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Marketing Tips February 2010
The Three Components of a Successful BlogSo you just saw a juicy news story about your industry, and you can’t wait to comment on it in your blog. It’s the perfect venue to present your informed opinion and be recognized as a voice to be heard. But wait! Are you just commenting on the story, or are you planning to gain sales from your entry? Are you writing to professionals in your field, or are you educating an uninformed prospective clientele? Are you writing about your business values to readers who share those values, or are you hoping to persuade others to look at a new viewpoint? Before you begin writing, you need to know the answers to all these questions: those answers will determine the content and tone of your blog entry. Know Your Audience This is the #1 rule of professional copywriters – that is, writers who produce marketing materials geared to sell. I ‘ve been told again and again by clients, “Our audience is, well, Everybody!” So what does “Everybody” need – in detail? What makes “Everybody” excited? Irritable? Eager to buy? What problems does “Everybody” need to solve – right now? The truth is – there is no such thing as a product or service that “Everybody” needs for the same purpose or reason. As a simple example, one person uses baking soda with vinegar to unclog drains; someone else uses it in their cat’s litterbox; someone else uses it to clean the oil stains on their garage floor. To communicate effectively with your audience, you need to know them and approach them as individuals with unique needs, problems, and expectations. Know Your Mission While the topics you discuss can follow a sequence or be based purely on your whim of the moment, it’s important to have a mission for your blog. So for example, let’s say you are a green business wanting to extend your clientele beyond a few well-informed clients. You’d probably want to gear your blog toward educating prospects about the benefits you offer that mainstream businesses in your field don’t…benefits that can make their lives healthier and more cost-effective, as well as easier on the earth. If you’re offering very high-tech products, you’d probably want to help prospective clients understand what they do and how they work, so they could make good buying decisions. Such a blog might have the mission of making sales. Or, if you are a business consultant or life coach, your blog might have a mission of inspiring or motivating prospective clients – crafting a message that they would look forward to seeing on a regular basis. Your goal would be to become a positive force for good in their lives, gaining their trust to earn their business. Know Your Message Your message proceeds from your mission…for example, in the case of the green business, the message might be “Going green can yield measurable benefits for your home or business, while helping the earth.” Or in the case of the high-tech blog, it might be “Our products are complex, but the process of choosing them doesn’t need to be – let us help you.” For the coach/consultant, the message may be as simple as “Let me help you make your life or business easier to manage.” This is the theme underlying all your posts. Approach your audience with a message that provides a solution to their known needs – not with a message based on the information you think they should hear. Sound Overwhelming? If you see your blog as one more item on an overloaded “to do” list, this perspective may seem a little overwhelming. To start taking a strategic approach to your blog, it can help to consult with a professional copywriter with experience in online content. Call Your Words’ Worth for support ( or for ghost-blogging), at 410-362-2982. Phila Hoopes
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