Indianapolis Blog Content Writers Can Take Tips From a TV Movie

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Around professional blog content writers’ circles, there’s much talk about fresh content.  The word “fresh” seems to imply “new” material, and I couldn’t help reflecting on that after seeing an old TV movie the other evening about Marie Antoinette.

On the surface of it, historical film making in general seems the very antithesis of fresh content-centered blog writing for business. Given the legendary short attention span of online readers and the modern what-have-you-done-for-me-lately attitude so prevalent in business, you’d think the very last place freelance blog content writers would look for business blogging help would be a historical TV movie.  After all, as a viewer, I knew how the story would end before it began!

Why, then, did I find “Marie Antoinette” so riveting?  Why did I hang on every word of dialogue, waiting for what I knew had long ago already taken place?

There was a simple answer, I realized.  It wasn’t about the material itself being “fresh”; it was about the “fresh“ point of view. Sure, in high school and college I had studied the events leading up to the French Revolution, but I’d never experienced those events through Marie Antoinette’s eyes.

That insight reinforced something I’ve spoken about many times in corporate blogging training sessions:  Readers may know some or all of the information you’re presenting in your business blog, but they need your help putting that information in perspective.  In fact, that’s where blogging for business tends to be at its finest, helping searchers with more than just finding information, but helping them understand its meaning and significance.

Well-told historical fiction, explains Jennie Lundquist of teacher.scholastic.com,

  • Portrays character realistically, folding in facts
  • Provides accurate information through illustrations
  • Avoids myths and stereotypes

Neither “Marie Antoinette” nor corporate blogging for business deals in pure fiction, what the two have in common is perspective.  The film made me think about the facts  in a new way. Corporate blog writing needs to help readers answer these questions:

  • Who are the business owners or professionals providing this information?
  • Can I trust the accuracy of the information?
  • What should this mean for me?
  •  What are some choices I have?

The lesson for us Indianapolis business blog content writers is clear.  “Fresh” doesn’t have to mean “new” facts.  If our content is “fresh” in that it offers a new perspective on familiar information, we have a chance at have our online readers finding value in our every word.

 

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But I Repeat Myself, and That’s a Good Thing for Blog Content Writing

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“Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress – but I repeat myself,” quipped Mark Twain.

Clever line!  In general, though, if we make a habit of repeating ourselves, we run the risk of being bo-o-o-ring.  On the other hand, as a business blogging trainer, one concern I hear a lot from business owners or professional practitioners is that sooner or later, they’ll run out of things to say in their SEO marketing blog posts.  “I’ve already covered my products and services on my website – what else is left to say?” is the question.

A lot.

Effective business blogging is centered around keyword phrases and key themes.  And, as we blog content writers create material about our profession or industry, we’re continually fine tuning and adding insights we gain in the process. I like to think of the “exercise” I’m getting as a professional blog writer as “building blog muscle through repetition.”

One really interesting thing I’ve discovered over the past five years of writing Say It For You blogs and offering business blogging help to hundreds of others, is that blogging for business really does offer a “training benefit”.  Here’s what I mean:  when you blog:

  • You’re verbalizing the positive aspects of your business or practice
  • You’re putting your recent accomplishments into words
  • You’re reviewing the benefits of your own products and services
  • You’re learning to communicate effectively and convincingly about your business

So, does that mean all those “training benefits” are lost to business owners or professionals who hire freelance blog content writers to be their “voice”?  Really, the answer is “no”, at least not if things are done right, with your blogger becoming a true part of your marketing team

The very process of choosing themes, sharing strategies, and planning for content creation involves both the owner and the writer, creating a 2 + 2 =5 synergy effect.

Suppose you were a busy business owner, and suppose you hired a skilled freelance blog content writer.  Together (and that’s the key word here) you create a wonderful, long-sustained series of posts expressing what you do, who you are, what you believe, and what you have to offer.  Your SEO marketing blog wins search and wins hearts.

But I repeat myself…..

 

 

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Labor Day Lessons for Business Bloggers

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Suppose you’re a freelance blog content writer in Indianapolis and your client is Labor Day.  Your task, through your SEO marketing blog writing, is to attract online readers looking for information about Labor Day, engaging their interest to the point that at least some of them “convert”, becoming Labor Day clients or customers. (LaborDay.com might be offering history courses, an e-book, picnic supplies, holiday decorations, food, parade float construction, or membership in a new society for Labor Day buffs.)

Here are some things you might do:

Establish common ground.
Since today’s the first Monday in September, we’re “celebrating the economic and social contributions of workers,” as Wikipedia reminds us. (Of course, your readers all know this, but confirming they’ve come to the right place is always a good idea in blogging for business.)

Offer some lesser-known information.
“In 1887, Oregon became the first state to make Labor Day a holiday. By the time it became a federal holiday in 1894, thirty states officially celebrated Labor Day.”

In corporate blogging training sessions, I often explain that it’s perfectly OK to repeat a theme you’ve already covered in former posts, adding a layer of new information or a new insight.

Play off current news.
Watch for topics currently trending in the news, especially items that relate to your profession or industry.  In fact, professional ghost bloggers like me are always on the alert for news items in each of our clients’ fields).

“Job Market Continues to Improve in Bartholomew Country” is an upbeat, Labor Day-appropriate example.  Once having introduced that tie-in to the news, thought, the blog writer’s next step must be to offer “ client Labor Day”’s own slant on the information, answering the “So what?” “ and “Now what?” questions in readers’ minds. “What can YOU do to take advantage of the slowly-improving job market and land the right position after such a long dry spell?” is one direction the writer might take.

Build trust.
“You must make the audience sense that you’re comfortable with your information…and yourself,” advises friend and professional speech coach Jean Palmer Heck.

Merely gathering information on their topic and presenting it as part of their blog, online content writers are providing a valuable service, but to go the next step, we must ensure that each blog post offers a perspective.  WHY is this information important to the reader?  What can that reader “do about it”? How can you help?

“The holiday is often regarded as a day of rest and parties,” Wikipedia concludes, adding that in U.S. sports, Labor Day marks the beginning of the NFL and college football seasons.”

Rest, partying, and footfall, are all well and good, but can you see what, at Say It For You, we see all kinds of blogging “labor” possibilities connected to Labor Day?

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Verbal, Not Viral, May Be the Goal for SEO Marketing Blogs

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The Olympic games were over, but Gavin Alaoen’s Tumblr blog still lingered, Ben Cohen pointed out in the WallStreet Journal.

When gymnast McKayla Maroney, with her silver medal around her neck, stood on the Olympic podium looking “unimpressed.” Alboen photoshopped her being unimpressed by several other things – the moon landing, the American Revolution, and double rainbows, to name a few.  His blog gained 1,200 followers overnight. “It’s just a two-or-three-week kind of thing,” Aloe modestly said.  “It’s a hot topic right now.  And then it’s on to the next one.”

Author and marketing guru Seth Godin defined three types of blogs: cat blogs, boss blogs, and viral blogs. Cat blogs are personal and idiosyncratic, written out of a need for self expression or perhaps to gain converts to the writer's way of thinking. Boss blogs are written by co-workers or project teams members to share ideas and coordinate the various steps of a project.

It's the viral blog category in which my professional ghost writing business, Say It For You, is involved. All of our clients (business owners or professional practitioners) are interested in is spreading the word about what they know, what they know how to do, and what they sell, and in that sense, business blogging is viral blogging.

But, as I’d like to remind Indianapolis freelance blog content writers, “going viral” ala Alaoen is perhaps not the purpose of our SEO marketing blogs at all.

The reality that I've found, after having offered business blogging assistance to hundreds of different businesses and practices, is that many who subscribe to a blog are pure information-seekers, not ready to act. In the process of accumulating numbers of subscribers, fans, and friends, keep in mind that the majority are probably not your prospects. The bottom line of business blogging is reached when the cash register rings with an online buyer at the other end of the transaction!

Sure, I loved the humor in the Not Impressed series. But, in corporate blogging training sessions, I’m continuing to emphasize verbal, not viral. That means we’re writing SEO marketing blogs not to attract the attention of gazillions of readers, but to attract prospects of the right kind. Being “influential” online means a whole lot more than getting found. To impress anyone, blogging for business has to mean business!
 

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For Diets and Blog Content Writing, It’s Easier With the Right Items on Hand

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“Healthy food choices are easy when you’ve got the right items on hand,” writes Erin O’Donnell in WebMD.  “Healthy”, effective blog content writing is much the same way, as I like to stress in corporate blogging training sessions.

The format for most of the article was Toss/Replace, with the author advising us what to toss out of our refrigerators and what items might make for healthier replacements. Two cautions, for example, were to replace sticks of margarine with trans fat-free spreads and sugary sodas with sparking water.

The Toss/Replace parallel in providing business blogging assistance might include tossing “sales-ey” claims and replacing those with valuable information in generous portions in your blog posts. Linking your blog to other websites that have valuable information for readers on your subject is important as well.

Stock your blog posts with good, usable information, I tell newbie blog content writers. You want to be perceived as a subject matter expert offering usable information and insights. Some basics include explaining what problems can be solved using that business' products and services, defining basic terminology, and basic statistics showing that many others have faced the same issue as the one concerning this reader.

Having given us a Toss/replace list, Erin O’Donnell moves on to a “Stock Up” section, telling readers to stock their refrigerators with fruits and vegetables, eggs, and low-fat dairy products.

For us Indianapolis blog content writers, the ‘stocking” happens in the form of an “idea folder”. That folder could be an actual folder in which newspaper and magazine clippings are collected, a little notebook you carry around, or the folder could take the form of a digital file on a phone or tablet.  We "load up" with content for future posts and stay current in the "now" by reading,  bookmarking, clipping – and even just noticing – new trends and information relating to each of our clients’ business fields.

For business owners, when a prospect or customer poses an interesting question, or after handling a customer service or product issue, jot yourself a note to talk about it again in your blog (or share the story with your professional ghost blogger). If you notice a "factoid" circulating about your industry, a common misunderstanding by the public about the way things really work in your field, be sure to take note and refute that myth in a future blog post.

When you’ve got the right items on hand, both eating and blog content writing for business become a whole lot healthier!

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