Time for me to be honest, I sometimes get hung up on what to blog about for my own business. I think it is something that many business professionals struggle with. In an attempt to come up with something unique, fresh and thought-provoking, the feature topic is often times over analyzed.

We all know that most people read blogs because they are looking for tips, opinions, or answers to a problem they are up against. They want to read something that is written by someone that has experience and passion about the topic.

But we also know that people are participating in blogs and other forms of social media because they are looking for interaction, engagement and ways of sharing their own expertise.

So the next time you get hit with writer’s block, why not turn your questions into topics.

If you come across a business problem and have difficulty finding resolution, you can do 1 of 2 things.

1. Turn your experience of finding the answer into a blog post.
2. Or simply post that you have a question and are interested in other professional’s expertise and opinion.

Either way, it may prompt dialog between you and colleagues, as well as potential clients, resulting in great networking potential. Not to mention some traffic for your site!

Blogging can really promote your business.

But before you worry too much about promoting your products or services, you should first focus your blog writing on bringing value to your readers. That means making an effort to share valuable information your readers can use whether they choose to make a purchase from you or not.

Add value: solve a problem
A blog is the perfect platform to establish yourself as an authority in your industry. If your business is landscaping and lawn care and you write a blog post titled “How to Get a Perfect Yard with Acme Weed Killer,” you are clearly putting your needs before your readers’.

Put more effort into establishing trust and becoming the go to person in your industry. Your readers would respond much better to a post titled, “10 Tips for Getting Rid of Weeds for Good.” This title sounds like it would have information any homeowner would be interested in learning.

Become an expert
Customers may not care much about Acme Weed Killer and what it claims to do, but they do care about their own yards and would welcome helpful lawn care tips. That adds value to the information you’re providing through your blog writing.

Focus your blog writing on bringing value to your readers instead of promoting your business and what you’re selling. You will build a community of loyal followers who will do business with you based on your expert advice and the information you share.

The key to creating content (copy) for your website, blog and press materials is to consider your audience.

You must give your readers fresh, useful, newsworthy information that they’ll use.

• Determine what topics will interest them.
• Make a list of online and offline publications that will help you stay up-to-date and be sure to read them regularly.
• Become an expert on all things relating to the services or products you are selling and the people who need them.
• Pay attention to the questions your clients and prospects are asking you. Chances are, your answers will be of interest to your audience.
• Check out blogs, forums and other online networking sites. What are people talking about?
• Take general news and tie it into the specific needs and wants of your market.

Technorati Tags: website content, blog content, press materials, business press release content, article content, writing business content, Allison Nazarian

Your copy may read so beautifully that it brings tears to your eyes. Your graphics may be drop-dead gorgeous. Your bells and whistles may be spectacular in your eyes.

But…if you aren’t really addressing the very real needs and problems of your target market, all of the copy, design and bells and whistles are, well, for naught.

This is truer today than ever before as the bulk of content is written for an online environment. Your marketing needs to be based upon delivering content that is relevant to your audience’s needs and wants AND that is pleasing the search engines.

What will get your marketing pieces read and, better yet, acted upon, by the appropriate people? A strategy, based on content (the “meat” of your message) above all else. I don’t say this because of what I know and do, I say it because it is the truth: Without content that works, your business will not work (or grow, or sell or move forward). Period.

Technorati tags: content marketing, copywriting, marketing copy, marketing

Recently, Patsi Krakoff of The Blog Squad, interviewed me on the topic of content marketing. She compiled an overview of our time together and did a great job of showcasing the highlights.

Although she asked many great questions, I believe this one was especially meaningful:

What advice would you give to others in your profession about using content for marketing?

The “hard sell” approach is a thing of the past and a real-turnoff to most potential customers/clients. Use real information (content) and tie what you do/what you offer into that – someone won’t just “take your word” for it that you are the best – you need to SHOW THEM and content/information is the best way to do it. Become a resource and then you have a follower (and a client – if they are part of your target market) for life.

You can find the full interview here.

Technorati tags:web content, content marketing, web writing, blog writing, web copy

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s a bloggy, blog world out there. Blogs are in fact everywhere. They are an intricate part of business and of the Internet presence of corporations and individuals.

Why? Because they are one of the most effective and economical forms of Internet marketing available today. The very reasons your competitor has a blog are the very reasons you should as well.

Blogs are the perfect place to show off knowledge and expertise, available products, affiliate relationships, market news, industry trends and much, much more IF (and this is a big IF) they are updated regularly with relevant content.

All too often, blogs are neglected shortly after their creation. And let me tell you, as someone who visits countless blogs over the course of a work-week, there is nothing worse than visiting a blog that hasn’t been updated in months, or even worse, a blog that not only isn’t current, but doesn’t contain information that is relevant to the intended purpose of the blog. (Or is too pushy, or not professional or in some way “off.”)

My advice: Level the playing field and establish a blog for your business. If you already have a blog, work it! If and when you do this right and update regularly with relevant content, you will see the results through increased Internet traffic, inquiries and eventually in sales.

Technorati Tags – blog content,blog writing,writing for the web,seo,
writing for blogs