Creating Killer Blog Content that Builds Your Business Can Be Fast & Easy

Post on 08-May-2015

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Sure, there are plenty of places you can get free or nearly free content. But if you’re using your blog to market yourself and your business, crappy articles and a constant parade of guest posts are going to hurt far more than they help. This WordCamp Raleigh presentation talked about how to quickly and easily create compelling, quality content that turns prospects into customers and clients. We’ll cover how to write titles that “had them at hello,” painless ways to write posts that highlight your expertise, and even a few secrets from the copywriting world that get visitors' attention and keep them coming back for more.

Transcript of Creating Killer Blog Content that Builds Your Business Can Be Fast & Easy

Creating Fast, Business-Building Content for Your Blog

Tracy NeedhamCopywriter & Marketing Coach

Compelling Communications, LLC

@TracyNeedhamwww.compellingmarketingblog.com

Lots of Ways to Get FAST Content…

• Free article sites• Guest bloggers• RSS feeds• Link round-ups

Caution

• Paying cheap freelancers• Private label article packsNo-Go

Blog Content Can Help Build Your Business By…

Know, Like & Trust (KLT) Factor

68% of people said they'd be more likely to trust a company if the

message is coming from “a person like me”

More Specifically…Attracting More Prospects

Use your blog by…Promoting posts on social networks

Including keywords to attract search engine traffic

Re-publishing posts on article sites

Referring to blog posts that answer someone’s question in a forum

More Specifically…Turning Prospects into Clients/Customers

Blogs help by…Creating a rapport with them—so you’re

“like them” Becoming a resource & demonstrating

your expertiseBuilding a relationship time—esp. getting

subscribers

More Specifically…Turning Prospects into Clients/Customers

Blogs help by…

Communicating the full value of what you

do

Setting you apart from the pack

Zapping objections and answering

questions

More Specifically…Creating More Content

Combine posts into ebook format to create…

• Free reports to give away as bonuses, attract subscribers

• Create information products to sell—can easily add audio, checklists, etc.

More Specifically…Creating More Content

Blog out content for books and products you

know you want to create

David Meerman Scott, The New Rules of Marketing & PR

Elements of Killer Content

How-To

Resources

Personalit

y

Personality Counts…

Give opinions Make comments as

(asides) Include stories and

mentions of your life

Create videos

But above all…be REAL.

Photo source: Thomas Hawk on Flickr Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 2.0 Generic license

Ideas for Good, Fast Business-Building Content

Questions prospects & clients frequently ask Problem you resolved for someone Favorites & resources Quick book review or summary Recap meeting or workshop attended

Ideas for Good, Fast Business-Building Content

Comments on other blogs & forum posts Pieces of other content you’ve already

created Your thoughts on a Twitter trending topic Audio recordings Borrow a You Tube video

My Favorite Blog Post

You Tube Video: The Vendor Client Relationship

Attracted 1,500+ visitors & post mentioned in a

Marketing Sherpa email newsletter

Hate to Write?

• Free conference lines• Audacity• Hire a transcriber

from Odesk, etc• Google Voice

Photo Source: Ana Santos on Flickr Attribution NoDerivs 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License

What About Promoting Your Biz?

95%

5%

EducationalPromotional

Chris

Other Must-Have Content for Your Blog

About Me pageServices/Products page or link toFree report for subscribingContact information

3 Tips from the Copywriting World for

More Compelling Content

1. Have Them at HelloAsk a questionMake it problem-orientedAddress a specific audienceImply there’s a specific solution to pique

their curiosity – Use “These” Use numbers

Killer Blog Titles

For ideas…

•Flip through a magazine--National Enquirer, Cosmo

•Visit sites such as HuffingtonPost.com

•Tried-and-true template such as… “how to….” “# of ways/steps/secrets”

Remember…

You’re writing for humans…not spiders!

2. Speak Their Language

• The words THEY would use themselves• Keeping in mind what’s most important to

THEM• Stories they can relate to• Familiar metaphors and references• Let them speak for themselves

That Means NO… Geek speak Professional jargon Consultantese Expert speak Unidentified Flying Acronyms

3. Use Words that Tap Emotions•Emotions may play a bigger role than we

think in EVERY decision we make.

•Group of people w/brain injuries just to areas responsible for emotions. Everything else normal. But could never make decision—even about something like what to eat.

16 Dominant Emotions to Trigger Powerful Copy!

1.Anger2.Betrayal3.Revenge4.Fear5.Frustration6.Greed7.Happiness8.Hope

9. Love/Caring10. Passion11. Relaxation12. Sadness13. Security14. Shame15. Powerlessness

16. Urgency

Today, We Covered…

•13 ways blog content can help attract and convert more prospects to clients and customers

•The 3 essential elements of killer content

•10 ways to create good, relatively fast content

•3 key tips from sales copywriting to make your blog writing more effective

Questions? Contact Me…

Tracy NeedhamCopywriter & Marketing CoachCompelling Communications, LLC919.829.1539tracy@compellingcomm.comwww.compellingcomm.comwww.compellingmarketingblog.com

@TracyNeedham