Here are a few ideas on how to make your blog efforts successful for your business:

• Use your FAQ as a resource for posting topics – one question at a time.
• Blog regularly and consistently to increase the chance that your company will be found online.  Search engines LOVE fresh material.
• Keep in mind that blogging optimizes your keywords – take advantage of that when writing.
• Place your blog on the same domain as your website so that whenever your blog gets clicked on, SEO credit also goes to your non-blog website.
• Answer the questions that your competitors would never answer online.  This puts you above the rest and gives customers what they really want to know.
• Include some sort of call-to-action that would lead them to engaging with you.  For example, ask for their thoughts, opinions, or questions.  Another way of doing this is to insert a link into the post that would lead them to further investigate the topic  in another part of your website, such as a special offer that’s related.
• Depending on the type of business you have, occasional blog posts that are off-topic, so to speak, are a refreshing change that will pique readers’ interest.  Write about a personal experience you may have just had that would relate to some of your target personalities.  Even if they aren’t originally looking for your business’ service or product, they will be enticed to click on a post about something fun to do in your community;  while they’re there, they’ll take notice of your business.  It’s kind of like going to Walmart for just one thing and leaving with ten other things you never knew you needed!
• Keep it short!  200-500 words is plenty to inform your readers without boring them.  Remember, people are inherently ADD when online.  

1. If you have a post that you just can’t seem to bring to a halt, consider breaking it up into several smaller posts.  The concluding tag-line “to be continued” will encourage readers to either subscribe to your blog or visit again to get “the rest of the story.”
2. If this approach seems to break the flow of your message, then try incorporating headings and sub-headings along with bullet-points, thus allowing your readers to scan and still get the message.

With that last point, I think I’ll end this post here.  Take these ideas, and happy blogging!

What are some tricks YOU have learned in your blogging?  

What are some CHALLENGES you have encountered?

1.  Avoid writing questions that the user would not ask or that are obviously self-serving or marketing-driven.

• NOT:  Is the Power Tub 2000 a better buy than the Mighty Spa 2012?

2.  Write questions as if the user were asking them.  People will be looking for the problem as they see it, not for the solution that’s apparent to you only.

• NOT:  Do your brake jobs include inspection of brake line hoses, calipers, and cleaning and re-packing of front or rear wheel bearings?
• INSTEAD:  What do your brake jobs include?

3.  Address the questions that actually are frequently asked, and arrange the questions with language that your customers use when speaking to you.  Stay clear of technical terms in your answers unless it’s necessary for the reader to recognize the terms.

• How do I close my account?
• How do I track my order?
• What is HOA insurance?

4.  Write all questions in first or second person, in the reader’s voice, not yours.

• NOT:  Where is my store located?
• INSTEAD:  Where is your store located?
• 
  
• NOT:  How do people add a widget to their website?
• INSTEAD:  How do I add a widget to my website?

This is what I have heard the little voice inside my head ask me lately. Well, little voice, here’s my answer:

While video is an incredible tool to use, it cannot stand alone. Suppose you’re a mechanic and want to post a video on how to change the oil in your car. How do customers find that video on changing the oil in your car? There has to be content attached to that video – a description of it or even a transcript. Without it, search engines cannot recognize it and potential customers will have a hard time discovering it.

To ease my own mind, I must say that I cannot see video replacing content – unless our society becomes completely illiterate. However, the two complement each other quite nicely.

Just a few ways that video can enhance your content creation and vice versa:

1. SEO:  people look for videos, but the right one can’t be found without content. Content is more likely to be read if there’s a video attached to it.
2. Do you remember giving a report in school? What gave you bonus points? Visual aide. Yet, without the report, the visual aide meant nothing.
3. Video transcriptions are instant blog posts. Archived blog posts are inspirations for new videos.
4. It’s always handy for viewers to have “notes” on that how-to video already there for them to print and take with them as they tackle the task of changing their oil on their own.
5. Organize your video collection into categories. Each of these categories can be compiled into a separate YouTube page:  an “E-book” in video. Now, a step further – transcribe the videos in this E-book into a real E-book that can be downloaded and printed.

As I answer that little voice inside my head, I’m actually excited about the endless possibilities that video brings to my writing services! My clients’ online presences just got better! Can you think of other ways that video and content go hand-in-hand?

The worst thing that could happen for your business is if you’re “never brought to mind”.

You’ve heard it time and again – now listen.

Content is King.

• Your business must regularly offer the community something to keep it interested in your brand.  Blogging, Facebook-ing, writing articles – anything that establishes you as an expert in your field – will create a subconscious image in people’s minds of the one to turn to when they need the services or products you offer.
• Even posting on LinkedIn will keep your acquaintance from being forgotten by other businesses that can bring you an abundance of referrals. 
• Sending newsletters to your customers or leads is a great way to keep them updated on the amazing things you can offer – smart advice, unique products, special offers, etc.
• Best of all, by keeping your website fresh and your articles meeting a need, you will be Google’s friend. 

It doesn’t come naturally; it takes a commitment – a resolution.  I’m here to help you keep it.

While looking through a surplus of illustrations to help him build a story, he found a funny-looking fat cat that made him smile.  From this cat, he was able to choose several other pictures of the cat with other expressions or with other animals.  It looked to him like the cat was looking for a friend from the other animals, which is something that speaks to his heart.  Taking his own reality and infusing it into the make-believe world of the cat, he was able to create a sweet, touching story that any kindergartener would want to read over and over.  He’s reading his story to a class of kindergarteners today; I wish I could be a fly on the wall.

Do you ever find yourself searching for a topic to write about?  Look around you:  your sleeping dog, your gossiping co-workers, the crazy homeless guy with the giant stuffed fish.  Look through a magazine:  the seductive models advertising clothes to your teenage daughter; the crisp, blue ocean surrounding the clean, white Greek island town; the sinful-looking recipe for double-fudge cake.  How do these images make you feel?  What do they make you want to say out loud?  What memories do they conjure up?  Put your own reality into these images, and see what you’ve created.  I just did that with this blog post!

See the chunk cut out on the left side?

Our family made lasting memories this weekend as we trekked through a Christmas tree farm to look for just the right tree that felt magical to all four of us. After two hours, we finally made the perfect choice. This tree had it all – fullness, height, evenness – and no holes. However, after cutting down the tree, we discovered that all the bottom branches came within an inch of the base of the trunk. How was the trunk going to fit in the tree stand with all those branches in the way? Easy solution, right? Just trim a few branches.

A wave of nausea rushed through our bodies as we pulled away that first trimmed branch.

There was a huge, gaping hole at the base of our perfect Christmas tree. My daughter’s solution was to leave the tree right where it fell and look for another one. My son wondered if we could glue the branch back on. If only we could! Unfortunately, those were not options. We decided to make the best of our lopsided Christmas tree.

Sometimes, you can find your blog post with a need for trimming, as well. Yet, how do you trim your article without leaving an obvious gap?

You put your blood, sweat, and tears into an article or post, only to discover there are too many branches. Online written material should be reader-friendly. People don’t like to take a lot of time reading lengthy posts that cover too much material or that lead them far away from the original point of the article. So, it’s time to start snipping. But how do you know which branches can be clipped without affecting the quality of the post?

Here are 3 ways to wisely trim your writing on your business’ blog:

1. Decide what sentences are irrelevant.  Do you really need to include that bit about choosing the right-colored wallpaper when your article is about repairing moldy drywall?

2. Save the beautiful elements of well-written literature for an e-book.  If you really want to show off your writing skills, your business’ blog is not the place to do it.  If people want to take the time to read a body of work that is rich with foreshadowing, analogies, and long, flowing descriptions, then they will download it onto their Kindle.  Keep your focus on the point of your blog.

3. Break your article into multiple posts.  You have a lot of great points to share, but your readers simply don’t have the time to read the whole thing in one sitting.  So impart your knowledge in short, easy-to-read posts that will educate your readers and will leave them wanting more tomorrow.

By deciding what’s most important to say and saying it effectively, you can trim your blog post without leaving a glaring hole. Happily, unlike our Christmas tree, if you trim too much, you can always “glue” it back on or just start over with a new post!

Happy trimming!

While at a Constant Contact Social Media workshop, I picked up these tips on safely adding people to your mailing list:

1.   Ask when on the phone with a contact.

2.  Ask when exchanging business cards.  (Write EM on the card if they accept.)

3.  Put a sign-up widget on all your online sites, including your blog and Facebook business page.

4.  Ask in your daily email signature.  Include a link to your website, where they can sign up.

5.  Ask in your place-of-business guestbook.

6.  Use QR codes that link to your “join my list” widget.

Why blog?

A good way to keep your name in front of consumers is through blogging or writing articles about things that people find entertaining, interesting, or pertaining to themselves. Take the blatant sales terminology out of your Social Media, and replace it with regular offerings of advice, education, or personal experience that will bring you a following.   Pay attention to community events or current affairs that are relevant to your business, and let your growing fans know.  The more you write (or video), the stronger your online presence becomes, and the more you establish yourself as the expert in your field.

If blogging is so important, why do so many of us never do it?

We may start a blog, but then we hardly ever post, leaving our poor blog page alone to die.  Why?  We just don’t have time to put forth the energy.

The solution may be to hire someone to do it for you.  As Virtual Paige, I can be the one to bring your blog into the world – or to bring it back to life.

So, how do you blog for someone else? 

I get that question a lot.  Here’s my answer:

1. If you want your blog to be in first person, from your voice, I DON’T write it for you.  It has to come from you, of course.  However, I will polish it up with better sentence structure, correct sentence mechanics, and suggestions to enhance the content.
2. If you want your blog to be more informative or educational, in third person voice, I can do the research and supply you with articles that pertain to your customers’ interests or your business’ subject matter.  On the other hand,  if you have a passion for sharing your own knowledge and expertise but just don’t have the time, you can give me the bones of what you want to say, and I will put the flesh on it and bring it to life.

Then I take it a step further and publish your blog posts through your favorite social media sites.  Marketing through social media has become the marketing method of choice for small businesses.  If you’ve been thinking about joining this growing trend and becoming visible to more customers than you thought possible, let me help you along the way.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk!  Didn’t I teach you anything?”  Miss Schpinkle scolds.

But does it really matter?  (Don’t begin a sentence with a conjunction!)

After all – what audience are you writing for?  (Don’t end a sentence with a preposition!)

I have decided to cautiously acknowledge today’s informal writing “rules” in social media. (Don’t split that infinitive!)

Yes, there are grammar rules for writing on the internet

- if you care. There is actually a style guide that has become the standard for digital content: The Yahoo! Style Guide. If you have a question regarding whether or not you should follow an old-school rule, this is the place to go.

Thankfully, most rules still apply; it is still English – right? Without rules, your content would be difficult to read or follow. Without rules, your meaning could be completely misinterpreted. (Let’s eat Grandma.  Let’s eat, Grandma.) And, let’s face it, without rules, you’d look very unprofessional.

Yet, there are some pesky little rules that would only apply to formal writing.