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How to Write a Business Blog

Blogging is the cornerstone of content marketing. This presentation is packed with advice for planning, writing and optimizing your business blog to reach and engage a larger audience.

barryjfeldman
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How to Write a Business Blog

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  1. How to write a 
 BUSINESS 
 
 BLOG

  2. 68% OF MARKETERS PLAN TO INCREASE THEIR USE OF BLOGGING Blogging is the top area marketers invested in 
 in 2014. More than half of marketers (58%) selected original written content as their most important content, followed by original visual assets (19%) and then original videos (12%). http:/ /www.socialmediaexaminer.com/SocialMediaMarketingIndustryReport2014.pdf

  3. BENEFITS OF ABUSINESS BLOG • RAISE AWARENESS • INCREASE WEB TRAFFIC • START CONVERSATIONS • ESTABLISH TRUST • DEVELOP AUTHORITY

  4. BLOG FEATURES • An easy way to update your site regularly • Owned media — feature your company branding • Ideal for developing a company voice • Real-time • The best way to support a variety of media types • Easily distributed via multiple channels • A destination for prospects and customers • Easy to measure and refine 4

  5. IS BLOGGING A FIT FOR YOUR COMPANY? BAD FOR BLOGGING
 GOOD FOR BLOGGING
 • Lacking the time, talent or commitment • Not willing to be open with information/complex approval processes • Unwilling to experiment •Eager to build community around relevant topics •Integral to your social media 
 strategy •Aiming to improve 
 search rankings

  6. USEFUL & INSPIRATIONAL Your blog should be so useful, and inspirational that your readers want to hear from you again and again. Your articles should be so helpful that your readers 
 want to share them with their colleagues and friends. 
 
 That’s how you raise your company’s online profile.
 
 ~ Henneke Duistermaat AFS BLOGGING - 2014

  7. OBJECTIVES DETERMINE YOUR BLOG’S BUSINESS OBJECTIVES BUILD THE BRAND EXPAND REACH SUPPORT SALES POSITION SENIOR EXECUTIVES AFS BLOGGING - 2014

  8. CONTENT 
 MISSION
 STATEMENT • Articulate your approach to the content and industry. • Clearly define who the content is for. • State how the content will satisfy the needs of the readership. Example: American Express OPEN Forum:
 Help entrepreneurs share ideas, get and give advice, 
 and discuss experiences leading to small business success. AFS BLOGGING - 2014

  9. Create a list of topics and regular features 
 Key content categories to be included regularly—describe the focus. 
 Ensure your content aligns with business goals and readers’ needs.
 TOPICS & FEATURES AFS BLOGGING - 2014

  10. You need to define a voice and strive for consistency. • Have a personality • Tell a story • Be contextually relevant • Sound like a real person • Have a point of view • Avoid corporate-speak VOICE AFS BLOGGING - 2014

  11. AN AUDIENCE OF ONE Imagine having a conversion... with one ideal reader. What does she think?
 How does he feel?
 What questions will they have? 11 AFS BLOGGING - 2014 AFS BLOGGING - 2014

  12. Ditch the pitch. The idea is to teach, not preach. 
 Start a conversation. AFS BLOGGING - 2014

  13. 1 IDEAS FOR GENERATING IDEAS What questions do readers have about your industry, products and services? What are you ideal readers’ business or personal objectives? What decisions does a reader 
 have to make? What prevents readers from achieving their goals? AFS BLOGGING - 2014

  14. 2 IDEAS FOR GENERATING IDEAS What mistakes are 
 readers making? What tips would make life easier? What are influencers creating content about? What’s trending? How can you help readers turn weaknesses into strengths? AFS BLOGGING - 2014

  15. Headlines. Essentials. Write a headline to 
 • grab attention • arouse curiosity • and promise a benefit 15 AFS BLOGGING - 2014

  16. Headlines. Cheat sheet. Helpful Emotion Ask Do’s and don’ts List Inspire Nightmare Empathy Success A Nine-Letter Cheat Sheet for Writing a Winner Every Time http:/ /feldmancreative.com/2013/12/headlines-9-letter-cheat-sheet-writing-winner-every-time/ 16

  17. Headlines.. Templates. DO YOU SUFFER FROM [PROBLEM] WHEN [SPECIFIC SITUATION]? THE TRUTH ABOUT [SOMETHING]. MISTAKES THAT [CAUSE A NEGATIVE RESULT]. IMPROVE [SOMETHING] IN A [SPECIFIC TIME PERIOD]. HOW TO [ACHIEVE SOMETHING]. HOW TO [ACHIEVE SOMETHING]. THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO [ACHIEVE A SPECIFIC RESULT]. ## WAYS TO [ACHIEVE SOMETHING]. THE SECRET FOR GETTING [RESULT]. THIS, THAT, AND THE POINT OF THE STORY. SIGNS YOUR [YOUR SOMETHING] IS BAD. 17

  18. Headlines. Examples. DO YOU SUFFER FROM [PROBLEM] WHEN [SPECIFIC SITUATION]? Are You Sweating Bullets When Your Article Is Due? THE TRUTH ABOUT [SOMETHING]. THE TRUTH ABOUT [SOMETHING]. The Truth About Online Marketing (Your Agency Won’t Tell You). # MISTAKES THAT [CAUSE A NEGATIVE RESULT]. 7 Common Blogging Mistakes that Repel Readers. IMPROVE [SOMETHING] IN A [SPECIFIC TIME PERIOD]. Go From Clueless to Killer With Your Blogging in 5 Days. HOW TO [ACHIEVE SOMETHING]. How to Become a Successful Blogger in 180 minutes. HOW TO [ACHIEVE SOMETHING]. [ACHIEVE RESULT] WITH THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY [TO DO SOMETHING] . Double Your Social Shares With the Most Effective Headline Templates . THE SECRET FOR GETTING [RESULT]. The Secret to Building Authority Through Your Blog. ## WAYS TO [ACHIEVE SOMETHING]. 10 Ways to Write a Headline that Captures Your Readers. THIS, THAT, AND THE POINT OF THE STORY. Daydreams, Smelling Salts, and the Blog Posts that Inspire Readers. SIGNS YOUR [YOUR SOMETHING IS BAD]. MORE http:/ /boostblogtraffic.com/headline-hacks/ Obvious Signs Your Website Fails to Attract and Convert Prospects. 18

  19. Headlines. Tips. Use a template Start with “how to _______” Use them loosely, experiment Write 10 or more Swap words in and out Create a swipe file Try colons Try parenthetical statements Practice Incubate Get opinions Would I read that? Check the emotional value http:/ /www.aminstitute.com/ 19

  20. Writing. Tips.1 WRITE 
 CONVERSATIONALLY Talk to, not at, your reader “You” and “I” Ask questions Use contractions 86 the jargon Anecdotes I “feel” you Honest Self-deprecation 20

  21. Writing. Tips.2 TURN ON 
 THE WORD POWER Replace predictable with precise words Activate with verbs Use adjectives sparingly Choose sensory words Delete dead weight: actually, really, etc. Nix bland or soft words: nice, bad 21 AFS BLOGGING - 2014

  22. Writing. Tips. 3 GET SOME RHYTHM Read your writing aloud Vary sentence length Bam One word and staccato sentences Shorter paragraphs 22 AFS BLOGGING - 2014

  23. Strong opening. Strong close. 1 WRITE A STRONG
 INTRODUCTION Empathize with the reader “You’re in the right place” Introduce the gap: now and soon Foreshadow the journey Or tell a story Transfer some confidence Deliver an irresistible “why” A common practice is to write 
 the opening paragraph last. 
 23 AFS BLOGGING - 2014

  24. Strong opening. Strong close. 2 WRITE A STRONG
 FIRST SENTENCE The job of each sentence is to 
 move the reader to the next one.
 Make it short. Make it fun. 24

  25. Strong opening. Strong close. 3 WRITE A STRONG
 CONCLUSION The objective is to inspire action. Overcome objections Make the request small Aim for some zing 1/2/3 Alliteration Repetition Clear direction Call to action: do business And you often invite the reader to respond. 
 25

  26. Editing. Tips. 1 YOUR
 PROCESS Working title Reader’s challenge Outline main body First draft Incubation period Reread Write opening Revisit headline Read aloud 26

  27. REFINING THE
 FIRST DRAFT Editing. Tips. 2 Cut “that” out (and “there” and “this”) Nix “ing” Reduce redundancies Remove jargon, increase clarity Purge the passive voice Kill nothing phrases Break up long sentences Cut self-indulgence Avoid the “today” stamp (these days, currently) Add quotes and links Add questions Upgrade verbs Strengthen point of view Use examples (and images) Mix it up http:/ /feldmancreative.com/2014/06/copy-editing-tips-improve-your-writing/ 27

  28. Optimize for search. 1 KEYWORD RESEARCH Long-tail keywords Google AdWords Reasonable search volume Low competition 28

  29. Optimize for search. 2 ON-PAGE SEO
 ESSENTIALS Permalink Title Body copy includes keywords Derivatives of keywords Image alt tags Snippet/meta description 
 (for search engine listings) 29 AFS BLOGGING - 2014 AFS BLOGGING - 2014

  30. Optimize for search. SEARCH TIPS 3 Lengthier posts tend to rank higher Internal links Install (and use) Google Analytics Find places on your site to link to posts Cite other sources Share across social networks often WORDPRESS SEO GUIDE https:/ /yoast.com/articles/wordpress-seo/ 30

  31. PERMALINK AND TITLE WORDPRESS SEO by YOAST 
 PREVIEW (TITLE & DESCRIPTION)
 31

  32. IMAGES ALT TEXT
 32

  33. Article Concept Author: [author name] Blog post. Template. Target SEO Keyphrase: as of [date] (check Keyword Planner and Trends) • “[keyphrase]” [x] searches / month • “[secondary keyphrase]” [x] searches / month Title: [title, start with keyphrase, 66 max characters] Meta Description: [single sentence summary with keyphrase, 155 max characters] PermaLink / Shortcut URL: [use the keyphrase, keep it short] • Headline <h1> Includes the target keyphrase and 3 of these 4 attributes... ◦ Be USEFUL to the reader ◦ Provide him with a sense of URGENCY, ◦ Convey the idea that the main benefit is somehow UNIQUE ◦ Do the above in an ULTRA-SPECIFIC way
 Courtesy of Orbit Media Studios By Andy Crestodina • Formatting short paragraphs, headers, subheads, bullets and bolding
 • Image at least one, should be interesting on its own, creative commons
 • Keyphrase usage four to six times in the body of the article
 • Length 1500+ words for search optimized posts
 • Mention quote or refer to someone with a social following
 • Link from the post to a web page
 • Call to action for comments
 • Author box short bio, links to Twitter, Google+, etc. ◦ Bio page: <a href="BIO PAGE ADDRESS”> ◦ Twitter: <a href=”http:/ /www.twitter.com/TWITTER ACCOUNT”> ◦ Google+: <a rel="author" href=”https:/ /plus.google.com/GOOGLE_ID? rel=author”> 33 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C63_MyNOscjBJHXKeZEYj7qU8qYdDJBDPG8ZcPi6QcU/edit

  34. Does your blog SCORE? 34

  35. RESOURCES FREE THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BLOGGING 1 introduction to business blogging The Ultimate Guide to Corporate Blogging An Introduction to PAID Business Blogging How to Start a Blogging Program in Your Company How to use business blogging for marketing success A publication of Share This Ebook! www.Hubspot.com

  36. RESOURCES http://feldmancreative.com/2013/09/benefits-of-blogging/ http://feldmancreative.com/2014/03/sharpen-storytelling-skills-seize-attention-content/ http://www.slideshare.net/barryjfeldman/nail-content-writing-inspire-readers-to-respond http://feldmancreative.com/2014/01/most-effective-content-marketing-tip/ http://www.slideshare.net/barryjfeldman/writing-headlines-infographic http://www.slideshare.net/barryjfeldman/99-content-marketing-magnets

  37. Thank you. Contact us. www.feldmancreative.com Let’s talk about business blogging.

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