How’d Your Blog Get So Blah, Blah, Boring?
May 25, 2010When I talk to Roxy and Smokey, I suspect all they hear is:
“Blah, blah, blah…. treat!”
“Blah, blah, blah…. walk!”
“Blah, blah, blah…. cookie!”
Most of what I babble on about is irrelevant to their little lives. But once in a while I hit on something that is really important to them. The rest, well, they’ll just put up with it because that’s what dogs do.
When people visit your blog, do they read “blah, blah, blah”?
Or do their ears perk up because you’re hitting on things that really speak to them?
Unlike my dogs, who are devoted to me regardless of my blah, blah, blahing, your blog readers don’t have time to sift through the blah blahs until they get to something good. The nanosecond they feel a hint of boredom, they’ll just click away.
You’re fascinating. (All of us are!) Yet when it comes to our blogs, many of us aren’t doing justice to our captivating personalities and spellbinding ideas.
So just how did your blog get so boring? I think there are some common culprits for the boringitis that’s infesting so many blogs right now. Here are a few of them.
Laziness… or is it thoughtlessness? Occasionally, laziness is the culprit behind a boring blog. Instead of coming up with their own ideas, people rehash the overused ideas of others. PLR articles, even rewritten, can kill a blog. Hiring a ghostwriter to write a generic article on a generic topic, without giving any input of your own, will result in blah blah blog posts.
Maybe it’s not true laziness that’s the problem here… It might be just that these boring bloggers haven’t realized it’s not the blogging that matters. It’s the personal investment that goes into your blog that counts.
Overly focused on being the expert. Current internet culture puts high value on being the “expert.” To a degree, I understand that. As consumers, of course we want to work with people who know what they’re talking about.
But I have to confess, this idea of being an “expert” has always bothered me a little. I want to work with real people. Not experts who stand aloof, preaching that they know better than everyone else… and forget to mention that they’re real people too.
You’ve heard the saying, “people buy from people they know like and trust.” The key word for me in there is “people.” Be a real one.
Not enough time. You may have heard blogging experts pronounce that having no time is no reason not to blog. To an extent, I agree. You can write a quickie blog post in 15 minutes.
But to be fair to everyone who cries out that they’re too busy to blog (and to my clients who have their days scheduled down to the last five minute increment with not a second spare for blogging) there’s a lot more that goes into a blog post than just the writing of it. There’s planning the overall role that your blog will play in your business. There’s choosing topics to write about. The actual writing of the blog fits in there somewhere. Then there’s taking the time to schedule it or publish it depending on your schedule. Sometimes, that’s just too much to ask.
If your blog isn’t working for you - i.e. bringing you traffic and customers and earning you money – it might be worth asking yourself why. And what you’re going to do about it.
Maybe it’s time to insert a few of your more outrageous opinions. (I know you have them!) Or reveal that you’re not always perfect – you face the same challenges your readers do. (We all know you do anyway, so you might as well admit it.) Perhaps it’s time to consider outsourcing some of your blogging – whether it be the planning, writing, or even the publishing.
Once you show your readers that you know what they really want to hear from you, you’ll have them salivating for more.
DeniseTopics: Blogging, Ghostwriting, Writing that Matters | No Comments »
Why Being Nice is Bad for Your Business
May 19, 2010Growing up, I was always taught to be a “nice” girl. It may have something to do with coming from a Mennonite background. Or maybe that’s just how people expected girls to behave back in the ’70s.
If someone disagreed with you, you would just admit that they were right. When someone made a mistake, a nice girl (or guy) wouldn’t embarrass them by pointing it out – even if it was for their benefit. Someone wronged you? Tell them you’re sorry (for what, I’m still not sure) and then get over it.
As a basically “nice” person, I went along with it for a while. But then I began to realize that my being “nice” usually ended up hurting me, my friends and family. Even the people I worked with.
If you’ve been playing “nice” in your business, stop it right now. Because you’re not only not being fair to yourself. You’re misleading your clients/market as to who you really are. Your ideal client is never going to find you if you’re faking being something you’re not. And you’re going to miss out on all the fulfillment that you thought becoming an entrepreneur would bring.
Is being nice hurting your business? Here’s a quick “nice” quiz I came up with:
- Have you ever accepted work you didn’t really want because you don’t like saying no?
- Have you ever charged less than you really wanted to (or knew you should) because you wanted to be nice?
- Do you have good reason to disagree with a current trend in your industry but don’t want to say so because it wouldn’t be… well… nice?
- Have you ever not posted your true opinion on a popular industry blog or forum because you worried it wouldn’t be considered nice?
If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, your “niceness” is hurting you and your business.
Don’t feel too badly, though. I’ve been guilty of every one of those transgressions too at some time or another. So, you know you’re in good company.
But what is a well-intentioned, not-so-nice business owner to do?
First of all, set boundaries for yourself. I think knowing your niche is part of that. Know what work you will do, what you won’t do. You’ll be happier and so will your clients.
Know what you charge, and then stick to it. Your rates are no place to play nice. This is your business and if you want to stick around to help people in the future, you need to make a decent income at what you do.
And say what you really think. Please. The internet is already crammed full of boring ideas that have been nicely yet excruciatingly boringly repeated by too many other people.
Write articles that reflect your own opinions, not rehash someone else’s. Post blogs that get people thinking and questioning what they thought they knew. Let people know you – the real you. Not the nice you that you think we all want to see. Nice is boring. And it’s not really you anyway.
Which is all we’re really asking for. For you to be true about who you really are. To be honest with your clients/market about what you can do for them. To let us know if we’re your ideal client, or if we should save both of us a lot of wasted time and stress and just keep looking for someone who does think we’d be the perfect fit.
Doesn’t sound so nice, does it? Well, tell them you’re sorry and then get over it. Besides, once you stop being nice and start being real, you’ll be too busy enjoying your business and the people you work with to worry about it .
Topics: Blogging, Writing that Matters, article marketing | No Comments »
How to Set Up an Editorial Calendar for Your Blog
May 4, 2010Last week I wrote about using an editorial calendar for your blog. Planning your blog posts ahead of time makes it easier to write them, helps you blog regularly, and can even inspire some of your tweets and Facebook updates.
An “editorial calendar” sounds so official… Do you want to know what mine really is? It’s a notebook that I carry around with me in my purse. My best blogging ideas come when I’m far away from my computer. So, I’ve made some columns in a little notebook and when brilliance strikes (or flickers momentarily) I jot down my ideas. Later on, I go back and add some dates and a more detailed description of what I want to say.
For my clients, though, I usually use Google Docs to maintain their editorial calendars. There we can collaborate on ideas, topics, notes that they want included. When I ghostwrite the blog posts, this collaborative process is invaluable. It helps me capture my client’s voice in the post. Google Docs would also work for joint blogs.
When you’re maintaining an editorial calendar for your own blog, you can be as formal or informal as you like. You can use a spreadsheet with columns for dates, topics, and other notes. You could use any other type of document that you’re comfortable with as well. Google Calendar works too. So does the guinea pig calendar you have hanging on your office wall (or is that just me?).
When you’re setting up an editorial calendar for your blog, you have a lot of options. Which one is best? The one you’ll actually use, of course!
DeniseTopics: Blogging | No Comments »
Announcing Office Hours with Denise
May 3, 2010With all this social networking going on, sometimes it still seems like people don’t really connect with each other. You know? So, I’m trying out a new social tool – my telephone. Hey, you might have one too!
Why don’t you engage and give me a call next week?
Next Monday, I’m launching Office Hours with Denise. For two hours each week, I’ll be sitting here by my phone, eagerly anticipating your phone call.
You’re invited to call me up and chat about whatever’s on your mind. We can check out your blog or website content together. Talk about your upcoming book or the articles you’re writing. Working at home, starting an online business, homeschooling the kids, or even about our dogs. It’s all fair game.
Really, I just want to learn more about the people I’m hooking up with online, and I want to give you the chance to get to know me better too.
The hours will vary each week, because I’m a busy mom and dog owner as well as a full-time entrepreneur. But you can find out about my open office hours each week by visiting my Facebook page.
I’m looking forward to talking (for real!) with you soon.
DeniseTopics: Blogging, Ghostwriting, Press Release Marketing, Publicity, article marketing, book marketing | No Comments »
Do You and Your Blog Need a Date Night?
April 30, 2010Is your blog feeling a little lonely these days? Maybe the two of you need to schedule a date.
Sure, planning your blog posts ahead of time lacks the fun spontaneity that we sometimes like to associate with blogging. But, with everything it takes to run a business, sometimes waiting for the moment to be “just right” to capture your thoughts means you’ll be waiting a long, long time.
That’s why I’ve started using an editorial calendar for my blog. And why I’m recommending my clients do too.
An editorial calendar is simply a document where I track the dates I want to blog, the topic I want to cover on each of those dates, and some of the main points I want to include.
Because it’s been “scheduled” it’s a lot easier for me to make blogging a priority. And because I’ve preplanned what I want to say, it’s a lot quicker to get the thoughts out of my head, onto my computer screen, and into my readers’ RSS feeds. They are much more useful there than swirling around in my head.
Here’s another bonus of using an editorial calendar: you can take the notes you make for your blog posts and preplan some of your Facebook posts and Twitter tweets too.
Granted, none of this sounds very romantic. But it does help you maintain your commitment to your blog. And if you do have a moment where you just want to be impulsive and add an unplanned post, you can go right ahead. After all, it’s those little spur-of-the-moment gestures that keep things between you and your blog so exciting, and shows your readers a bit more of the authentic you.
~ Denise
DeniseTopics: Blogging | 1 Comment »
Some of My Favorite Rain Quotes
April 28, 2010
Today I’ve been listening to the spring rain fall outside of my office window for most of the day – except for those hours when it decided to snow instead.
Falling rain is such a therapeutic and relaxing sound. So, with so much rain on my mind, I wanted to share some of my favorite “rain quotes” with you.
I hope these quotes add some peaceful feelings, and maybe a little inspiration, to your day too.
“No person has the right to rain on your dreams.”
Marian Wright Edelman
“Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet.”
Roger Miller
“Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life.”
John Updike
“The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“Don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.”
Satchel Paige
Topics: Writing that Matters | No Comments »
How to Get Your Book Reviewed on Blogs
February 5, 2010Book reviews are an easy and effective way to promote your book. People like hearing about new books and what others think of them.
You’ve probably seen book reviews published in your local newspaper or in your favorite magazines. You may even have seen them on T.V. during news or talk shows.
Those are all good places to have your book reviewed, of course. But newspaper columnists, magazine writers and television hosts simply don’t have time to review every book that comes their way. And as popular as they are, their audience may not be the ideal audience for your book.
If you want to reach a lot of people with your book very quickly, try having your book reviewed on blogs that are popular with your target market.
Why Ask Bloggers to Review Your Book?
Bloggers and often overlooked but powerful social influencers. Well known bloggers have thousands, and sometimes hundreds of thousands, of loyal followers who read their posts daily. They then share those posts with their friends and on social media sites.
Lesser-known, tightly niched bloggers are influential too. If you can find a blog that’s not as popular, but that is highly relevant to your topic, it is worth asking if the blogger will review your book.
How to Find Bloggers to Review Your Book
What some authors do is just mail out their book to every blogger’s address they can find, and hope for the best. If that’s the approach you take, you will likely be disappointed. As well, an out-of-the-blue email asking a stranger to review your book will probably get a similar, unenthusiastic response.
Bloggers are busy people – the key word being “people” – who write to build connections with other people. To get their attention, you will likely need to do some sincere relationship building of your own.
When you find a blog that you think would be a good fit for your book, it’s time to slow down and do some research. Begin reading the blog regularly, reading the comments left by readers, and leaving insightful comments of your own.
Before you approach any blogger about reviewing your book, you’ll want to know:
Is the topic of your book highly relevant to the topic of the blog?
Are the blog’s readers looking for information like what you offer in your book?
Does the blogger review books or products?
Once you’ve established that your book would definitely be beneficial to the readers, and you have established a rapport with the blogger, that is a good time to approach him or her about reviewing your book.
DeniseTopics: book marketing | No Comments »
How to Promote Your Book and Earn More as an Author
January 29, 2010You’ve probably been told that it can be very difficult to earn a full-time living as an author.
However, thanks to the many opportunities now available because of the Internet, that’s all changing. It has become much easier for authors to reach a broader audience with their books and develop creative ways of earning an income from their writing.
If you’re an author who wants to better promote your book and earn more money, here are some of the ways you can do so. If you’re working with a publicist or with a publishing company, these strategies will compliment their work too.
Three Easy Ways to Promote Your Book on the Internet
Advertise your book all across the Web. Writing articles on your topic of expertise is an effective and simple way to start to gain recognition for yourself and your book. You can publish them at reprint article directories and websites that are popular with your target audience.
At the end of the article, be sure to include a resource box that includes a link to your website where readers can go to learn more about your book, download a free chapter, or sign up for your newsletter.
Build some publicity for your book. Press releases are another tool you can use to build recognition and credibility for you and your book. Press releases are no longer written just for the media outlets. You can now publish your press release all over the Internet so they will show up in the search engine results whenever someone searches on the topic of your book. To build some extra buzz, tie your book into a special day or event and write a press release about it.
Become a professional speaker. You don’t need to travel the country to promote your book with speaking engagements. Instead, offer teleseminars and webinars on your subject. This is a great way to build interest in your book and become known as an expert.
Now, Turn Your Expertise into a Money-Making Machine
Once you have a published book and are known as an expert on your subject, people will pay you for sharing your knowledge with them.
Here are some ways you can use your book as a springboard for creating other paid products and services. The more different ideas you develop, the more income earning potential you will have.
Compile the articles you’ve written into an e-book or a special report and sell it. Because a digital book costs so little to produce, you can set it at a much lower price than your book.
Create a paid membership site. Use a membership program like Wishlist or Ning to set up a community that people can pay to join and access your expertise as needed.
Paid teleseminars and webinars. If you’ve been offering free teleseminars and events, it may be time to add some extra value and start charging for them. Or you can record your free sessions and sell the recordings and transcripts.
Become a paid consultant. Whatever your area of expertise, you can probably hire out your experience on a consulting basis.
If you promote your book consistently, and work at developing new income opportunities, you can become a well-known author and earn a good income from your writing.
DeniseTopics: Press Release Marketing, Publicity, article marketing, book marketing | No Comments »
You Wrote A Book? Here’s a Quick and Dirty Book Marketing Plan You Can Use Right Now
January 27, 2010You’ve poured your heart and soul into publishing your book. Now you might be wondering if you need to empty your wallet to promote it.
It doesn’t have to be so. Here is a quick and dirty book marketing plan you can use right now. This doesn’t cover all the bases by any means, but following these steps will get you started in the right direction. And they might even inspire some ideas of your own!
You start by creating your business cards. Make sure you include your contact information, the URL of your website or blog, and the name of your book. For your title, you can say something like, “Author of…” If you have a quality printer, you can print your own business cards, but if possible, I do recommend having them professionally printed.
You could also have bookmarks made instead of regular business cards. While we might be tempted to throw away a business card when we’re cleaning out our wallets, your bookmark has a practical purpose, so we’ll probably hold onto it a little longer. Again, a professional print job is worth the extra expense here.
Now that you have your business cards or your bookmarks, it’s time to start giving them away. You can post them on public bulletin boards, leave them inside library books, give them to people you meet in your every day life or at networking functions.
You’re also ready to hold an event to celebrate the launch of your new book. Arrange a speaking engagement on the topic of your book, then invite the public. Once the event is arranged, send out press releases and announcements to your local media.
Most cities have a way to broadcast free events, so be sure to take advantage of those. In your press release, focus on the benefits people will receive when they attend your event… not the fact that they’ll be able to buy your book.
At the event, have your bookmarks or business cards on hand to give out. You can also hold a draw for a few copies of your books.
One way to hold a draw is to invite people to sign up for your newsletter, then draw names of the winners from the list. Also have copies of your book on hand to sell.
And now that you have subscribers for your newsletter, it’s time to send one out! The people who signed up for your newsletter are interested in staying in touch with you and learning more about your topic. You can help them by writing articles on your topic and sending them out in your newsletters. Make sure you include a link where they can purchase your book too.
Want to get more subscribers? It’s easy. You know the articles you wrote for your newsletter? Now submit them to the websites, blogs, newsletters, even magazines your target market reads.
At the end of each newsletter include your author’s resource box with information on how they can subscribe to your newsletter.
DeniseTopics: book marketing | No Comments »
Is Article Marketing Worth Your Time?
January 27, 2010Article writing is definitely worth your time, so long as you do it consistently and remember a few guidelines.
A lot of times people will send out one article, not get really wonderful results, and decide that article marketing is not going to work for them.
But the effects of article marketing are cumulative. It builds your credibility and your reputation over time. The more you write and submit articles, the more effective it is. Deciding after submitting one, two, or five articles that it’s a waste of your time, is premature.
Two other elements that impact the effectiveness of your article marketing are:
- the topics you write about
- the call to action in your resource box.
It’s important that the topics you write on are highly relevant to the service you’re selling. A lot of people don’t realize that. You will have more prospects and conversions if your articles are relevant to your audience.
It’s also important to include a specific call to action in your resource box. Make sure it’s low-risk and easy for people to do. Then there is a greater chance they will actually do it. Some examples of an effective call to action are offering a download of a free chapter, or inviting them to sign up for your newsletter.
DeniseTopics: article marketing, book marketing | No Comments »