OPA for Blog Content Writing – C

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Shopping BagWith gifting on my mind this holiday week, I thought it would be a good time for some re-gifting.

After all, if Other People’s Money can be used to take advantage of business opportunities even when we lack the financial resources of our own, why not use the same principle in blog content creation? With that in mind, all this week, I’ve been sharing pieces of Other People’s Advice that I think might help companies and professional practices produce high quality business blogs.

Stories stick in people’s minds more readily than straight messaging.  The best reps not only use stories, they make sure prospects see themselves as the protagonists, advises Emma Snider of Hubspot. “The word ‘imagine’ can be helpful in this aim,” Snider says. “Suddenly, the prospect isn’t just hearing about a better future enabled through a new product or service – they’re actually picturing themselves living it.”

Another aspect of engaging readers, Snider suggests, is using sensory language:  “see”, “show”, “hear”, “tackle”. “Think about how the words you use relate to visual, auditory, and kinesthetic triggers,” Snider adds.

Skillful public speakers work on appealing to all four main learning styles, novamind.com points out:

  • For Visual listeners, they use words such as “clear”, crystal”, “focus”, “picture”, “watch”, “reveal”.
  • For Auditory listeners, they use words such as “rings a bell,” “resonate”, “harmonize”, “silence”.
  • For Kinesthetic listeners, they use words such as “catch on”, “grasp”, “get a handle on”, “tap into”.
  • For Auditory listeners, they use words such as “change:, “understand”, “decide”, “consider”.

Adjusting our style for different kinds of target readers is also a core “commandment” for us blog content writers. To communicate with an action-oriented person, for example we should state our best recommendations, rather than offering many alternatives. By contrast, if the reader is a process-oriented person, it’s important to include options and alternatives along with the pros and cons of each.

Even after the holiday season is over, consider re-gifting Other People’s Advice.  The beauty of it is, you can use the advice yourself AND share the benefit with others!

 

 

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Blog Wisdom from Roman Times

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Trivia are hardly trivial when it comes to triggering business blog content ideas. Castello di MonteranoThat’s why, when I find interesting trivia in books, magazines, or ads, I like to share them with you Say It For You blog readers. After all, it’s a hard job continually coming up with fresh content; interesting tidbits of information make things a little bit easier on busy business owners and on freelance content writers like us.

Of course, stocking up on ideas for future blog posts isn’t all about trivia.  What I’ve found, though, is that a tidbit of information can be the jumping off point for explaining:

  • What problems can be solved using your business’ products and services
  • Busting myths and clearing up misunderstandings
  • Defining basic industry terminology
  • Putting statistics into perspective

Ever on the lookout for interesting material, I found the wonderful “Ancient Rome“
issue of How It Works magazine.

1. What toys did children play with in ancient Rome? They played knucklebones (we call it jacks), a chess-like board game called Latrunculll, ragdolls and wooden swords.

These tidbits could be used in a business blog about toys or about early childhood education.

2. Romans didn’t sit on chairs. Wealthy Romans would lie on sofas set around a central group of tables, with one side of the table left clear for serving. Everyone ate with fingers, so food was served in bite-sized pieces, and there were usually three courses.

This information might serve as the jumping off point for a restaurant blog, an etiquette blog, or a home décor company’s blog.

3. Romans washed in huge public pools called baths. Romans believed baths could cure certain illnesses.

With flotation therapy centers are becoming all the rage in Indianapolis, it’s no stretch seeing how this information might be used in blog posts!  Companies that sell and install soaking tubs and whirlpools, bathroom remodeling companies and pool maintenance professionals could all make good use of these insights from the past.

Trivia are hardly trivial when it comes to creating engaging business blog content!

 

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Why-Don’t-YOU-Do-It Blog Writing

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Microphone on standWe’re all used to today’s celebrities, CEOs, and public figures who can’t spare the time to write their own books or speeches, and who hire ghostwriters. As a professional ghost blogger, I’ve become an avid reader on forms and styles of ghost writing.  “Ghosts” are behind everything, I keep learning – from classical and country music to the most popular mystery and romance novels.

The current issue of The Nostalgia Digest, a wonderful periodical I came across at the bookstore, has a story about oldtime radio show “This is New York” featuring the character Archie, bartender at Duffy’s Tavern. Reading the piece, I was reminded of the old, yet ongoing debate about who should be writing content for business blogs.  Should it be the owners of the business or practice, or a hired content creator (a “ghost”)?

Producer Ed Gardner wanted a guy to talk New Yorkese, and who would sound like a bum, not a gentleman.  He kept auditioning people, but was never happy – the accent wasn’t right or the timing would be off.  Someone in the control booth said, “Hey, Ed, why don’t you do it?” “And, by golly, he did,” relates Nostalgia writer Martin Grams, Jr.   “He filled a picture of the character (Archie) with his timing and his voice.”

So what’s the reason business owners and professional practitioners don’t “do it” when it comes to blog writing? They lack the time, the discipline, or the writing skills to do it themselves.  But can an outsider ever do “Archie” as well as the bar owner? Yes, if….. is the answer. As with any promotional materials created for a business by outside professionals, I caution owners, your blog must be in harmony with your style, your approach to your customers and your niche within your industry or field of expertise.

Over my years of working with hundreds of Say It For You client companies and practices, I found that those clients knew that writing blogs in their area of expertise was going to be a great idea for them, yet not very many of them felt they could take the time to compose and post content on a regular basis.  Still, just as Ed Gardner needed a guy to talk New Yorkese, we freelance content writers need to talk the language of each client’s target customers market , and we need to do it in the way that each owner or practitioner would if he “did it himself”!

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Nostalgic Blog Wisdom

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The “Nostalgia Digest” reminded me of the important role “history” old rag doll with heart lollipopplays in blog content writing for business. The story about Raggedy Ann finally being accepted into the Toy Hall of Fame in 2002 called my attention to these toys, and in fact, got me thinking about toys in general.

Raggedy Ann creator Johnny Gruelle’s daughter, I learned, was deathly ill.  Looking for something to brighten her spirits, Gruelle came across an old rag doll which his grandmother had made.  Gruelle added two shiny shoe-button eyes, and painted a nose, brows, and mouth.  For the name, Gruelle took inspiration from two stories written by family friend James Whitcomb Riley”: “Little Orphant Annie” and “The Raggedy Man”.

Years later, Gruelle acquired a patent and, in 1924, began manufacturing dolls to be used as store window displays, in addition to producing Raggedy Ann books.

Posting blogs with history-of-our-company background stories can have a humanizing effect, engaging readers and creating feelings of empathy and admiration for the business owners or professional practitioners who overcame adversity.

Wayne Klatt’s article “Straight from the Heart” in Nostalgia Digest offers a perspective: “Two dolls with perpetually cheerful expressions might seem out of place in a world dominated by battery-powered toys and startlingly realistic video games.  But Raggedy Ann and Andy were never about competing.  They remain as they always were: a creation that was not made as a commercial calculation, but as a gesture of love to a little girl who deserved it.”

All too often, I find, there’s an overload of information and an under-serving of perspective. As a corporate blogging trainer, I remind newbie writers that there’s no lack of sources available to our readers. In our blogs, therefore, we need to go beyond presenting facts, statistics, features and benefits, and broadcast a firm stance.

The background story of Raggedy Ann has power, but that’s all the more true because Klatt is helping us see that story in a certain way. The personal sentiment adds authenticity and sincerity, making the material that much more engaging.

Nostalgia is no no-no in blogging for business!

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Got a Snowclone for Your Business Blog?

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Book of Random Oddities“Snowclones are fill-in-the blank clichés, references or patterns,” explain the editors of The Book of Random Oddities. (A faithful buyer of “Not Your Daughter’s Jeans”, I had nevertheless not thought of that brand name as a snowclone.)

As a blog content writer, needless to say, I’m constantly on the prowl for expressions that help online readers feel a connection with my clients’ businesses and professional practices. Snowclones such as “X is the new Y”, imply that some new thing has now become more popular or more stylish or more effective than something that used to be the “in” thing.

The snowclone can be flattering to the reader (think “40 is the new 30”), and can reinforce the benefits of the activity discussed in the blog (“knitting is the new yoga” alludes to the relaxing effect of a yarn-related hobby).

Used effectively in a blog post, the snowclone can come across as providing valuable information, helping readers keep up with the latest developments in the field, and, of course, promoting the benefits of the product or service offered in that business or practice.

Sometimes snowclones come from famous quotes, such as “I X, therefore I am”, or “To X or not to X”. We’ve all heard the “a few X short of a Y” as disparaging descriptions of less-than-intelligent individuals – (“A few cards short of a deck”).

Point is, anything that can add variety to your business blog posts, assuming it’s in good taste, is a positive.  Sometimes the variety comes from the information itself, but sometimes, the variety is in the language used.  Snowclones offer a way to connect with your readers through popular culture, along with a sprinkling of wit.

Got a snowclone for your business blog?

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