Blogging

As Google constantly changes its algorithms, quality content is now more important than ever. But if you outsource your content needs quality content doesn't come cheap, but don't let financial matters cloud your judgement unless you're happy for your website to disappear from sight. Everything you put on the web will reflect on your company. One naff article or poorly written blog post could have a detrimental effect on your online visibility and reputation. Not only that, but if you insist on every piece of content being a blatant sales message your traffic is going to take a nose dive. You see, quality is important. If you're still not convinced, or need a bit more ammunition to convince the holder of the purse strings, here are 6 points that are worth remembering. 1. Reputation Already mentioned, but so important I'll say it again - ...

Did you know that 80% of corporate blogs don't get beyond a fifth post? Who would have guessed that running a blog could be so difficult? Well the reality is that it isn't difficult to run, so where are the corporates going wrong? Commitment Like any long-term relationship, you have to show commitment. A blog is and should be a marketing tool that you will use for many years, mainly because it takes time to build a following and reputation. Producing new ideas day after day is tough so it may be an idea to pull in a number of staff members to regularly contribute. One thing that you may also want to consider is to find a professional copywriter to work with on a long-term basis. Not necessarily to write the posts for you, ...

For many, content marketing is seen as one of online marketing's necessary evils. Yes, it brings greater visibility, higher rankings (with a bit of luck) and a potential boost to customer service, which all helps your bottom line. But it does mean you either have to find the time to write the stuff yourself, delegate or hire in the services of a copywriter. The other big aspect is that it will only work if people can find your articles, so how can you make sure your writing is being found and being read? On the surface that sounds like a tough one, but the following points should help. Over here! If only your blog posts and articles could jump up and down to grab the attention of potential readers. Well they can't, but by checking your Google analytics you ...

As an online marketer your search engine optimisation strategy should be led by content and that means blogging. Some love it, some hate it, but regardless of your feelings about the whole thing blogging is something that has to be done if you want to get your business high up in the Google rankings and yourself a reputation as an expert in your field. Sorry, that's the bottom line - you really don't have a choice in the matter. If you don't believe me, here are a few stats courtesy of Hubspot to back me up about companies that blog: They get 55% more visitors They have 97% more inbound links They have 434% more indexed pages As if that wasn't enough evidence for you, 57% of companies that blog have acquired at least one customer because of it. Now are you convinced? Building your blog Making the ...

Writing guest blogs is a great way to get your writing (and name) out to a wider audience. So how do you pitch for guest slots? Let's clear one thing up straight away - just because you send an idea or a post to a blogger and ask them to publish it, doesn't mean they have to accept it. It's their blog so its their right to choose if they want to have guest bloggers, the type of post they publish and the type of tone/approach they want for their readers. So how do you pitch your ideas? A bad start If you want to impress the blogger and build a relationship with them, here's what not to do: Send in a post asking for it to be published without researching their blog first Constantly chasing them when you don't hear anything A good start The first thing to do is research: find blog(s) that you can write ...

There are lots of companies out there who generate loads of white papers. These documents are used to outline a particular issue faced by their customers and how it can be resolved. The are a mix between a brochure that highlights the benefits of a product or service and an educational article, conveying technical information in a marketing format. But once published they are all too frequently left to gather dust in an archive somewhere. The information contained within the white papers is hugely valuable,  so surely it makes sense to make the most of it? Make your white papers go further White papers can be relatively short, or they can go on for 50 pages or more; that's a lot of information. One of the best ways to get a bit more mileage out of them is to re-purpose the content for your ...

If you're going to blog for your business, you must make sure every single post you publish makes an impact. The reasons people read blogs are: They want to learn something They enjoy reading people’s opinions They can connect with the reader on a personal level They are informative and entertaining But the main reason is that they are personal. Every post is written by a person, they are full of personality. So, if no one is reading your blog posts, there probably isn't enough of you in it. Getting personal Every reader that comes to your blog is building a relationship with you. You'll probably never meet them, but they believe they know you. They can tell a lot about you and your personality through your writing. The style you use, your opinions and subject matter all help them build up a picture of what you’re ...

A big part of getting your name 'out there' to be seen as an expert in your field is blogging. Writing posts for your own blog, asking other bloggers to review your products, or submitting guest posts to other blogs are all great ways of building links and widening your audience. But successfully pitching to other bloggers is key if you want your guest posts to be accepted. After all, most bloggers are inundated with requests for help daily, so the trick is to make yours stand out. Getting noticed 1. Don't be generic You may think you're being clever and saving time by sending out one generic email to loads of bloggers, but it's a seriously bad idea. If they get 2 emails - one that is addressed to them specifically, mentions their blog and shows a ...

Everyone knows you use keywords in your web copy (and website structure) as part of your search engine optimisation strategy. But they are not just purely for your website. If you also blog and dabble in article marketing, you also need to use your keywords if you want your content to be found. The problem with that is, because many people are desperate for their content to come up in the search results, they end up cramming their keywords into their writing. In fact, sometimes it gets so bad it renders the writing completely unreadable and it certainly doesn't give value to the reader. But does that really matter? After all, the content is just there to build links, right? Wrong. Yes, it is there to build links, but it is also representing you and your company. Can you imagine the damage that ...

Who said corporate blogs have to be boring? Well someone must have at some point because most of them are. They're filled with posts that are long, tedious and incredibly boring. But it doesn't have to be that way. The act of blogging in itself will help companies: Boost their SEO and link building Position themselves as market leaders Provide great customer service But only if their content is interesting, accessible and not full of jargon. What follows are 12 pointers to help you create an interesting and readable blog for your company. 1. Personal It's important that your personality comes through in your blog posts. Write in the second person so you make a connection with your reader. Make sure the stuff you write about is actually what your readers want to see. Don't forget just because something interests you, doesn't mean it's going to interest them. Place ...

What is the one thing that will make your blog stand out from all the rest (other than great content)? Your voice. How you put across your information, your style, personality and voice will all me major factors that attract people to your blog and encourage then to stay. You must make sure your voice and personality are 'heard' and not an imitation of your favourite blogger. Be you, be proud How do you make sure your personality shines through? 1. Think about how you want to come across Before you start blogging, think about how you want to present yourself. Do you want to be seen as being: Formal or informal? Conversational and chatty? Amusing? Factual and to the point? Once you've decided on the best fit for you make sure you continue in the same style for all your posts. 2. Inject your ...

Content generation is vital if you want to boost your online presence. But how can you make sure people find your content? If it can't be found people won't read it, and if people don't read it there won't be a constant stream of traffic to your website. A bit of a problem. Well, this post looks at how you can make sure people find your content. Making sure people find your stuff 1. Research You are writing for a specific audience, therefore it's essential you research that audience and find out what they want to read about. What is it that interests them? What problems are they facing that they need help with? Basically, you can't start writing for them until you know the answers to those questions. 2. Call to action Once they do find your content, remember to ask them to do ...

If you are still a blogging sceptic, take a look at this statistic: Companies that blog get 55% more website visitors than those that don't and 57% of companies with a blog have acquired a customer from it (Hubspot) So you see, blogging isn't a waste of time. It really can do wonders for your business. But once you've taken the plunge and set up your blog, what then? This post looks at how to get started in the wonderful world of blogging. Why do you want to blog? If you've decided to  take the plunge, you've probably worked out that: It will help your search engine rankings It will position you as an expert in your field It's a way of getting fresh content our there and strengthen your web presence Fantastic. But before you get going you'll need a strategy. Starting out First, you must decide what ...

Guest blogging for someone else is a great way to boost your exposure and that of your business. But how do you go about it? Well, here are a few tips how not to go about it. How not to be accepted as a guest blogger Falling at first base What follows is a list of ways you will kill your chances of being accepted as a guest blogger: Send a spam pitch - don't 'blanket' email, send a personal approach and show them you've studied their blog and readership Get the name wrong - if you call them, or their blog, by an incorrect name your email will be deleted Waffle - the blog owner is a busy person so don't waffle; get to the point No research - if you send an idea for an insurance blog post to a social media expert, you'll be deleted Soft soap - forget flattery, they know how great they are, offer ...

Why should you blog? Well, it boosts your online exposure, positions you as an expert in your field and can drive traffic to your website as part of your search engine optimisation strategy. All you need is a blog, some ideas and a bit of time. It sounds easy, doesn't it? The problem is there are still many people out there getting it wrong. To make sure you don't, here are some of the most common mistakes made by bloggers: 1. Who is your audience? If your blog is to be successful, you must know who your audience is and what they want to know. This blog is about copywriting, marketing and social media because that is the type of thing my audience are interested in. If I suddenly started writing about organic fruit, my readers would get pretty fed up and head off to a blog that told them what they wanted to ...

Search engine optimisation isn't a great mystery. Yes, it will help you get found in the search results, but when it comes to copy on your website, the most important thing to remember is to write for your reader and not the search engines.Blogging is a great way to promote yourself and your business, but making sure your blogs get found by searchers is a whole different ball game. That's why it's important to remember the power of your page title. The problem is that many people get confused about the difference between a page title and a post title. The post title is as it would suggest, the name you give to your blog post. Your page title is automatically generated when you write your posts and therefore tends to be the same, as shown in  the image below:

'I don't have time' or 'it's a complete waste of time' (which usually translates into 'I don't understand it') are 2 of the most common responses when people are asked why they're not using social media as part of their marketing strategy. But those that have taken the time to understand the mechanics of social media and the effects it can have on your business profile, realise that blogging, facebook interaction and Twitter can all boost business and credibility. Many people still think its a passing fad - nope, it's still here. Many people think the only way to market it through old fashioned cold calling and mail shots - nope, most people won't buy from a cold caller. So if you are one of the stalwarts who refuses to acknowledge the benefits of social media, let me ask you... How ...

Blogging is a great way to get your name 'out there' and share your knowledge with the world. Plus, it's a great tool to have as part of your search engine optimisation strategy because it will help you build back links to your website. But you already know that because you've already set up your blog and are ready to start writing. Are you ready to lead the life of a blogger? Do you have what it takes to generate an endless stream of interesting content that will keep your readers coming back for more? Blogging is a commitment. It can be hard work, but it can also be immensely satisfying and rewarding. So if you're not sure whether you've got what it takes, here are 5 things you're going to need if you want to succeed - how many do you have? 1. ...

Writing guest blogs is a great way to boost your online exposure. But you must never get so wrapped in your own self promotion that you lose sight of the blog you're writing for. Being allowed to guest once is great, but it's even better to be invited back again. So here are my 6 top tips to writing great guest blogs and to get asked back. 1. Audience Understanding the audience you're writing for is key. Read through some past posts that have appeared on the blog to get a feel for the style of what the audience is reading. Find out the type of topics that are covered and make sure your suggested blog fits withing the scope of the blog. If it doesn't you're unlikely to get a slot. 2. Bluffing's bad A lot of people out there will hunt down high rankings blogs only. But what if you're not an expert in ...

    First of all, congratulations for getting your blog set up and for publishing posts. Another blogger is born. But is it going as well as you'd hoped? Have you noticed that not only is your readership not growing, your visitor numbers are actually dwindling? The problem is that you're not being effective - your posts are simply not hitting the spot. A crash course on becoming an effective blogger Number 1 Read one of your posts - be honest, does it grab you? Are you writing in the second person (you and your), rather than the first (I and we)? By making a simple change like this, your posts will directly address the reader, drawing them into your post. You'll build rapport and trust. Number 2 If your posts are a single block of text, you need to work on your layout skills. People are put off by loads of solid text, ...

  Some people take to social media like a duck to water, others find it slightly trickier to get to grip with how to use it and how to get the most from it. If you are not sure about how to use social media and fear falling foul of what is seen as the correct etiquette, this blog post is for you. By the time you read the last word, you’ll be ready and raring to go. Most people find the biggest hurdles in social media (whether that’s Twitter, Facebook or blogging) are: Not knowing what to say Not sure how to say what they want to say Not knowing how to interact with other people Don’t worry, all is about to become clear. Let’s get right back to basics. Your social media look Don’t worry, this isn’t a blogging version of How to ...

  Judging by the number of spam comments I receive every day on my blogs, many people appear to be under the impression that adding comments to blogs is a great way to gather links for their own website. Apart from it being very annoying for the blog owner, commenting doesn’t really have that kind of effect. The only way your comment will drive traffic to your website is if you have something interesting to say. In my experience there are 2 types of spammers: those who don’t try and hide what they’re doing because they leave comments riddled with hyperlinks to other websites; and those who just leave total gibberish. If you want to be seen as a good blog commenter and add value, here are a few tips for you. 1. Read How can you leave a worthwhile comment if you haven’t actually read ...

  One of the most important aspects of your SEO strategy is the generation of back links. One of the best ways to do that is to blog. Constantly adding fresh content, in the form of blog posts, will help drive traffic to your website, enable you to build a constant stream of back links and attract links to your website. Blogging will also: Add value to your relationships with your customers Position you as an expert in your field Boost your online exposure because you’ll own more of the web No matter what your market sector, you can utilise the power of blogging to drive more traffic to your website and improve your rankings. Of course, you do have to come up with a constant stream of ideas. Idea generation Trust me, you have a wealth of ideas to write about – you just have to ...

  Content marketing online, gives you the power to educate, communicate, influence people and attract a continuous stream of potential customers. But you must have a strategy. Jumping in without thinking rarely works. You must be realistic and understand that results won’t happen over night. To make it work you need patience and perseverance. As a freelance copywriter, I’ve been content marketing since 2007 and it does work – you just need to understand the process and have a plan. What’s your content marketing plan? If you want readers to read what you write, you must have empathy for them and the problems they face. Writing ...

  Most people will either love social media or hate it – with the odd few thrown in who simply don’t ‘get it’. But the problem is for those who hate or don’t ‘get it’, social media is here to stay and it will continue to grow. We’ve already seen Google join the party with Google+ so your days of keeping it at arms length are numbered. It’s time to join in. Personally I love it. Working as a freelance copywriter it has helped me not only gain new clients but its also enabled me to meet great people, boost my online exposure and find people to ...

  In the good old days customers would communicate with you via letter, phone or in person. Today things are very different. Now they can send you a tweet, post a comment on your blog or leave you a message on Facebook. In the past if someone was unhappy with your service the ‘bad press’ was usually limited to a few of their friends and family (unless it was seriously bad service and the wrote to the Editor of your local paper). Now a single tweet or Facebook message could potentially be seen by millions. Now, more than ever, you must have procedures in place to deal with social media communications. ...

  You’ve heard it time and time again that blogging will help your business’s online exposure. You’ve probably got your blog set up ready to go but there’s a question lurking in the back of your mind… How do I start blogging? If you’ve got this far you’ve probably already answered the question “why do I want to blog?” Just in case you haven’t, you need to think about it carefully. A blog is an online platform from which  you can give your opinion and offer tips and advice. It will add value to your customers and provide a rich source of back links for your website. ...

  Getting someone to find your website is one thing. Encouraging them to read your content while they are there is something entirely different. If you market your business online you probably spend hours producing content that is designed to promote you and your business and build links. To target your audience you would have done a mountain of research to come up with a list of topics for your blog posts, articles and website copy.   Once you’ve uploaded your fantastic value-laden information and hit publish… …absolutely nothing happens. No matter how often you check there are no tweets (not even ...

  STOP – LOOK – LISTEN Those three words were probably drilled into you when you were a child. You would also do well to remember them when copywriting. That might seem a strange thing to say but when creating sales and marketing content, many people just dive straight in. That’s because it’s usually one of those jobs that is squeezed in between other projects. And there’s the problem – content creation shouldn’t be seen as one of those jobs you have to fit in now and then. It’s vital for your business from an SEO perspective and for getting your message out to ...

  Are you a serial blogger? You know, the type of person who churns out a post, forgets about it and then churns out the next. The content you produce for your blog is very valuable so you must make the most of it. Unlike other forms of communication, a blog post won’t disappear or be used as tomorrow’s chip wrapper. Once you’ve hit ‘publish’ it’s up to you to make the most of that content and keep it alive. If you want a long shelf life on everything you post, follow these 6 simple steps. 1.  Follow up The world is constantly changing so your original ...