blog writing Archives - Page 5 of 5 by Mark Murnahan

Why Are You Reading This?

“Why are you reading this?” This is perhaps the most important question a blogger can ask. This is not only for bloggers, but it also goes for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or other social media users. You do not have to ask your readers directly, but it is the question that should be considered whenever you sit down to write.

You have probably heard how important it is to know your customer. I still find a lot of people who do not know how to answer me when I ask specific questions about who their customers are … or who they think their customers are. Sometimes this question of “why are you reading this” will be as simple as “because the author is just so damn interesting”, but that is seldom the case. I like to think it is because I am good looking and people just like to come back and see my picture … but I doubt even that is the case. Well, probably for some?

What’s in it for them?

Let’s be realistic for a moment. I don’t like being realistic, but I will give it a whirl, just for you. People read what you have to say for a number of reasons. These reasons can include entertainment, industry facts, product facts, respect for your opinion, and a whole lot of other things. The one common factor is that there is something in it for them! Knowing your readers reason and knowing what is in it for them is imperative to your success. Digging deeper, you can look at a whole lot of data to key in on who they are and why they read what you have to say, but just looking at the surface can get you started.

It may seem tricky to find what they want at first, but there is something on the surface to tell you what they are after … there always is. Much can be discovered if you simply ask yourself why you write what you write. I will share my example and hopefully it can help jump start some thinking about how it may apply to you. Maybe you can draw some useful parallels.

In my case, I write about things I know well. My inspiration very often comes from something that happened. If somebody asks me a question and I had a good answer or additional thoughts on the topic, I blog about it. I mostly write about my industry … the Internet. I am a search engine optimization guy, social media guy, a programmer guy, a Web hosting guy, an ecommerce guy … pretty much your overall “Web Guy” (hence my blog aWebGuy.com). I have been in my job since the mid 1990’s, and I have a lot of experience … so I share it.

So why do people read it? People want to know about my industry. For some people it is totally alien, and others just want another opinion to draw ideas from. I try to break it down and make it easier to understand, and I try to help people make it more useful. I try to help people with good ideas about marketing. I give them something. There is something in it for them. There is a value proposition. I try to fill a need.

What’s in it for you (me)?

Since we asked the first question of what’s in it for them, naturally there should be a mutual value. There should be something in it for both parties. Otherwise, one of the parties is getting stiffed. The important part is that you make the “what’s in it for you” (me) the secondary focus. If you focus first on giving and second on receiving, you will receive a whole lot more!

I could never do all of the writing I do without some remuneration (getting paid). Well, maybe I could, but it would not be as good. I would probably let you down, and we don’t want that. In my case, I let people know that they can reach me for help, and if they really want to get serious in their marketing, that is what I am paid for. That is just a very small piece of my readership. Most will never become a client … ever. This fact actually helps me, because I am not trying to sell you a bunch of stuff. Plus, I am also the CEO of YourNew.com, Inc., so that is really my bread and butter … not my blog. That means I can focus better on what’s in it for you … err, “them”.

Your Core Readership

By knowing and trying to understand your core readership, you will be better equipped to serve them. It is this core readership that I would consider to be your “translators” and your “promoters”. If you are giving them value and making sure that there is something in it for them the translation and promotion can look like this:

Translation: When I say translate, it can mean that they hear a need from somebody else and they translate it as that person’s need for what you wrote. Another type of translation can happen when they comment on your blog with their interpretation of your message. It can be good for them, and it can be good for you … you learn together.

Promotion: If your core readers know somebody who should be reading your writing, they will pass it along, and often with their translation as well … or even an excuse for you. For example, you may pass this along to somebody and say “hey, you need more business and I know a guy who can help … but he is kind of unconventional, so just forgive him if he drops cigarette ashes or spills coffee on your rug.”

Your core readership will get to know you and your personal brand. It is normally best if you keep it human. Maybe even a bit funny and quirky and entertaining now and then. People are people … they like people stuff.

Translate This!

OK, now it is your turn, my core readership. Go ahead and translate this for others. That is what blog comments are for. Also, please be sure to answer the original question: Why are you reading this?

10 Really Good Reasons to Blog

You and I know good reasons to blog. Hundreds of millions of bloggers know good reasons to blog. It still amazes me when I find people who really do not understand all of the very important reasons why individuals and companies write blogs and comment on blogs, often. Maybe you don’t write a blog, and you just enjoy reading them and adding your comments, or maybe you are a full time super-blogger. In either case, it never hurts to review some of the basics. Here is a list of ten really good reasons to blog. I invite you to add to this list in my blog’s comments … as it should be.

Reason to Blog Number One:

Blogs Give More Than They Take

Blogs provide value to readers, and if they don’t, they will not have readers. Blogs normally have valuable information to offer, and differ greatly from typical static Websites that are more focused on one-way communication and sales copy. They open conversations and welcome people to answer questions, ask questions, and become more familiar with you, your ideas, your brand, and your product. Blogs are commonly produced in the spirit of creating good information that people can use and appreciate. This often creates a valuable shift in thinking for both the blog author and the reader.

Reason to Blog Number Two:

Static Pages Are Like Old Newspapers!

A static Website is like a newspaper, while a blog is a subscription. What do you do with a newspaper after you read it? You don’t toss the subscription out, but you will toss out the pages you’ve already read.

The contents of a static Website are far less likely to be discussed and even less likely to be re-blogged and linked to by others. A static Website is far less likely to make sense or be found at Blog Catalog, Technorati, Reddit, Digg, StumbleUpon, Mixx, and etcetera.

Promoting a boring old static Website is like an advertisement, whereas a blog is like a conversation that is enhanced by others’ input. Do you want to converse about your interests or hang a sign and hope for the best?

Reason to Blog Number Three:

Google Wants to Find You!

Google and other search engines want to find you. It is their job to know everything there is to know about every industry, every person, every question, and every answer. Having information about every possible topic is a basis for their industry. Blogs make it far easier for them to find this information. If you think this is a myth, just ask yourself why the stuff running through your head is not streaming to Google in near-real-time. Mine is. From the time I publish this article to the time it is indexed in Google, I will likely not even make it to the coffee pot. The last blog post I wrote was there, and listed on the first page of Google for “How to Sell SEO” in under six minutes. That is not always the way it goes, but then, it is for people who put forth the effort to do so. Now, highly competitive SEO is a pretty “bouncy” thing in Google, but I can assure you it will do well, just as many articles I wrote 8-10 years ago have. For example, just do a search for “h1 tags” on Google and I can assure you I am in the top two results with an article at YourNew.com that I wrote well over five years ago. Once you create good content that sticks, it is worth the time it took to create it. There are thousands of people reading things that I wrote a decade ago, and each article adds to that collection. That is the power of a blog. Now, if you are thinking about blogging, think of it like this: If you want a shade tree in your yard, when is the best time to plant it?

*Note: This blog post was indexed on Google in under 15 minutes!*

Reason to Blog Number Four:

Time Builds Trust

A wildly popular blog post may be just the gas you need to fuel your business, but that is being shortsighted. I have created things that gave me a huge return on investment, and quickly, but don’t count on that. When you think of reasons to blog, branding should be enough to push you over the tipping point. Just consider these lines, and tell me if you recognize them:

You deserve a break today!
Have a _______ and a smile.
Don’t squeeze the _______!
When _______ talks, people listen.

If you have not been under a rock for the past thirty years, you know at least a couple of these. It is because they are branded. It took these brands hundreds of millions, and in some cases billions of dollars to build their name. A good lesson to take from these successes is in consistently being visible.

You will probably not build a name like these with a blog alone, but it is your next best alternative to the decades of work and billions of dollars noted above.

Reason to Blog Number Five:

Your Competition Has Been Blogging for Years

An important reason to blog is that if you are not doing it, you are missing out. You may not think you are missing huge business from it, but over time, it can and will affect your market share.

I look at it from a standpoint of longevity, as anybody in business should. It is easy to think that the impact it has today is small, but that is often not the case. I explained the search engine optimization benefits of blogging, and the branding benefits of blogging. You surely cannot imagine that your competition is doing it just to throw time and money away, right?

Reason to Blog Number Six:

Blogging is Fun!

Blogging can be great fun. I would not expect most people to have as much fun blogging as I do, but something is better than nothing. I know it may seem like it is time consuming or hard to know what to say, but I see it like any exercise, and it is easier all the time. I do not spend my days struggling with what to write on my blogs. In fact, I find it quite manageable. That is coming from a guy with a blog for everything from my race team to my catch all blog where I put the goofy stuff that just doesn’t fit anywhere else. I have my video blogs (Qik | YouTube), blogs about each of my books, and blogs about blogs. I have so many to choose from, my biggest challenge is which one I want to create something for today.

Reason to Blog Number Seven:

Blogs Can Teach you A Lot

We each have interests. Whatever interests you, I can assure you there is a blog for that, and an audience for a blog about it. Reading the thoughts of others can be fascinating, and being able to reach into their world with your comments and questions is enlightening. When you don’t find just what you were looking for, it is a good sign that you should be blogging. Whether it is for business or a hobby, blogging about your interests and hearing what others have to say can be very helpful.

If you think that there is not an audience for it, think again. Everything is exciting for somebody, and you may be shocked how many people you will find who think a whole lot like you.

Reason to Blog Number Eight:

Syndicate This!

Syndication is bliss, and RSS is important. Perhaps you are not entirely familiar with RSS feeds, but you have surely heard of them, and received information by way of them, even if you didn’t know it.

I know there are a lot of people who may think that to “subscribe” to a blog sounds kind of tricky. “What? You mean I need a feed reader? Isn’t that what blind people use or something?”

There are many ways that RSS allows people to see a blog, even outside of directly subscribing to the RSS feed. For example, this post will land on my Amazon.com Author Page, GoodReads.com Author Profile, Blog Catalog, Technorati, a long list of others that will receive the “ping”, and a big portion of the huge list of social profiles on the left side of my blog. It is like magic! My RSS feed syndicates this information all over the place.

Just how confused are some people about the importance of RSS feeds as they relate to blogging? Here you go … I have a story for you.

Earlier this evening I was informed by a client that although there is a massively visible prompt to subscribe to her RSS feed or email publication, her clients “will never (REPEAT) never know or understand how to do this.” She was really becoming stressed that people were asking her how to subscribe to her blog’s RSS feed, because they had never used a feed reader before. She still has her email publication, and RSS is just another option now. Mind you, her primary market is an educated and affluent group who can master this, and with both RSS and email, I think she has it covered.

Of course, I had an answer. In fact I had a few answers. Please note that I am not a pansy with my clients, and I will tell them what they need to hear, and not just what they want to hear. I am not a salesman. I am here to help clients do more business and reach more people. Whether they love me or hate me is less concern than whether I reach their objectives, which subsequently makes them love me. My responses included the following statements:

“It seems that your focus is on reaching the ones you are already reaching, but little on the millions of people who subscribe to blogs that you are not reaching.

“… you may come to find that it is a fantastic way to both communicate with ongoing clients, and find those bizarre and gawky millions of people who understand how to subscribe to blogs.”

“One view is not a world view. With over 350,000,000 Facebook users and unknown hundreds of millions of blogs, the picture you paint is one that shows me even more reason you are now blogging. I will not ask you to trust me in your refrigerator, but with regard to this Internet, I require it. What you see is a tiny piece of a much larger picture … Much larger than you have a way of seeing.”

Now what I must point out is that my client had grave concern that her clients were contacting her to figure out how to subscribe to her RSS feed. She also has an email subscription, and now that she has a blog, people are begging for it. Now please, people, tell me how this statement from my client sounds: “So far I have 8 people asking me how to subscribe to the blog. I hope this doesn’t continue at such a high pace. I’ll try to have faith.”

Here is my answer, and I hope you can see it the same way:

“I hope it continues at a much higher pace. Why would you not want people begging to interact with you? You really are looking at things from a (industry) head instead of a business head. Change your perspective and look at how cool it is to have so much more attention to what you are doing. You didn’t even have a blog a few weeks ago, and now you are stressed that people are rushing to find out about it? I think what you have totally failed to see is how tragic it is you didn’t do this years ago.”

I tried to console her with the fact that RSS is only one more way people can choose to interact with her and further syndicate her content. It does not mean email is now obsolete.

Reason to Blog Number Nine:

The Author’s Point of View is Never the Only One

Blogging is not all about creating a blog of your own. When I say “reasons to blog” I also mean participating in blogs. The author’s point of view is never the only one. Reading comments and responding to the author and other readers can provide benefit in multiple ways. It can give you varying perspectives. It can introduce you to others with similar interests, and if you write something with a little thought behind it, you may be shocked what comes from it.

Nearly every blog has a place to put your Web address. Whether it goes to your own blog, company Website, Twitter, Facebook, or other address is up to you. I have met some great people who followed a link from a comment I left on a blog and wanted to know more about me. I also do this all the time. I recently found a blog that I enjoy because the blog author replied to my comment on another blog. I followed the link back to her blog and found that she writes about things similar to my recent book, “Living in the Storm”. I like her blog, and I will be back to read it again … and participate.

Sure, I told you that I have a blog for about everything, and that I have a lot of fun blogging. Perhaps most importantly, I participate in other peoples’ blogs. A lot of the fun I have with blogs is in adding my creative commentary on other people’s articles and joining in the communication.

Reason to Blog Number Ten:

It is Your Turn!

What do you have to say about it? This is not rocket surgery. I want to hear your reasons for blogging, and I want your comments on why you comment on blogs. Indulge me! 🙂

Create Something Different: Create a Cheering Section

“Create something different” were the words that came to me when I thought to myself “I should really update my blog today.” Then I started to wonder if every great idea that could ever be written about social media has already been written somewhere on a blog.

I unsubscribed from a lot of blogs today, because so many of them just started to look the same. I started to question how many blog posts about the iPhone the world really needs. Whenever there is a hot new craze or breaking news article, bloggers rush to their keyboards and bang out another “brilliant” article hoping that theirs will be the one that becomes a real hit. If they get it retweeted, Stumbled, and dugg enough to reach the front page of Digg, their job is complete. They grew their audience massively, but too many will overlook the question of whether the audience will stick with them.

When I unsubscribed from some pretty good blogs, I realized that I was simply not the fan they needed. They had never created that spark in me that made me a loyal enough fan to be sure I always saw every word they wrote. It was kind of the same old thing just regurgitated in a different way. What was missing was not just creativity, but rather a connection. The ones I felt connected with and that made me feel a part of the relationship remain on my list, and I am their fan.

A Flash in the Pan Mentality

It is easy to take a flash in the pan mentality and see that little glimmer of gold in your prospecting pan when something you do becomes popular. I do not have a problem with that, at all, but I think that it can be too easy to forget the importance of a core cheering section. Creating your cheering section of people who cheer you on, take the initiative to comment on your blog, click to receive your updates by RSS, Twitter, email, or any of the many other methods, and will stick with you over time is far more important. This is your cheering section!

A strong cheering section has been a basis for success from the very beginning. I mean everybody’s success, and everybody’s beginning. From the time a child first attempts to ride a bicycle, it is their core cheering section that helps them to keep trying until they get it right. In the instance of blogging, it is really not so different. It only takes a small number of really loyal friends/fans to create a massive cheering section that keeps you moving forward.

Creating a cheering section has been a huge message in my work as a writer for a long time. In my last two books, I wrote of the importance of relationships. I must really believe it, or otherwise I would stop writing about it. Here is a snippet from each:

From my book, “Twitter for Business: Twitter for Friends” in a chapter titled “Social Networking Takes Dedication” I wrote: “The people mentioned here and many more are among the very important relations I have met using social networking. I communicate with these people regularly online, on the telephone, and in person. They are all parts of a very important network of people whom I can count on to be friends and to have something nice to say about me, with or without prompting.”

These are the people who will spread your work to others and expand your cheering section. They should not be overlooked!

In my new book, “Living in the Storm” I expanded a lot on the importance of that cheering section, and how to create good will in others. Here is a paragraph from the book: “There are many unknown aspirations of those around you. Knowing the motivations of others and finding out how you can help is a great way to rally them. It will make you feel good to do it. It will also often prompt people to wonder about your goals. They may or may not already know what you want in life. Share these things with friends, and build a support network. The best way to begin is by giving to others and becoming one of those altruistic people you admire. Even if you are already doing it, do it more.”

If you wonder how this may apply to social media and blogging, it is simple. Listen to your readers and know what they want. Respond to them, interact with them, and give them what they want. Once you develop your core cheering section, they will often give you what you seek in return. Yes, it is true, giving is the best step toward receiving. I hope that I am able to give you what you want, and a whole lot of it!

Hookers Write the Best Blogs

Who would have guessed that hookers write the best blogs? In this fast-paced scan-and-click Internet world, what are people actually reading? It may sound crazy, but you could learn a lot from a hooker.

With over 200 million blogs on the Internet, who can slow down and read the whole thing? Hookers know the answer, and it is really pretty basic. When you hook the reader right up front, they will have more reason to keep reading and want to know more. So keep reading! I wrote this to help you get more productivity from your time online, and if you are a blog author, to help your readers get more from your articles.

Bloggers and Hookers

If you are a writer, it is your responsibility to assure readers a good value for their time. But first, you must give them an incentive … a hook. Thus, a writer with a good hook could be called a “hooker”. In order to do this, effectively, you really must think about the way you read. I have often found myself scanning through information in such a mad rush that I sometimes miss the good stuff. Consider for a moment how many articles you start to read but never finish. You only get a fraction of the message because you toss them aside and click on the next flashy thing that catches your eye. Your readers are not so different. A look at your Website statistics will show how long an average visitor spends on your site, and it is never as long as you would like. So, if you are a good hooker, “turning the trick” is the next big battle.

Turning the Trick

This happened to me just yesterday. I was reading a blog post that I thought was kind of interesting. I put it aside and figured I would read the rest later. I thought it was good enough that I tweeted it (sent a message using Twitter.com), but I almost didn’t finish it. Just a moment later, I saw that somebody “re-tweeted” it. The article very nearly ended up in my vast “to read” pile (which often remains unread). Once I read just a bit more, I could not stop … I was hooked! The terrible part is that I almost missed reading something that I ultimately found very interesting and useful.

So, in the example above, where did this all go wrong? I had actually read far enough to know it was a good article. The hook had been set, right? Wrong! The author almost lost me, and not because it got boring, but rather because he did not set the hook deep enough, fast enough. If the author had fully engaged me in the very beginning, I could have probably suffered through a lot of boring reading, just assuming there was something coming to re-spark my interest.

Quality Ad Copy

Quality ad copy always starts with a hook. If you get that part right, the rest is much easier. If you canont come up with the right hook, get help from a friend or hire a professional.

Quality ad copy with a good hook is more important on the Internet than any other place. You only have seconds to reach your readers. I don’t know any writer who feels good about losing a reader early, and when it comes to business writing, it hurts your bottom line. I personally love to look at my reader statistics to see people spending a lot of time on a page. This means they are actually getting what I tell them. It means I have done my job well, which is very satisfying to me. Be sure to look at your statistics, and if users are coming but not staying long, you are probably not setting the hook.

Am I a Hooker?

Yes, I am a hooker for hire. I got you to read this far, didn’t I? If I can do that, just imagine what I can do to help you reach more people and “hook” your audience. Of course, I don’t want to lose you here, because the good stuff is yet to come. If it will help you, take a deep breath, stand up and shake, get a cup of coffee, or do whatever you need to do, and then when you are ready … come back and read some more of my blog. Perhaps my section on SEO Lessons and the importance of quality Internet marketing will interest you, or take your pick from the left side of this page. This is all here to help you, and I will try to not let you down.

Origin of the Word “Hooker”

Since this blog post refers to hookers, I thought I would share this clever video to explain the origin of the word “hooker”. Enjoy! Oh, and Please Tweet This!