatives against competitors – accentuate the positive about YOU.
  • Posts that are too long and wordy
  • Posts that are too technical for the average readers to relate to him/herself
  • Posts that are too general, with nothing new to add that showcases your expertise and unique viewpoint

Even experienced business bloggers need to clean out and reorganize their content "closets" in order to continue earning the "good will" of online searchers!

 

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Going Social With Business Blogs

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“A (business) blog is a form of web communication allowing companies of all sizes to reach new audiences…, says Darrell Zhorsky. But, “allowing” and actually “reaching” are two different things, as many a new business owner discovers to his/her dismay. The reality, as ProBlogger’s Darren Rowse points out, is that “many blogs produce quality content that doesn’t get read.”

Once you taken the big step of getting consistent about posting content on your business blog (or hiring a professional ghost blogger like me to do it for you), the necessary next step is promoting your blog so people know it’s there.

One obvious, but often overlooked tactic, is simply letting your clients and customers know about the “Birth of the Blog”. The blog’s URL should occupy a place of honor on your business cards, flyers, ads, brochures, and website.  And, if there’s one particular post where you really “nailed” the message you want to convey about your business – print that one up on postcards or little laminated handouts to have handy at networking meetings, trade shows, letters or invoices.

Just created a new post? Tweet it, Facebook It, “Link it in”.  Or, capture one essential idea from your blog in a Tweet, linking back to the blog itself. As Jason Falls points out in The Beginners Guide To Promoting Your Blog “Twitter is a place to have conversations with people”, (not an advertising billboard).  That means you need to provide links to other interesting and informative sites, so that your blog becomes the “go-to” spot for information in your field.

In using social media to promote your blog, don’t forget to “stay on brand”, is a reminder offered by Entrepreneur. “Go ahead and announce sales and specials, but also give your fans, friends, and followers something more.”

Blogging is an incredible way to connect with customers  who are searching for exactly what you sell, what you do, and what you know about.  But they have to find you first.  Bottom line is:  you can’t just blog there – you have to promote your blog!

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Three Little Blogging Bites From Whole Foods

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The larger a pepper, the less “hot”, is just one of the interesting tidbits I learned from a Whole Foods representative at the Indiana Health Expo the other day.  Peppers, in fact, could serve as a metaphor for blogs and websites, with shorter, “spicier” blog posts packing more immediacy than their longer, more formal website cousins. The typical website offers more detail and a broader spectrum of information on a company’s products and services, while blog posts focus on one idea with more intensity.

The first three ingredients listed on a food container, I learned at the Health Expo, are the most important, because ingredients are listed in descending order of how much of each is in the product. When it comes to business blogs, it’s important to use key words and phrases in the title and early in the text of each blog post. Those key words indicate to the search engines what the main idea of the post is going to be.

I found the Whole Foods presentation particularly engaging because it offered information I’d never heard before.  Offering information that is new to the typical online reader is a key principle of business blogging. The Health Expo speaker captured my attention with information new to me. I learned about a food called Quinoa (pronounced “keen wa”), which is a rice substitute high in dietary fiber, and about Greek Yogurt. New information is a winner for business blogging.  If you can’t offer brand-new information, your unique approach or “slant” shows searchers you’re far from run-of-the mill.

One of Suzanne Gunelius’ six tips on turning a business blog into a sales tool is “Provide Exclusive Information and Tips.”  A great example of that is a blog I read called Breathe Easy, which talks about about dog food. The blogger warns that comparing ingredients can be tricky, because, although two labels may have the same ingredient name, there can be a world of difference between two brands.” The recommendation is for buyers to look for the words “human grade” on the dog food label.  That’s the kind of valuable and detailed advice that distinguishes “human grade” blogs from the pack!

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Fun Ways To Get Blogs Cooking

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Iron Chef Jose Garces shares his top five tips for getting kids interested in cooking, and every one of those tips, I realized, can be used to spice up business blogs!

1.     Play a game. "Pick an ingredient and see who can come up with the best dish.  Make it interactive and fun."

In a blog post, you can invite readers to share the most unusual use they’ve found for your product or service (perhaps offering some kind of prize for the best entries). Ask readers to share a pet phrase they use relating to what you do.

2.     Take advantage of technology.  Garces recommends the new Wii game "Cook or Be Cooked", or watching a cooking show and then trying to make the dishes.

Different blogging software programs have different features and benefits.  Three popular free platforms are Blogger, WordPress, and TypePad.  My own Say It For You blog uses a paid platform, Compendium Blogware.  The main idea is to use existing technology to streamline the process of getting your content published on the web.

3,     Go shopping together.  "As parents, sometimes we just want to go in and get the shopping done quickly.  Instead, try to make grocery shopping with your kids a priority."

In your business blog, rather than just "sending" online visitors to your shopping cart or catalogue, use your blog posts to highlight specific products or services and show how each can be applied to a specific task or situation.  "Walk" your potential customers down your "grocery aisle" with the specific information you offer.

4.     Strike a deal.   Says Garces, "I struck a deal with Gloria – she has to try one new vegetable a week.  We make them together.  This is a great way to connect with your kid."

Online printable coupons can serve as an incentive to readers to try a new product or service.  Susan Gunelius of About.com suggests writing blog posts about upcoming product releases or sales your business is running.

5.     Aim to inspire.  "If your children see you excited about trying new foods and cooking   
techniques, then you’ll inspire them."

Your blog is your "voice" to potential clients.  For them to get excited, they need to sense
your excitement about what you’re selling and about the services you provide.

It’s amazing how many fresh ingredients are available in today’s supermarket," exclaims the Iron Chef. 

Even more amazing, though, is the sheer volume of information available on the internet today on just about every subject, including yours. As the sales training book  Stop Selling and Do Something Valuable advises, "We have to sell ourselves to potential clients so that they choose to work with us rather than the competition. ..We need to persuade people to act."

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