Posts Tagged ‘blogging’

If it isn’t easy, it won’t get done!

Efficiency is the 6th of the 7 Pillars of Blog Content for a very simple reason: the likelihood of a task’s completion goes down as complexity increases.

Blogging success is based on consistency, but consistency is difficult if it takes too much time or effort to prepare each post. Here are 4 suggestions to build efficiency into the preparation of your blog posts.

1.  Structure

Efficiency begins with choosing a structure for each of your blog posts. This involves thinking of your blog posts in terms of segments that are repeated in each post. These segments can be questions, or topics, that you answer while creating each post. For example:

1. Relevance. Begin by asking yourself, What is the relevance of this topic? Why should my target market care about it? How does this topic relate to their concerns, such as the problems they want to solve or the goals they want to achieve? What are the symptoms, or costs, of not addressing this topic?
2. Main ideas. Ask yourself, What are the 3 big ideas I want readers to remember? Limiting yourself to identify 3 (or 4) ideas focuses you on identify what’s really important and keeps your blog posts short and actionable.
3. Call to action. What do you want readers to do next? How can you use this blog to further the relationship you’re building with the readers of your blog? Do you provide additional resources for those interested in the topic to learn more? Or, do you want to direct readers to a landing page on your website containing further information–along with an offer? Perhaps, you’d like them to take an assessment.
4. Conclusion. The conclusion of your post should summarize the relevance of the topic, the content you’ve covered, and your call to action. In addition, whenever possible, add a bonus or incentive to encourage readers to immediately take action, heightening the likelihood they will act.

2. The 3 R’s–Repurpose, Recycle, Reuse

Each blog post should be written and saved in a format that permits you to easily relocate the text, so you can incorporate the post into upcoming books, speeches, or marketing materials.

Your time is valuable; it’s important that you gain maximum mileage out of everything you write. Here are some suggestions for repurposing, recycling, or reusing blog posts:

• Expand the post. Look for ways to expand what was originally a 5 or 6-paragraph blog post into an article, newsletter, or online feature. Instead of just 3 points, for example, expand the size of the list to 7, or 10. Or, keep the total at 3, but provide more details about each point.
• Divide and conquer. Having identified a relevant topic, and 3 big ideas associated with it, you can return to the post and create 3 additional blog posts- -a series of posts exploring each of the original main ideas in greater detail.
• Condense the post. Another approach is to create a downloadable tip sheet, or sign-up incentive, that includes brief summaries of the original 3 big ideas, but adds summarizes of a few additional ideas.
• Change the format. Content that originates as relevant blog posts can be easily adapted into podcasts, video podcasts, teleseminars, speeches, and presentations. Each format will appeal to individuals who prefer to learn in different ways.

The above are just a few of the ways you can leverage your time by creatively repurposing, recycling, and reusing your blog posts.

3. Write for a higher purpose

There are 2 aspects to “higher purpose.”

1. Don’t just inform your readers. Successful blogs do more than just share information, they inspire readers to take action. A dictionary or encyclopaedia, for example, has lots of information, but it’s not particularly fun to read. Move beyond the exchange of information and look at ways to engage your readers and inspire them into action by using techniques like assessments, questions, and stories
2. View blog posts as building blocks to larger projects. When choosing blog topics, look for ways that they can be reused in large projects, such as chapters in up-coming books or e-books. If you can identify what you need written for a book or e-book, you can identify topics that you can address as blog posts.

4. Create a writing system

Instead of starting to write each post from scratch, look for a way you can slowly immerse yourself into each blog post, a little at a time.

For example, before you begin to write, provide an advance deadline, or goal, for you to prepare the first draft a day, or 2, before the post is scheduled to appear. Once you get in the habit of deadlines a day or 2 before posting dates, your posts will greatly improve in quality. By leaving time for edits and reviews before publishing each post, you’ll undoubtedly discover ways to improve the titles and subheads of each post, and increase the post’s search engine optimization.

Another way to create a system is to get in the habit of creating an outline, or mind map–like the one shown above–displaying the points you intend to cover in each post. Review your post outlines or maps the night before you intend to write them, as well as the next day. This review engages your mind, so while you are driving to work, your brain is sorting ideas and searching for the right words.

Finally, commit to editing. Create a simple checklist you can use to review the quality of each of your posts. This checklist should remind you to look for problems like long, run-on sentences, new topics that are not introduced with subheads, passive verb structures, and missing words.

Conclusion

Commit to an efficient way to create blog content. Once you begin to view blog posts as a series of segments, and you write and save each blog post’s content in a way you can easily access and reuse it, you’ll be surprised at not only how quickly your writing improves in both quantity and quality, but how often you can expand and condense each post into other additional marketing opportunities and new product-development profits. With a little practice, you’ll soon be writing more in less time–and using your words over and over again.

Roger C. Parker invites you to visit Published & Profitable’s Sample Content Area and his daily writing tips blog to learn more about writing effective blog content and making your blog posts as easy to read as possible.

You can also download a PDF copy of the mind map I used to plan this series, plus links to additional writing resources, like a free report introducing mind mapping.

Roger is the author of 30 best-selling books and an experienced writing and marketing coach. His latest book is #Book Title Tweet: 140 Bite-Sized Ideas for Compelling Titles for Articles, Books, and Events.

These results are based on actual events. This speaks VOLUMES about the power of internet marketing vs the old school way.  I compared the results of 2 hours a week networking face to face with 2 hours per week blogging about valuable tips and tricks.

I use to attend a lot of face to face networking event to grow my business. I’d get up to be at a 7am breakfast each week and spend 2 hours there networking. The people there knew me, my work and encouraged their friend and clients to come to me. 45% of my business came from this breakfast and it was great relationship building. The work from there was built on trust. It was by far my best lead bringer-inner-er I could speak to 10 cold-warm people in that 2 hours individually or as a small group but they were not all qualified.

For 8 weeks on this website I spent the same amount of time (2 hours) at my desk, blogging tips, tricks and little motivators out to the internet apply a handful of marketing advice I read from gurus on the topic of blogging and marketing online.

Over the 8 weeks I went from brand new blog site to 190 readers in week 8. That’s still small fish but as you can see it grew pretty quickly. Considering I did not have a list to market too and this was purely through having my blog automatically put a link back to each blog post on my Twitter account and my Facebook account. That’s all I did!

Best of all… if they are reading your blog posts it’s because they are interested in your topic, which makes them FAR more QUALIFIED than the random folk you might speak to at a face to face networking event!

When I used to do it the old school way with face to face meetings there was traffic to deal with, costs to be members and for the food there, and looking back was a crazy way to try and build my business. Especially my type of business! This does go for almost anyone though. Even if your business is local only… 2 hours a week blogging is so cheap and powerful – it’s an awesome way to get known as the guru.

If you do keep up the traditional way as well you can use your blog as back-up for that person who meets you. They might meet you – google you to check you out, read your blog posts and get to know you WAY more than they could in any 10 minute face to face chat and then they’re REALLY sold!

I used to speak really loudly at events so that other interested standing buy would come over but the most I could get to over 2 hours would be 10 people. Even then the discussions were short so they could mingle with the most people possible in the short time.

Online… you can speak to millions! Obviously you need to get them to come to your blog but there are a whole heap of ways to do that… but they’re a whole other blog post to come

Good blogging is hands down THE cheapest way to get raving fans and become the mega-uberstar guru of you industry.

I’ve recently been studying a bunch of blogging tips so I can use blogging as one of my key strategies. I’ve seen people zoom to the top sellers and all they did was blog well and frequently. In my search for the best ways to blog I found these super useful tips that you can use on your blog.

I see blogging as a great free way to build a following, give useful information for free that people will directly be able to use in their business. As they get to know you as the guru of your industry, they will develop a trust that is invaluable in your relationship.

Here’s what I learned:

ONE:

Search engines LOVE blogs because they are constantly being updated with fresh content. I’ve seeWwordpress websites and blog sites I’ve built be in Google in less than 48 hours! Miracle it may seem, but true it is! *She says in Yoda speak *

TWO:

Blogging is the most cost effective way to build your business and create raving fans – period.

THREE:

The more you blog the better you do – If you can’t find time, just blog 2-3 times a week. it will still help you. If you’re really serious about your business though, find the time to blog every day. Take 1 hour a week and write 7 short simple blog posts and set the date to show one a day.

FOUR:

Get a little “Blog Ideas” notebook - and carry it around in your bag. I promise once you get in the flow or blogging there seems to be ideas everywhere you look! I struggled the first week or two but now i just can’t stop – I’m addicted!!  Make sure you keep it by your bedside and even maybe one in your shower or bathroom – where all the best ideas come!

FIVE:

Be yourself – when you are blogging talk like your telling you best mate something. Be yourself, talk naturally. People will feel like they’re your friend and you’re talking to them personally – which you are really! They’ll love it more if you are yourself. I yawn at poncy too-businessy blogs… You want it to be a conversation so talk like you would normally.

SIX:

Good blog titles with strong keywords rule! Use your keyword/phrase in the title and in the first sentence. Then again in the content once or twice. Use it in your tags too.  This will juice you up in the search engines Go to Google Keyword tool to see what keywords people are searching. You’ll find it on my other blog post here. Use numbers in your post title too. They pull more of a crowd.

SEVEN:

Automate your blog – there are many ways to have your blog posts automatically sent out to the world. I went to put them here but there are so many that I have made it the next blog post – “3 ways to automatically tell the world about your new blog posts”. Before you read it go make sure you have an account set up at Twitter, Facebook and Ping.fm

Hope that’s not too much to take in. If it freaks you out please comment below and I will simplify whatever you need and give more detail

Over and out

Jodz - The Webchik