Blogs. What a wonderful thing they are, no? Lovely bits of marketing content you can use to attract raving fans. Blog wisely and there are big rewards to be had. You can get yourself known as an industry expert. Become an authority in your field. Be seen as an all-round helpful/entertaining/hilariously witty person who people will fall over themselves to hire or buy from.
So don’t expect a copywriter to create such a valuable asset for peanuts.
Here’s what a blog writer brings to the party…
#1 They’re idea-generating machines (but not actually machines)
How often have you stared into space wondering what to blog about? You’ve covered your business from all angles and you’re out of ideas. Hang on – it’s national Take Your Dog To Work Day… but dammit, you don’t have a dog. Wait a minute, what about international Welly Wearing Week… surely you can hook that to your business…
Now copywriters aren’t just excellent writers – they’re also bloody good at coming up with clever angles and hooks. Which stops you scraping the blog barrel. And, frankly, looking a bit of a tw*t when you’ve tried to crowbar Pigeon Wrestling Week into your post.
#2 They’re link lovers
How many external links do you include in your blog? None. Oopsie, you’re missing a trick. Linking to other websites can boost your own website’s authority and credibility. External links don’t come easy, though. You gotta do the research to find the right ones.
Speaking of links, have you got any internal links in your blog? You sure as hell should have because internal links are super-handy for SEO.
Given I’m a copywriter and talking about blogs I’d be foolish not to pop in an internal link to my blogging service. See what I did there? And when I’m writing blogs for clients, I’ll always dive deep to see which of their web pages or previous blog posts I can link to. Sure, you can do it yourself, but will you remember and can you be bothered?
#4 They cover all bases
If blogging isn’t your thing, you’re probably desperate to knock one out and get it over with. Keyword-rich headlines and sub-heads? Jeez – you haven’t got time for that! Anchor text? What the hell’s anchor text and why do you need it? Calls To Action that compel people to actually take action? Oh, come on – surely customers will call if they want to!
A seasoned blog writer understands that many elements go into creating the ideal blog. They devote time and attention to crafting coherent, compelling posts with everything you need to attract your ideal customer AND tick the search engine boxes.
Bloody brilliant, no?
* Hold onto your peanuts! I charge a minimum of £250 per blog. Don’t want to monkey around with your blogs? Call me on 0789 4669750
I’m going to level with you. I nearly didn’t write a blog this month. Work has been super-busy. I’m in the middle of a major garden project (I know, let’s rip up the rotten decking, tear down the knackered old summer house and, er, see what happens…). And now that lockdown restrictions are easing, I find myself with a social life again. So when it got to Friday evening, on the last day of April, and I hadn’t written this month’s blog I kind of thought I’d just let it go.
And then I remembered what a wise woman had once said. She said: ‘If you’re going to blog, be consistent. Don’t post a blog every week, then do nothing for two months. Decide the regularity then stick to it.’ Well as that wise woman was me, I figured I better heed her words. So this may not be the best blog in the world – but at least it’s here.
I wouldn’t recommend leaving your blog to the eleventh hour. My other sage advice is to plan your blogs in advance for the year – or maybe three or six months – and have a couple written up and waiting in the wings. It will prevent the sort of situation I’m in now – sitting at my laptop writing a blog about writing a last-minute blog when I should be sprawled on the sofa mainlining the latest Netflix drama.
The good thing about writing a blog about nearly not writing a blog is I can make good use of my keyword. Blog. Never forget your keywords, people. Get them in your headline, your sub-heads, the first paragraph and all the way through your blog. Don’t overdo it, though – your keywords should sound like they naturally fit into what you’re writing.
Of course, you’re lucky. If you don’t have the time or inclination to write a blog you can hire a copywriter to do it for you. I write blogs on all sorts of topics for all sort of clients. I love it! I’m just not always so enthusiastic and organised about writing my own.
Still, I’ve managed to do it. I’ve written this month’s blog with three hours to spare before the clock strikes May. Now, what shall I watch on Netflix…
At the best of times, you find it a
slog to blog. I mean, it takes up so much time and headspace, doesn’t it? All
that coming up with a different topic, trying to cover the same old theme in a
different way, writing keep-them-keen content, creating a must-read headline –
oh, and don’t forget those keywords! Blogging does your head in. And then along
comes COVID-19 and really puts the spanner in the works. Nah, it’s not worth the
effort, might as well dump it.
Well if you’re planning on ghosting
your blog – please don’t.
‘Why not? What’s the point when my customers/clients have lost business
and their budgets are buggered? Why promote myself when nobody’s buying?’
Show some commitment
The point is, blogging isn’t about
instant gratification. It’s not a one-blog, swipe-right kind of affair.
Think of blogging as a slow-burn
relationship between you and your audience. They want to see what you’ve got
and they need a bit of time to be reassured you’re right for them. And when I
say ‘a bit of time’ I don’t mean a couple of weeks. You’ve really got to show some
commitment here – you’re looking at maybe 12-18 months to see any real
traction.
The more you blog, the more your
audience will get to know, like and trust you – all key elements in their
buying decision. So you need to hang around and blog regularly. Keep them keen
with your irresistibly helpful, informative, entertaining content. Show them
you’re an expert in your field, an authority in your industry, someone they can
respect the next morning.
One day – maybe not now but some day –
they’ll remember your commitment and put a ring on it… or at least make an
enquiry.
My content strategy has gone tits up
You had a blog strategy? That’s brilliant. So many people don’t. Absolutely no forward-planning at all when it comes to blog ideas. Congratulations – but you need to shelve that strategy and focus on what your audience needs right now.
Don’t be scared of giving them
something different or surprising. Right about now they might appreciate a fun
quiz or an amusing read. Maybe some quick and easy tips. Or a recommendation
for home hair dye. Seriously, in these weird coronavirus times anything you can
do to be empathetic, useful, thoughtful, hilariously funny – even if it’s not
directly related to your business – will make you memorable.
And when this is all over? They’ll
remember you didn’t do a runner when things got tough. They’ll appreciate it
wasn’t all about you. They won’t write you off as just another
commitment-phobe. Heck, they won’t swipe left. Isn’t that a happy ending worth
waiting for?
‘I haven’t got a CLUE what to blog about.’ I hear this all the time from business peeps who are all out of blog post ideas. And it gets them in a right old panic. They know they need to write something – so they end up chucking some content together and ticking it off their To Do list. Well, that’s fine if you don’t want your blog to attract customers or clients. Sorry, what did you say – you DO want to attract them? Well then, read on to discover how to find blog post ideas – not just this month or next month but EVERY month.
Blog ideas – they’re all in your head
Yes, really, you’ve got loads of blog post ideas in your head already. They’re ready and waiting to come out. Sometimes they leave your head but you still don’t actually click that they’re blog ideas. This is a phenomenon I see all the time. Take last week. I was chatting to a networking colleague and she told me three anecdotes that brilliantly demonstrated why people should use her service. I nearly fell off my chair with excitement. ‘Wow – these are such good ideas for blog posts,’ I said. She sort of nodded and carried on. ‘No, really, these are great,’ I said. ‘Write them down before you forget them. Go on – write them down, write them down.’ She didn’t write them down. Her website remains blog free. And you know the funny part? Just before we parted, she said ‘I really should start blogging… it’s just that I can never think of ideas.’
Prince Andrew and other royals
Worried about coming up with blog post ideas? Don’t get in a sweat (oh, sorry, maybe you can’t!). You can always rely on a royal or celebrity for a hot topic. Sure, you have to be a bit creative about what you write and you can’t just shoe-horn in a mention without any relevance whatsoever. But, still, you don’t want to pass up the opportunity to blog about something everyone’s talking about (and Googling), do you? I read an article that referenced Prince Andrew and Pizza Hut right from the get-go then segued into an interesting and amusing little piece on dining out in London. Subtle? Not really. Clever and funny? I thought so. The next time a royal or celebrity is in the news, give it a try on your blog.
Survey says…
Surveys, studies and new research – these are all surefire winners for blog post ideas. I use them all the time for my client blogs. Only yesterday I wrote about the percentage of unwanted Christmas presents that end up in landfill as part of a blog for a client who makes eco-friendly children’s bookcases. For another client – in pest control – I highlighted recent research on the number of businesses affected by pest infestations. Well, it made a change from mentioning mice droppings and pigeon poo!
Pick Your Nose Day
Yep, International Nose Picking Day is actually a thing. It was back in April and sadly I missed it – I was too busy eating my toenails to notice. Never mind, there are plenty of other awareness days you can depend on for blog post inspiration. Some are serious, some are quirky and some are just plain bonkers. Coming up for December – ‘Eat a red apple day’, ‘National grief awareness week’ and ‘National lager day’. Enjoy!
Ask a bloke for blog ideas
Not any old bloke, you understand. Go to Answer The Public and you’ll find a pleasantly smooth chap* who’ll give you more blog post ideas than you can shake a stick at. Just type in your keyword and you’ll see what I mean. I randomly typed in ‘penguins’ – because I can – and got 197 results. They’re all questions, like ‘Which penguins mate for life?’ and ‘How do penguins communicate?’ So if your business has anything to do with penguins you’re good to go. My business has nothing to do with penguins. But I’d welcome the opportunity to blog about whether penguins can fart.
* If you’re familiar with AnswerThePublic you’ll notice that the grumpy
old codger has been replaced.
* Still scratching around for inspiration? Or just want someone to write the darned blogs for you? Here’s an idea – hire me
I’m scared of spiders. Hate the buggers. I mean, what kind of sick joke is it giving something eight legs. Eight? Not to mention Olympic-level running speeds and the ability to appear out of nowhere. The second I see one, I turn into a gibbering, heart-thumping, clammy-handed, panic-stricken mess. Turns out, writing a blog has the same effect on some people.
I think it’s the element of surprise. One minute you’re quietly going about your business, the next – eeeeek! – you’re confronted by a blog. The one you’re supposed to be writing. Now. Today. You haven’t got a clue what to blog about so you stand on the sofa crying and wait for someone to come and make it go away.
Now, you can wrestle a spider into a large glass, but writing a blog is going to take a different kind of strategy…
Preparation, preparation, preparation
The scariest thing about blogging is staring at a blank screen without an idea in your head. You’ve left it to the last minute and now your brain’s gone dead. Despite knowing your business inside out, you just haven’t got a clue what to blog about. And this happens EVERY SINGLE MONTH.
So here’s what you do – you get prepared. You make a list of blog themes to cover you for the whole year. Twelve themes if you’re a one-a-month kind of blogger, twenty-four if you’re fortnightly and, well, you can do the counting from here.
Won’t that take time? Um, well, yes. But not as much time as you’ll waste each month desperately trying to think up last-minute ideas while your brain goes into meltdown. And won’t that be scarier than meeting the mother of all spiders? Yeah, well, OK, maybe – but you only have to face down this spider/blog/scary thing once and it will all be over for another year.
The time-saving blog planner
You’re liking the idea of this blog preparation – but you still can’t be arsed doing it. I hear ya! How about I do it for you then? I offer a lovely little service that takes away the pain of having to think up blog post ideas. That’s right – I’ll create a blog planner with bespoke topics that are relevant to your business and of interest to your clients and customers. Whenever you need them, those blog post ideas will be ready and waiting for you. Just like that spider lurking under the sofa!
* Want me to be your blog ideas person? Let’s chat
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