A blog for business, first and foremost, must be useful. Either as content or as narrative (the best do both), people need to find something on your blog that they can’t find anywhere else.
That’s right- be special. And not the Stuart Smalley, special-on-the-inside, hey-I’m-o.k. special. I’m thinking more about the Pretenders Brass-In-Pocket kind. (Chrissy Hynde is almost 60 in the video, BTW).
Easier said than done? Not really. If you’re selling something people want, they’ll definitely be interested in what you have to say about it. After all, you’re the expert.
That last bit is key: what you have to say about it. Not your sales copy. You.
Here are three common mistakes that small businesses can make when they blog:
I’m not a huge fan of sales pitches. In fact, I hate them. In this way, I’m like almost every other person that will ever read your blog. The sales pitch is a tired way of communicating. All shout, no substance.
If you use your blog to make sales pitches, how is it different from the rest of your marketing? It’s not. And so, what you have created is not a blog. It’s a sales-pitch-update center. Yeah, we all need more of those.
A blog is to share your thoughts and your perspectives. It’s not meant to be all things to all people. When you have no take on things, how are you being useful?
Besides, do you know how many people everyone is? Are you really going to get them all to see what you’re doing? There’s only one way you can get everyone to follow you, and I don’t know how helpful that’s going to be.
Canned language is easy to recognize and hard to avoid. People that use it don’t want to call it canned, but that’s what it is. It’s safe. It’s what most marketing sounds like.
Canned language often hides in well worn phrases that sound important. the thinking is, if this message sounds official, it is. People visiting a blog don’t want canned anything. There are too many fresh voices to choose from to listen to a canned one.
I struggle a lot with making my writing authentic. I forced myself for a long time to do exactly the things I’m warning against here, though not in a blog. I just took it as a given to try to inflate my writing as much as I could.
Have you wrestled with it, too? I’d like to hear about it, if so. It takes some work to say just what you mean, to stop selling and start communicating.
Ah, freedom. Authenticity feels good. Your blog is the perfect place for it.
5 reasons why Emily Heather Curnett should win the Mom It Forward Park City Vacation…
1.) She’s a mommy that ROCKS! Class V kayaker, mean greenie skier, and all-around active girl, Heather puts the whole family in gear.
2.) Danger is her business! She doesn’t hesitate to come in close contact with sick children, wet dogs, or busted pipes. Heather cannot be frightened (except by the occasional scary movie).
3.) She makes designer baby diets! When none of the available store bought baby food would suffice, she decided she’d make it all herself. Using special blend-it-and-freeze-it-in-an-ice-cube-tray technology, she makes food for our kids (and other kids in the community) at the Super Babyfood parties she throws.
4.) She’s a fantastic teacher! Like Yoda, but a super-hot mom instead of a little green guy, Heather is a motivational force. She takes everyday ideas and creates extraordinary stories with her creative writing students.
5.) She’s a mom who moms like only a mom can! What does that mean? Heather comforts, motivates, and energizes us. She can laugh at herself, and can crack us all up. She volunteers in the community, and makes time for herself. She’s strong, confident, and caring. We love her. In every way, Heather Moms It Forward!