What has your blog done for you lately? It’s not enough to have a blog, you need to have a blog that converts and draws in readers. We have 5 ways to make your blog work for you that you may want to try. Try them all, try one or two. Strategically work them into your marketing plan.
Bottom line, make your blog do the job it was built to do!
5 Ways To Make Your Blog Work For You
Your blog should be building your brand voice. Your blog is the home base for who you are, what you do, your brand colors, who you work with, who you won’t work with… everything stems from your blog.
Showcase your expertise and your products and services by sharing news your readers can use. Don’t use your blog to shout, “look how great we are!” instead use your blog to shout, “look how we can help you with your pain points.”
Your blog will keep Google in love with your website! New and ongoing content helps your site rank in the searches. Write regularly and use keywords and key phrases that highlight what you do and how you want to be found in a search.
Use your blog content to feed your social media pages. When you blog, you have new and ongoing content to share on your social media pages. Make your blogs work for you and work more than once for you.
Don’t ever end a blog post without a call to action (CTA). You can use a different CTA each time you blog. Your CTA can tie in with the content you’ve just written. Just have a CTA! Don’t let a reader get to the end of your content and say, “well, that was nice.” You want them to get to the end of your content and say, “wow, I need to do… whatever the CTA is!”
When you blog you are subtly building your credibility and your expertise in the eyes of your current and potential clients.
When is the last time you’ve blogged? What are your calls to action? Is your blog working for you?
Emails make business communication quick and easy… sometimes. Email can lead to misunderstandings and some times it would be quicker to simply pick up the phone rather than send a dozen emails back and forth. How to write effective business emails is not something that all entrepreneurs understand how to do.
In the written word — whether text or email — there is no body language or nuance. What seems funny and may be funny when you’re face-to-face may not translate in the written word. In the business world, that is certainly something to consider.
How To Write Effective Business Emails
Use clear subject lines and calls to action. Go for a clear email subject AND note whether it requires a reply or if it is for informational purposes only. The subject line should be to the point.
Use proper greetings. Depending on the formality or informality of the email message, address it appropriately — Dear John or Dear Mr. Smith, or simply, John. you should understand the nuances of whom you’re writing to. When in doubt be more formal until invited to be less formal.
Keep the email short and full of purpose. Don’t ramble. If you need something from the individual to whom you’re writing ask for it and let them know the time frame in which you will need it.
Be positive. If you need to have a tough conversation with an individual — do not do it through email. Also, critical emails may come back to bite you in the behind at some point in the future.
Close the email with another call to action: call me if you want, looking forward to hearing from you, I’ll get back in touch next week.
Do not use text shortcuts in emails — when you write a business email, you’re not likely writing to a peer or a family member. Leave the “TU” and the “BL8” out of your business correspondence.
Don’t send an email without first proofreading it and making certain it is going to the correct individual. How cognizant are you of the email you send and your email etiquette?
When you’re talking to your potential clients, to current clients or even to your family are they hearing what you have to say? Are you listening to what they are telling you? You need to know how to communicate more effectively if you want to succeed in life and in business!
Every one of us talks every day, but what are we saying? Who is listening and what message is getting through? As an entrepreneur, these are things you need to think about in order to move forward effectively.
How To Communicate More Effectively
Take some time and really think about how you’re communicating then take steps to make your conversations more powerful and meaningful.
What is the person’s problem? Before you jump in with the solution you offer, take time to listen and see if your solution will address their problem. It may not. You can create common ground when you listen first and talk later. The person you’re speaking with wants to be heard and wants to tell you what their pain point is. If you do have a solution, offer it after they’ve had the chance to talk.
Meet your clients where they are right now, but help them imagine where they could be with your help. What would their future look like after you’ve offered a solution? If they are mired in the minor details they may not see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Show them that light and let them know you care and can help.
When you’re talking with someone or writing a blog post or newsletter, fous on “you” not “them” or “they.” When you use the pronoun, “you” it will cut to the heart of the person who’s reading your article and they may be able to see themselves in the pain point or in the solution you’re providing. Writing to “you” makes the words more personal and immediate.
When you’re talking with people are you truly talking to or with them or are you talking at or over them? Pay attention to your communication style and see what might need to change in your communication methods.
What do you need to start a business? Drive. A great work ethic. An amazing idea. Skills and knowledge. Yes! But are you financially ready to start a business? This is something you truly need to know. Don’t jump into business ownership, quit your job then wonder how you will keep the lights on.
You need to be practical as well as a dreamer when you become a business owner. The dreamer in you is what will keep you moving forward and climbing mountains and overcoming other obstacles. The practical side needs to know how you will pay the bills, find clients and be and/or remain viable.
Are You Financially Ready To Start A Business?
What are you worth? Not you, personally, but what is your business idea worth? What can you charge for your services? What will it cost you to make your products and what do you need to make to break even? What will you need to make to turn a profit?
What do you need to earn to be viable? Write down ALL of your expenses. Write down all of your income from other sources. Write down what you will need to earn in your business to pay your expenses and have some money left over for future growth.
Have a business plan written and follow it. Don’t “wing it” when you’re starting out. Your business plan is a well-thought-out document that you will spend time with and explore all the positives and negatives about your business idea.
Do you need help? Can you run your business on your own or will you need help? If you need help, what kind do you need and what will it cost? If you have talent in XYZ — great — that’s what you need. That’s the core competency you need to focus on. If you need a website and a social media presence — and you do — who will build it and manage it? If you think you will do that AND run your business you’re giving yourself too much credit. Don’t spread yourself so thin that every aspect of your business suffers. You will also want to budget for a financial advisor and a lawyer.
Track your successes and your failures. Don’t leave a failed business experiment to chance. Learn from your mistakes and implement changes to help assure they don’t pop up again.
It’s usually recommended that new entrepreneurs have six months of living expense money in the bank before he or she quit a job to focus on their business. Are you financially ready?
Are you happy? Did you know that optimists tend to live longer than pessimists? Have you ever wondered how to be happier in life & in business? It isn’t hard, but it does take focus and it does take knowing yourself well enough to know whether you’re well and truly happy.
Happier people draw other happy people to them like flies to honey. Did you know that close to 50% of the happiness in your life is within your control? Think about that: 50%! If you take control of even only half of your waking hours, you can be happier!
Be Happier In Life & In Business
If you want to be happier… and truly is there any reason you wouldn’t want to be happy? Here are my favorite tips to make your life and your business happier.
Be thankful. It’s not enough to just be thankful. You want to express thanks. If someone has done you a favor express your appreciation. Say “thank you.”
Find and keep good friends. It’s great to have acquaintances, but good friends will make your life happier and that will translate to happiness in your business as well.
Pursue your goals. What do you want to complete in life? Do you truly know? Are you actively pursuing it? If not, why not? Get out and be active in the pursuit of your goals — that will make you happy!
Be happy with where you are and what you have. If you’re always wondering, “what’s next” or thinking, “Now that I have X I really want Z” you won’t ever be truly happy.
Know where your skills lie and do those things at which you excel. Yes, you do want to challenge yourself and push yourself, but why not enjoy where you are and what you’re great at?
Give back/volunteer. If you have gifts to give, volunteer them. If you have an abundance of money or other assets, donate to those in need. You will feel better and others will benefit from your largesse.
Know what the life you want to live looks like and take steps to make it happen and to live a happier life.
Being authentic. It’s become a buzzword in business circles. I have always been who I am. What you see is what you get. Being authentic is nothing new to me, nor in my business. You can grow your business by being authentic, but it needs to be honest as well as authentic. If you’re sharing a story, just to share a story or you’re trying to fit in because you’re now sharing a story — you’re not being authentic.
Why do people try to fit in rather than be themselves and be authentic, even if it means standing out?
We want to be accepted. We don’t want to be shunned for being “different.” Society pressures people to believe that conforming is the way to go.
If everyone thought the same way would we have seen the advances in technology and science that we have? Probably not. There might not be any significant differences or any people who stand out because they were afraid of being called “different.” It is those people who stand alone and stand up for their ideas and ideals that open our minds to possibilities!
Being authentic and unique is a personal goal of mine. Am I an introvert? Yes. Do I suffer from ADD — yes. I thrive on research and devour data. I spend a lot of time in introspection and it is then that I come up with my best ideas. I am empathetic to the emotions of others and that makes it uncomfortable for me to be in large group settings.
Grow Your Business By Being Authentic
I know myself well enough to be authentic while still being able to function and grow many thriving businesses. I speak at conferences many times a year and am out of my element, but I have enough information and knowledge to share and am my authentic self while doing so that my stage fright is negligible.
After I’ve been on stage or surrounded by people, I get away and hike through the mountains, I go sailing, I walk in the desert.
Being authentic means you’re authentic in business and in life.
