Category: Copywriting tips

Blogging tips for business

Blogging can seem like a long, time-consuming task and whilst I can’t say that it’ll take you 5 minutes, it doesn’t have to be arduous and it most certainly doesn’t have to take over or take you away (for long) from other pressing business tasks.

Many businesses ask: Why do I need a business blog? And the answer is simple –– it builds authority, rapport and allows you to showcase your expertise whilst also offering depth to your audience and Google, so it can rank and see what your website is all about.

These tips are quick and easy to implement. Take a look at how you can readily digest and put these ideas into your own blogs…

What to write: business blog topics

The hardest part for many people when they sit down to write is knowing what they want to write about. Start by creating a spider diagram of ideas –– you know your business best so begin by thinking about;

1) What do customers frequently ask you?

2) What pain points do they have?

3 What would be their current daily struggles?

4) How can you bridge the gap?

5) How can you make things easier for them?

6) How can you relate to them?

7) What stories would engage your audience?

Refining your idea is the start of your blog strategy and makes the step of jumping in and writing easier as you have a point of focus.

Think about the words that you use

Even if you start with a story that’s about you, your business and your brand, make sure that you pull it round to be about your audience. People want to see themselves on the page. They need to see that you’re representing them and that they can draw something from what you’ve written.

In your structure, think about swapping I for we, you and you’re. Let me give you a brief example to demonstrate the concept;

When I took the bus, I was late for work but it’s not my fault and they’ll just have to cope until I get there –– this isn’t my doing.

Versus

I was running late for work and I do hate to be late because it impacts the way others see you and the portrayal of yourself within the work environment, plus, you always feel like you begin on the back foot with the walk of shame as you enter the office door and awkward eye stares greet you from your colleagues…

You see, it makes it relatable when your reader can see that you’ve pulled them in and included them in the emotion of the story. I wouldn’t want to be the person with those eyes on them at this point in the story. (By the way, I’m never late, this is fictitious).

Research and real life

Use a mixture of what feels right and what suits the blog that you’re writing. If it would benefit from the weight of research, data and a quote behind it, then include it. However, if it doesn’t work, don’t force it..

For example I might add, ‘writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.’ Mark Twain.

Now, quotes are great but when you’re offering help to someone who is struggling to find the right words let alone cross them out –– dependent on your frame of mind this may not prove useful or motivational, however, it may be thought provoking and food for thought for some.

Bare this in mind: Perception may well be subjective but you want to draw in your reader and not alienate them.

Write with flow

This really just means to keep it conversational and natural. You don’t have to talk like a university professor it you aren’t one and you don’t have to take the voice of an authority that isn’t relevant to you.

Try thinking of your written work as a conversation between two people. Visualise who you’re writing to and the kinds of things you would say to them. You don’t have to use big words unless that’s you and relevant to your audience. But you do want them to feel a part of your tribe and included –– so write with this in mind.

Connect your paragraphs and sentences by thinking how you end and start the next. Does it flow into one another? Have you made sense or gone off at a tangent?

NB: By writing with flow you can still keep it professional. What you’re doing is setting the tone, making it relatable and easy to digest.

Keep it simple

Don’t overcomplicate your business blogs. Keep it simple. Think of the outcome you want to achieve and who you’re writing to. This opens up the conversation and creates a piece that is easy to understand.

Think of the words you use, how you put them together and use one word over several if your reader can grasp the point faster.

Edit in your brilliance

This is why we have drafts. You can dump all of the information down and then filter it out and tweak in your editing process. This is why it’s easier to define it as editing in your brilliance. That way you’re not thinking that you’ve created a rubbish piece. No. It’s refining your piece to build something that you will publish and be proud to share with your readers.

Perfection is of course mythical and you shouldn’t expect your initial draft to be everything you want it to be. You can fine tune this in and turn your draft from caterpillar to butterfly.

My recommendation would be the allow time to edit in for spelling and grammar and then flow. It sounds mad I know but it takes fresh eyes and a different focus to spot the edits then flow.

Call to action

Never forget this. Every piece of content should have one, especially your business blogs. Again, this doesn’t need to be complicated. It could be as simple as;

Come and follow me at…..

Or

Ending the blog with a question before you leave a short paragraph of company blurb.

How often should I blog for business?

There’s no magic answer here. This is dependent on your strategy and the aim of your blogs, where you’re at on your journey and what your audience needs. You also want to consider what you can give to the process –– is it you writing or are you hiring a freelancer or maybe you have a team that can do this for you?

The other thing to think about is how you repurpose the content for social media and newsletters for your subscribers. Having a few key evergreen blogs on your website around areas that relate to you, your business and your audience will help to stamp your authority and build rapport with your reader (and also search engines.)

Think quality, visibility and how you want to be seen.

You can even consider having a pillar piece (essentially a longer form guide) that then links back to several other blogs that you write. The importance with your blogs is to ensure they remain current, even if you need to make a few tweaks to keep them up-to-date from time to time.

Can you incorporate these tips into your business blogs?

See how you can make your process easier to work through and the time you can save yourself when you have a strategy with which to approach your blogs.

Whether you’re looking for blogging tips for small business, medium or even big business then the principles of inclusion remain the same even if your approach and strategy may differ slightly.

Want more? Check out my easy to follow, short and digestible business blog with impact course that breaks it all down and shows you how. You can learn by video just how to create real blogs that wow and draw in your ideal audience.

Plus, this course now comes with my content tips and tricks guide full of my know how and tactics that I have complied (see what you get here) –– so that you can get to grips with the copy you need in your business. This also includes a x30 days of social post generator ideas page and my “must have” blogging tips..

Have a specific question? Feel free to reach out. I respond to all of my emails personally and love to connect with real people. You can mail me at: ambersmith@simplyamberlou.com and browse the website here.

NB: Please note that this link takes you directly to Amazon and that I may earn commission on any qualifying products. This does not impact the service or item you receive.

How to bake to perfection your content for your brand and business…

So, you’ve written your business piece, your blog, you’ve posted your post, typed your article, created your content, made your video. But does the middle part of your content seem muddled? Does it align with the message and tone of the whole piece?  Does it match the question in the title? Does it correspond to the conclusion?

We spend a large proportion of our time perfecting our introduction, and tweaking the end, but does the guts of the piece fit in with your overall message?

This blog article is all about how you can help to keep yourself on track with ensuring your middle is baked to perfection and not more akin to a cake that looks better than it tastes when you bite into it.

Let’s start with the muddle part of your baked business content

The muddle is the middle. It’s what sits between your title and leads your reader through to the end.

It’s the juicy bit. The meat. The special sauce. It’s what gives your reader their takeaways from your content. It’s what your reader will learn. It’s what will guide them to the end. It’s your story.

As well as being gripping and interesting your content needs to peak enough interest to keep the reader wanting more. You want your reader to feel satisfied, empowered in some way, to have insight, to gain awareness and to enhance their knowledge of you and their reason for reading, viewing or watching what it is that you have to say.

As well as what you’re writing or presenting, your reader wants to see consistency in your content. But most of all they want to see value in your content. Don’t allow your content to veer off topic.

3 takeaways to consider for the middle part of your business content

1) Message match throughout all of your content that you produce. Relate it back to each section and then ensure it still relates back to your reader.  What is the meaning of your message? Identify its purpose.

2) Keep it simple. Think with clarity. Make it easy for your reader to follow your message throughout. Make it digestible.

3) Who’s it about? Always make sure your reader is the star of the show. Your audience should always be at the forefront of all of the content that you’re creating. Think about what you are trying to tell them?  What’s your unique selling point? Who are you aiming your message at? Does the content do its job? Does it make sense? Is it any good?

Some content creators like to use formulas and frameworks such as PAS (Problem-Agitation-Solution) and AIDA (Attention-Interest-Desire-Conviction-Action) to keep them on track. You may find that this helps your business to create the best content it can offer and to ensure the whole piece of content is focused rather than elements of it.

The middle is just as important as the end, the beginning and your call to action. It will all be for nothing if the pieces do not connect with one another.

Focus towards your one goal of the piece, with the content you are creating.  Make your audience want to move in some way to connect further with you, your brand and your business.

Let’s address the star ingredient of your business copy and content – the reader

It’s always your intended reader. Your audience. Every last bit of copy and content that you produce has to relate back to your audience. It has to offer value. It has to offer learning. It has to offer something for your audience to take away. It has to offer enough to intrigue them to want more.

Have you got personas of your target audience? To create the best content and to relate it to your reader you have to know who they are. Knowing this helps you to know what content to write, to post, to blog, to put into video form. It allows you to use it as part of your content strategy.

On a star ranking blog written on the jeffbullas.com website they list 7 questions to get to know your audience. So, when you are wanting to make your reader the star of the show make sure you can answer these questions about them;

1) What are they like?

2)  Why are they here?

3) What keeps them up at night?

4) How can you solve their problems?

5) What do you want them to do?

6) How can you best reach them?

7) How might they resist?

Could you answer these about your reader? This in turn helps to build your brand, your business. It adds authenticity, it adds weight to your marketing and your expertise. It’s also in understanding how your reader acts online that you can direct your content to speak directly to them. How is your reader likely to respond to your content?

Website content and your reader

Did you know that according to an article on crazyegg.comthe average reader will spend 15 seconds on your website content before clicking off?

That’s 15 second to make an impact. That’s 15 seconds to encourage them not to bounce. Make it count. Make it compelling. Make it persuasive. Make every part of your copy and content worth sticking around for. This of course will impact how Google will view your content and whether or not your reader returns back to the search page that they started on.

Social media content and your reader

Of course, it’s not just the copy or content on your website that you’ll be encouraging. It’s also your social media posts. Despite the reported drops in content engagement over the last few years, social media still plays an important role.

Not only does your social media strengthen your brand loyalty, and build strength in your relationships, it’s also still one of the most powerful conversion tools. Which is why it’s imperative to get to know your audience. To talk to them. Just like you were chatting to them in person.

That’s why social media is encouraging the “social” part. People want more from your content. They want to get to know you. They want to understand you and understand why that should matter to them. They want to engage and connect with your business and brand. Your audience wants to feel connected to you.

Being active with your reader and your content

Being active with your content and relating it back to the reader along with ensuring you are making it all about them –– is the goal. It’s the vital decoration on the cake. This ensures you are on the same page. The same level as your audience.

According to a SocialMediaToday article; 65% of brands post online but don’t engage. It’s one of the easiest ways to make it all about your audience. It shows that you’re real and that you care enough to want to respond to them.

So, make your reader the star of the show. Make them want to read what you have to say. Give them the lead role in your business and brand copy and content.

The icing on the cake: the Hollywood ending with your reader?

We’re not dancing off into the sunset. That’s only for the movies. But you can do a waltz with your audience; with your reader.

It can be hard to add personality and a human touch when you can’t see that person’s face but there is a person behind every profile. Make your brand human by showcasing your human side in every part of your business copy and content.

Find a way to connect. Let’s get social and let’s be authentic in our interactions with our copy and content. Let your business message and your goal also be to resonate with your reader in every aspect of your content. Let your content spark a response. Let your content create a conversation. And let your content offer value and learning.

After all what are you trying to achieve if not to build relationships that create value but that ultimately create long-term, long-lasting opportunities for your brand and business?

And cut the cake: It’s the summary

Each and every piece of your business and brand content is as important as the other. It doesn’t matter what content or copy you are creating, whether it be a blog post, a video, an article or a short form post for social media. Your goal is to move the reader along. Guide them to then end. Create authority for you brand and business.

Take your audience on a journey. Squeeze the value into everything that you do. Make sure your goal for your business and brand content speaks to your reader and keeps the action going right from the start until the very end.

So, what do you think: is your business and brand content looking like it’s baked to perfection?

Don’t stop there: head on over to my other blogs at simplyamberlou.wordpress.com; or you can email me for help with your copy and content needs at ambersmith@simplyamberlou.com, or connect with me on LinkedIn at Amber L Smith Twitter @simplyamberlou, Facebook Amber L Smith and Instagram simplyamberloucopywriting.

This is what will make a successful communications strategy…

How do you communicate with your ideal target market?  Do you understand your audience and their language and engage with them in a way they will want to interact with? Implementing good copywriting into your marketing plan is key when contemplating effective communication strategies.

Why good copywriting is vital to your communications strategy?

In an ever-evolving online and offline world it is vital that you apply good copywriting strategies when wanting to engage with your consumers. Here are my 4 top tips that show why a good copywriting strategy is essential in today’s modern business plan;

1) It’s a marketing tool

Copywriting enables you to express who you are as a company and brand and convey that to your audience.

2) It showcases your expertise

Utilising copywriting as part of your communications strategy allows you to showcase your expertise and to create solutions for your consumers problems.

3) Talk to your audience

A good copywriter can help you to effectively speak to your audience. You can understand and write in a voice to suit your consumer.

4) More than a brand

A good copywriting strategy can create more than a brand. You can talk to your target audience and build rapport. It encourages your audience how to relate to and trust you.

You are more than the name they see. You are building a relationship with them. When utilised in conjunction with social media platforms it can assist in growing your online presence.

Written by Amber L Smith. Be sure to comment on and share this post, follow me on Twitter @Simplyamberlou, LinkedIn Amber L Smith and for further reading checkout my website for more articles…

Keep calm and carry on blogging….

There are times when I feel as if I have nothing to write.

When I’m preparing for writing my blog inspiration doesn’t always kick in just because I sit down to type. Do you push through? Do you take a break? Here are some of my ideas I use that may also be of help to you;

Finding the time and the place

It seems like such a simple suggestion- finding the time and place, and yet it is everything. The right time and setting can make all the difference.

You could try varying the time of day you write and where you write your blog. It may be that you choose different venues to work in. It could be a coffee shop, it could be another place in your home. It could be you take a break and take the dog for a walk and then try again.

Darren Rowse of ProBlogger offers advice on how to stay inspired and ways to avoid burnout: https://problogger.com/7-ways-to-stay-inspired-and-avoid-bloggers-burn-out/

He says, ‘The reality is we always want to do more than we can fit into the time we have. So I think it is important to be realistic and know how much time we can actually put into blogging and adjust our goals and expectations accordingly.’

Inspiration

Inspiration isn’t always natural and creativity doesn’t strike on cue.  It would be magical if at the tap of a few keys you had your genius blog idea and the fingers took over with little more than a flicker of a thought. However that isn’t always or ever going to be the case.

If the magic switch isn’t working then you can always try researching sites that exist on the search engines such as Google and see if they offer you new topics or headlines that you can use as inspiration to get those creative juices flowing.

If that’s not enough then Jeff Goins offers tips for new and veteran bloggers alike. You can view his tips here: https://goinswriter.com/blogging-tips/

Carry a pad or make notes on your phone

Do you carry a notepad or make notes on your phone? Try it. Whichever you prefer or you could try both. I quite like to switch between the two dependent on what’s to hand. I make notes of ideas, titles, words and I make note if I see something I like online that I may at some point want to write about. It could be you look at a similar topical idea and put your own spin on it.

It also helps to take the pressure off from having lots to occupy my mind by feeding it into the notes section of my phone or in a notebook. It offers a clear head, as well as the pathway for clear ideas.

There are various online note systems that you can utilise too, such as Evernote and Simplenote if you prefer to do it that way. Just research which will fit in with your needs and whether they are tools that work just as well on your mobile device as well as any other.

Goals

What are your goals? What are your strategies? Take time to figure out where it is that you’re headed or would like to head. What are your aspirations for your writing? I try to set aside time each week for more immediate goal making and every few months I plan ahead. It’s not fool-proof but helps me to stay on track.

Again have it written down. Have a mind map, a flow diagram, spider diagram: whatever it is that works for you.

Map and carve out your time each week around all of your commitments. What time do you have where? Does it allow for flexibility? If it does -be flexible with yourself. Keep calm and carry on writing. Push through the barrier, it will get easier and no you may not always have ideas right on cue when you need them, but you can pull ideas from your notes, from quotes you’ve heard, from stories you have already read. What’s topical? If it’s your genre then why not. What’s your opinion? Would your audience like it?

My advice would be to keep calm and carry on blogging: when the going gets tough-persevere. You’re not alone. Form a community of like-minded individuals around you and churn out suggestions with them if it would help. Sometimes sounding out loud to a friend or trusted colleague can be beneficial.

Whatever you need seek it. Carry on regardless. As always good luck! Let me know what tactics you pursue when writers/bloggers creative block strikes.

Does this resonate with you? Need a little help in taking the pressure off? Get in touch today and let’s chat. You can email me at ambersmith@simplyamberlou.com, and you can follow me on Twitter @simplyamberlou or LinkedIn Amber L Smith.

Jan Sargent of transforming performance posted this testimonial of my services via LinkedIn;

“I had some specific ideas in mind; things that I had experienced, and I felt related to the work that I do and may be of some interest to my clients, business contacts and connections on social media. Amber spent some time with me, getting to understand my audience and my ‘style’. We all have a unique ‘voice’ that we speak with to others and she totally understands the need to keep that authentic and the written pieces in keeping with my personality. She listened to my stories and the messages that I wanted to send. She worked very quickly; kept to the strict timescales and communicated with me in a professional and friendly way. She is a joy to work with and I would heartily recommend her to anyone looking to work with a creative and professional copywriter.”

Why not get in touch and let’s have an informal conversation on how best to help you move forward? I work on one-off pieces and can bespoke packages to suit your growing needs and demands. I can also offer a Kick Start programme. Send me a message to find out more.

I look forward to hearing from you…..

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