Lets face it, if you are a business owner, corporate manager, or run a non profit, you may not have been trained to be a magazine editor, but when it comes to developing content for your company blog, and online marketing, you need to think like an editor at a magazine. Why? Because an editor’s job is to create content that is interesting and valuable enough to sell their respective publication. If your desire is for people to consistently visit your website & share your company’s messages, than taking this approach is a must.

We highly regard a book called MADE TO STICK and use it often to create our own content. The book establishes what they call a “SUCCESs Model”, which encompasses 6 different principles that make a “sticky idea.” According to the book, a “sticky idea is understood, it’s remembered, and it changes something.” You do want to be understood and remembered right?!

Below you will discover the first 3 of the 6 principles of the “SUCCESs Model.”

Principle #1 Simplicity

This is where you prioritize the information you want people to share about your organization. Try filling in the blank below…

The single most important thing our organization does is _________________.

Southwest Airlines would answer that question with “provide the lowest fare.”

If you’re a real estate agent what would it be, is “help people find homes?” Or “pick the perfect house in the perfect community.” After you establish this, you should create content that proves it.

Principle #2 Unexpected

People generally carry preconceived notions about industries and businesses, so how does your business change those notions? Would you believe that Nordstrom employees are encouraged to iron your shirt even if you bought it from Macy’s … this is a perfect example of unexpected customer service that builds affinity.

Surprise us! What are the preconceived notions people have about your profession/organization and what stories do you have to change those. Share those with stories with us.

Principle #3 Concrete

Whenever you hear the phrase “sour grapes”, you automatically refer to Aesop’s fable. Every person who has tasted something sour and has eaten a grape can imagine that phrase. The “Concrete principle” is about using sensory and specific language to engrave a feeling or idea in someone’s mind.

A common way marketing and advertising professionals use this principle is instead of saying “we will create more business for your company”, they will say “we will have your phones ringing off the hook.” This paints a picture for the audience and allows the them to imagine their desired outcome.

Think of how you can use sensory language in your messages so they become engraved in our minds.

These are the first three principles; please visit back with us for part 2 where we share the remaining principles.

On average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest. Not great numbers if the purpose of a headline is to get someone to read your material.

Before you read more, your takeaways from this from this article will be:

1. Headlines are a promise to your reader
2. Have a set goal before writing your material
3. Write, rewrite, test, and rewrite
   
4. Headlines with lists and “how-tos” are very effective
5. The best headlines are specific and straightforward

Headlines (and email subject lines) are a promise to your reader of the value that you will be providing; specifically, what they should expect to takeaway from the article or email you crafted. Therefore, you have to promise that what you are offering will make an impact and is worthwhile.

It is essential to have a goal prior to writing an article, email or blog post, usually to receive a response from your target audience. In business, you normally want a response that causes the reader to act (i.e. for the reader to comment and like your post or in this case to connect with me on Linkedin).

Writing and rewriting – investing the time and effort to tweak what you have started writing will help you make the headline useful. Typically you should give yourself a day away from the material so you have fresh eyes. If you are writing your sales page or website landing page, you should write a dozen headlines and test which works best.

Numbered and list headlines are successful because they tell you the amount of information the reader will receive. With a headline such as, “99 Tips to Makeover Your Home”, your reader knows exactly what they are getting by reading your article.

Stating the specific outcomes the reader will get by reading your article is extremely effective. For example, a headline that reads “7 Tips That Will Help You Save 130% on Your Summer Vacations” will grab more readers because it tells them what to expect. By reading this headline we know the number of tips we are getting and the amount we will save by following those tips – pretty straightforward.

A great tip I learned was to emulate headlines on the front cover of magazines in supermarket aisles. Those headlines only have a second to get the shopper to buy the entire magazine – they need to be powerful.

Remember “repetition is the mother of skill.”

Click here to connect with me on LinkedIn.

Word on the street is that blogging helps with your search engine optimization efforts, and yes that’s true, however the main idea you should keep in mind is that blogging is a “value-added deliverable” that differentiates you from competitors and helps create the perception that you are the absolute expert in your field. By educating and informing visitors of your blog, you are building trust with each one of them. And as you should know by now, all things being equal, people will do business with those they like and trust!

What Are Others Writing About?

Your first step is to determine if your audience is using the Internet, (nowadays, I think it is safe to say they are) and to find out what other people in your industry are blogging about / and getting responses for.

You can always start the researching process by searching your business category (i.e. “business law”) combined with the word “blog.”

What Should You Write About?

As with any marketing or communications material, a blog post has to be tailored to your customer base. That means the blog posts have to be timely, useful and easy to comprehend. Some ways to accomplish this are to write:

• How To’s: How-To articles have been popular since the invention of the magazine.

• Product/Service descriptions: People may not be familiar with some of your products or services, so writing a thorough and easy-to-comprehend description can save you time. Your prospects will use it as reference to become more educated instead having you answer their million and one questions.

• Comparisons: Your business might offer services/products that compete with each other or other services. For example, if you do financial planning you can write about Roth IRAs vs. Traditional IRAs.

• Success Stories: Here’s a chance for you to brag and be informative at the same time. If your company has success stories which I hope you do, writing a blog post can be a great way to publicize it and get people excited about what kinds of results they can expect when working with you.

• Statistics, Day-to-Day examples, Valuable Resources, etc can also make great blog posts.

The only approach I would avoid is making your blog a Public Relations tactic/newsroom. However, we do recommend mixing news about your company and valuable posts for your customers.

If you would like any specific blog ideas for your business, please leave a comment about our blog and we’ll message you some Great Ideas.

The phrase “well designed” can have a different meaning to each person. So we won’t get into colors, icons, themes, etc. A well designed blog will be defined as one that attracts visitors and search engines. Most blogs are built on a platform that is search engine friendly, so we will focus on a design that is “visitor friendly”:

Do’s

If you have a branded website, make sure your blog maintains brand equity and identity.

When choosing a theme, keep the growth of your blog in mind. Choose a template with the appropriate number of columns and width best suited for what you want to do. If your blog is business related, ensure that your call to action is easy to locate.

Keep your blog layout clean and navigation easy. The average online user has a short attention span and does not like to be overwhelmed when visiting a website or blog.

If you have ads, keep them neatly organized and make it easy for the user to know they are ads. Many blogs and websites have ads right above the article or blog entry, this can confuse the user.

Many of the major blog providers have a nice selection of blog themes you can make your own. There are many Web 2.0 blog designs to choose from, these will give your blog a modern look.

Depending on what your blog is about, you may also want to stick to the simplest blog design just to get your message across. Many writers use plain themes to highlight their writing styles.

Do something creative with your header. The header is usually the first thing the visitor sees. Many blogs provide the ability to choose a template and then upload your own custom header.

Create an easy way for the user to go through previous entries on your blog, this is why blogs have archives.

Don’ts

Don’t make your blog overwhelming. Again, don’t over do it with links. When there are too many links, your user does not know where to start.

Don’t place ads everywhere you see a blank space. Ads create revenue, but they also turn users away. If you have to place ads, do it wisely.

Don’t over do it with widgets, plug-ins, and add-ons. Just because they look cool, they may not be suited for your blog.

Don’t turn off comments. What’s the point of a blog if readers cannot participate, you might as well just have a website. You should moderate them or choose to only allow comments from users that have certain accounts.

Don’t just start a blog because everybody is talking about them. There are too many blogs that were created in the heat of the moment and never got passed the initial profile completion.

If your blog is business related, don’t try to “sell” your reader at every opportunity.

A well designed blog is one that limits all the things that annoy the majority of internet users. What annoys you when you visit a website or blog?

The power of an optimized blog: how it can increase your exposure on the web.

A well-optimized blog is a powerful blog. You can write about the most interesting topic in the world but what’s the point if nobody can find it. Similar to a website, a blog has to be optimized for it to be easily found. Unless you have a big budget for direct marketing, getting potential clients to find you through search is the way to go. More and more businesses are moving their marketing efforts online – don’t get left behind. Using a blog is an inexpensive method of online marketing and a great way to constantly provide the latest information about your services, insider knowledge,  and product/service education.

Successful blogs create brand awareness, increase web exposure, and bring out a personality behind your business. A blog does take time to create and maintain, and posting often is vital. Keep your brand in mind by maintaining a clean and professional looking blog . You have probably seen blogs with too many links, and ads, that make it hard to find relevant content. Stay away from this – overwhelming your reader can be disastrous.

Enhancing your blog for search engines

• Blogs are built on a platform that makes it easy for search engines to find. Optimizing your blog for greater search engine visibility and providing useful content are two vital approaches to a successful blog. This takes expertise and being up-to date with new optimization methods.

• Find your niche and stick to it. Base your content about your company/industry and what your prospects want to learn. Avoid creating a blog strictly for SEO to get a few more links to your main site. That method doesn’t go as far as it used to, it will just get lost in the blogosphere and never show it’s true value.

• Keep keywords in mind, these keywords should be related to your entry’s topic. Try not to be too broad or general with the keywords you use. However use keywords that you would like users to find your blog through an online search. Keep them specific but not long.

• Use the main keywords in the tag field, don’t over do it with the tags.

• Use keyword rich titles while still making sense.

• Use links with anchor text throughout the body of your post. Again don’t over do it, if it makes sense create a link and use a keyword as the link rather than something like “click here”. Here is an example – New Media Marketing

• Categorize your postings appropriately by keeping your targeted keywords in mind and not filing your entry in too many categories.

Many businesses and organizations don’t have the time, resources or knowledge to create and maintain a successful blog. That’s where Internet Marketers can provide expertise to maximize the results of a blog. Our firm’s blog is the perfect example of a properly optimized blog receiving powerful results. Look at this Google result, a week after we posted our first blog entry…

If you need explanations or further details about setting up a powerful blog call us @ 818.990.9843 or click here if you are interested in Blog Creation Services.