Blogging Archives - Page 12 of 21 - Jim's Marketing Blog

Blogging Tip: Making time for a commercially successful blog

By Jim Connolly | January 6, 2012

This post has some valuable information, for those of you either starting a commercial blog or thinking of taking their existing blog more seriously. It’s about understanding the time investment required, if you want to build a commercially successful blog.

Blogging time

A common misconception regarding blogging, is that the time investment required to build a successful blog, is primarily the time it takes to write posts. Whilst at the very beginning, the time it takes to write your posts accounts for a big chunk of your blogging time, once your blog gets established, the time you spend writing the posts becomes a smaller and smaller percentage. Currently, just 20% of my blogging time is spent writing posts. The majority of my time is spent looking after the elements that come into play, when thousands of people read your content every day and your work becomes highly visible.

That’s what I want to share with you in this post.

A wonderful challenge

It’s a wonderful challenge to have, but one that is seldom discussed. The thing is, if you are thinking of either starting your own commercial blog or you are about to start taking your existing blog seriously, you need to know the kind of time commitment required once your blog takes off. In the case of this blog, it’s a few hours a day now.

When I started Jim’s Marketing Blog, almost 4 years ago, I would invest around 30 minutes writing a post and then an hour a day marketing that post and the blog itself. I would get to know the people who commented here, connecting with them on Twitter and (back then) Friendfeed. It was fun, enjoyable work, but there was a time investment required, which I knew I needed to make if I wanted the blog to progress.

Fast forward 4 years and I still do all of that, though I now use Google+ (a LOT), Twitter and Facebook. However, today I ALSO invest around 2 hours on other blog related activities.

Blog related activities?

As your readership builds and your blog ranks well for lots of popular search terms, you will attract lots more attention. This includes:

Sales pitches: Anyone Googling the words ‘marketing blogs’ will find my blog on page 1, so, when they want someone to pitch a marketing related product to, they always find me.
Guest bloggers: I also get emails daily from people asking if I will let them ‘guest blog’ here. Because none of them do any research, they are unaware it’s a self-authored blog, so email me anyway.
Reader questions: I get lots of emails every day from readers, with often extremely complex marketing related problems. Whilst I am unable to offer them individual support, I do reply to every reader email.
Advertiser emails: Because of the blog’s position on Google, I get emails all the time from people who want to advertise here.
PR spam: PR firms insist on adding me to their lists, without consent, when sending out their client’s press releases, even though I have never published a press release here. PR spam is easily the biggest source of unwanted email I encounter, with 30/40 emails a day.

N.B: Yes, I know it would be a lot easier for me to just hit delete on every email or have filters set up to try and catch the pitches, PR spam and link requests, but it would mean many genuine, reader emails being lost and I am not prepared to do that.

All in all, I would say that actually writing blog posts is now less than 20% of the time I currently invest in this blog and activities directly related to it.

And in return?

The rewards are many and huge!

If you have the time or can make the time, to handle the feedback created by a successful blog, the pay-off is amazing. Make no mistake, starting this blog was easily the most valuable business decision I ever made and has repaid me many, many times over for what I have invested into it. The benefits of blogging can be stunning, if you manage to develop a large, targeted reader community:

Most important for me is the opportunity to connect with, work with and meet amazing people. The readers of this blog are my biggest commercial asset. I feel like I know many of those who comment here and must have spoken to a couple of hundred of you so far. It’s a true reader community and invaluable to me.
You can contribute to others, in a way that helps hundreds of thousands of other people every year. It’s impossible to overstate the value of this, for those of us who are committed to serving others.
You can build a very enjoyable, 6 figure business from it, as I did here. If affiliate products or software sales are your thing, look at what Brian Clark did with copyblogger, launching several, million dollar businesses off his blog. It just requires skill, time and a LOT of work!
You will attract countless opportunities for you and your business, as your reach and influence increases.
You will also get a massive amount of enjoyment from it.

In short: If you are serious about developing your blog into a massively valuable asset, make sure that you have processes in place, for what happens as your blog takes off.

Why your blog comments don’t get published!

By Jim Connolly | December 21, 2011

Ever wonder why you sometimes leave comments on blogs, but find they are not published?

Well, in today’s post I’m going to share some common reasons why comments are rejected AND share some ideas on how you can get your comments published more often.

Words count

Very short comments are often caught in spam filters or get manually deleted by bloggers. The reason? Commenting with just a handful of words is a common tactic used by comment spammers. They will leave thousands of cut-n-paste comments on sites, like; “great post!” or “Just bookmarked this!” – Comments which could apply to any post on any subject at any time. As a result, genuine short comments can get deleted by accident.

Why do spammers do this? They do this, usually just to get backlinks for their site or client’s sites. Each backlink is seen by Google similarly to a vote. The more backlinks a site has, the more votes it gets and theoretically, the higher that site will rank in Google’s search results. Comment spammers place these links into comments and then use software to attack thousands of sites; trying as many sites as they can, that have no spam protection. Sites with no protection are flagged as weak and their URL distributed, meaning they get more and more spam!

Today, with tools on most blogs, such as the Facebook ‘like’ button or the Google+ 1 button, it’s easy to genuinely let the blogger know you like their post, without a 3 word comment.

Are you blacklisted?

If your comments are regularly not published, it’s worth finding out if you have been blacklisted (DNSBL’d). Check your ip address. Sometimes, a person using the same ip address range as you has been sending spam and been blacklisted. This can result in you and everyone within that ip address range, being blacklisted too.

You can check your ip address for blacklisting on sites like this. Alternatively, just search for “ip address blacklist” on your search engine of choice and try a few more. If you notice your ip address on one or more blacklists, contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and let them know. Then, contact the people blacklisting you and ask for reconsideration. Some are better than others at managing their blacklists, so YMMV, (your mileage may vary)

Using SEO keywords rather than your name

When filling out the form before you leave a comment, enter your name into the name box and not a series of SEO keywords. Some sites are fine publishing comments from someone calling themselves ‘cheap web design in Lincoln!” but others are not. If you just have to insert keywords, I recommend you avoid keywords in that name section, which are commonly used by spammers. These include; free, offer, save, webinar etc.

An ‘effin fast way to get your comment deleted

Avoid cussing or swearing. Many blogs are set-up to send comments with bad language direct to the spam filter. Others, like techcrunch, almost seem to encourage it. If you want your comments published more often, match your commenting style to the particular blog.

Sell by dates

You may be commenting on a post that has had commenting disabled. Many blogs disable commenting on posts, which are over a year old. There are 2 reasons for this:

Firstly, because people often fail to read the date on a post, you get comments on old posts saying things like; “HEY idiot, Facebook has 800 million users, not 100 million users like you wrongly state in your post!”
Secondly, older posts tend to have high page rank and are targeted heavily by spammers. Last year, I turned comments off the posts here, which are 12 months old or more, and saw an immediate 40% drop in spam.

Too many links?

Don’t put links into your comment unless you really need to and then, try and limit the number. Putting links into the text of comments is a common ploy used by comment spammers, so many people configure their blog to either moderate or spam, comments containing links.

Additionally, some bloggers do not like people leaving any links in their comments, because they believe these links will cause their readers to click away from their blog. This may seem as odd to you as it does to me, but it’s true.

Their home. Their rules

If the blog has a commenting policy, check that you are not violating it. I have a policy here, which is designed to stop people abusing my commenters and reduce the amount of spam I receive. It works extremely well and you are very welcome to copy it and use it on your site. You can read it here.

Many people who comment on blogs believe they have the right to say anything, no matter what the legal ramifications are or how racist, sexist or simply offensive their comments are, on any blog they wish. The reality is that just as every person is different, every blogger has a different threshold regarding what he or she thinks is OK to publish. In short: When we visit someone’s blog, we stand a better chance of seeing our comment published, if we play by their house rules.

Some people hate being wrong

Some bloggers hate to be proven wrong and will delete your comment, if it shows they were incorrect. A commenter here recently shared a comment with me, which an a-list blog refused to publish, simply because she spotted a genuine flaw in the point made in the post. Other bloggers delete comments, that disagree with them. In my opinion that’s a bad idea, but it’s their site and their rules.

Summing up

Unless there’s a technical glitch, there are only 2 things that will stop your comment getting published on a blog:

It gets filtered automatically, because software has identified the content or sender as a threat.
It gets deleted manually, by the blog’s administrator.

The first hurdle is relatively easy to resolve. However, every blogger has their own ideas on what they will publish, making the second hurdle trickier. In my experience, most bloggers are happy to allow any comment through, which adds to the value of their blog. If you believe you have something worth sharing but the blogger refuses to publish your feedback, it’s their loss – Not yours. Go and find a blog, where the blogger values their community and encourages people to share ideas and insights.

The last word?

By Jim Connolly | December 1, 2011

When it comes to a conversation, the last word is way too important to some people.

The thing is, the last word is really just that: The last word.

It’s not the most valuable word.
It’s not the right word.
It isn’t even the most interesting word.
It’s simply the final comment in an exchange.

The willingness to listen to the other person and then make your point, allowing them to have the last word, is a sign of confidence and professionalism. In my experience, once the dialogue has run it’s course and you have given your best opinion, you can weaken not only your point, but also your reputation, by insisting on the last word.

The last word on winning

Whilst there are a number of reasons why a particular person may insist on having the last word, commonly we find online (on blogs and in forums) that there’s a belief that by doing so, they they have somehow “won.” They assume that their point is magically victorious, simply because it was made last, without response.

The reality is that each person reading a thread of comments, decides who they agree with, based on how well a point was made or whether a point was based on something they believe in – Not on the chronological order of the points. After all, we often see people having the last word, purely because their comment was seen as irrelevant, off topic or an attempt to self-promote.

Should bloggers delete comments that disagree with them?

By Jim Connolly | November 21, 2011

I was prompted to write this post, after 2 people recently thanked me for publishing their blog comments. They assumed that as their comments disagreed with me, they would be deleted. I am hearing this more and more often, hence the reason I want to bring this out into the open.

Here’s the problem: It seems some well-known blogs refuse to publish comments, if they take an opposing view to the points made in the blog post. Unless a comment is neutral, complimentary or has an argument that can be easily shot down in flames, it’s banned from being published.

Removing critical blog comments

What amazed me, was that in each case these people say they had left comments that were not offensive, but were removed simply because they made a solid argument that was opposed to the view, expressed by the blogger. In my opinion, it shows a total lack of respect (and self-confidence) on the part of the blogger, if they refuse to allow anyone to disagree with them! I believe the blogger also loses a useful learning opportunity, as banning such comments eliminates the opportunity to scrutinize their point more thoroughly.

Note: Here’s how Mark Zuckerberg used criticism, to improve Facebook.

One of the benefits of a blog is that it is designed for communication, rather than broadcasting. Communication needs to be 2 way or multi-way, which means giving people the right to question you, as well as compliment you or agree. Blog comments allow that to happen, if we let them.

Blog comment policy

Now, I do have a commenting policy on this blog, which is designed to eliminate comment spam and stop people from using this site as a platform for abusing others. You can read it here and you are also very welcome to copy it and use it on your own blog too. However, I warmly welcome you to contribute to anything I write here, if you have something you want to share. That includes expressing a different point of view to mine (so long as we agree my point is always right, of course! ;) )

Yes, your blog is your own property and you can do whatever you want to with it. However, when you decide to ban people from expressing a different point of view from your own, the word soon gets around. Bloggers don’t need a reputation like that!

Yes, plumbers DO GET Plumber’s Block!

By Jim Connolly | November 19, 2011

It’s common for people to quote urban myths, as if they were facts; especially if the myth seems to make sense.

One popular myth, spread by super smart Seth Godin among other highly respected authors, seems to make it’s way into most intelligent discussions about Writer’s Block. It goes like this:

Well, you don’t hear about plumbers getting Plumber’s Block, do you? They just get up every day and do it!

Plumbers DO get Plumber’s Block

Thanks to a recent series of water related challenges, I’ve met with 2 plumbers in the past week. I have always known the Plumber’s Block argument to be bogus, so I took the opportunity to ask both of them, if they ever got Plumber’s Block. I defined Plumber’s Block as a feeling that they simply can not do a plumbing related task, because they don’t know where to start or their brain can’t focus.

Both said YES!

It seems that (at least some) plumbers do occasionally get Plumber’s Block, particularly when faced with a complex, unique plumbing challenge. Both plumbers said they sometimes experienced what people from every profession do, when trying to solve a puzzle (including writers.)

They hit a mental block!

They explained that there are elements of their job, which they can do almost on auto-pilot, because they require zero creativity and they have repeated the exact same task thousands of times. This is the equivalent of a writer, writing their name and address. Writer’s don’t get Writer’s Block when it comes to auto-pilot writing, such as writing their address, just as Plumbers don’t get Plumber’s Block when doing one of their automated processes.

However, both writers and plumbers (and everyone else) occasionally hit a block when working on something unique, which requires creativity.

So, the next time you hear someone quoting the fact that plumbers don’t get Plumber’s Block, explain that everyone occasionally hits a block, when doing something unique or creative. To suggest otherwise might make for a good sound-bite, but it’s based on bullshit.

Do you walk the walk?

By Jim Connolly | November 5, 2011

How often do you take yourself for a good, long walk?

The reason I ask you this, is that the older I become, the stronger my belief is, that the simple act of walking is a massively valuable asset to your mind and body.

Regular readers will know that I get the ideas for most of my blog posts whilst I am walking and that I record the ideas, using a digital audio recorder. However, the benefits of walking on my mental and physical health and fitness is even more valuable than that.

Walking the walk

When I first discovered personal development, almost 25 years ago, I noticed that many experts extolled the mental and physical benefits of regular, long walks. Some suggested that the act of having your left arm and right leg moving together (and then your right arm and left leg moving together), somehow gets both sides of the brain flowing. I’m not too sure on the science there, but what I am certain of, is the enormous mental benefit of regular walks on my well-being and creativity.

Why am I sharing this with you today?

Walking for strength

Yesterday, I watched a documentary about Nile Rodgers. Those of us who follow Nile’s work closely, know that he is also a regular walker and walks for miles most days. In fact, he uses long walks as training, before taking his band, Chic, on tour. Anyhow, in the documentary, Nile talks about his life, his music and the challenge of being diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer.

At one point, Nile describes how he has used walking as a way to become mentally stronger;

“I walk and I walk and I walk, until I get my strength!”

Walking for ideas

I recently had a problem with pain in my lower back and stopped my daily walk for almost 2 weeks. In that time, I wrote just 4 blog posts (I usually write at least 1 a day, spread across my 3 blogs.) This week, I started my walking again and am back to my usual problem of having way, way too many ideas to publish. Today, I have written 5 good posts and published 2.

Will a program of daily walking encourage the muse to visit you more frequently? I have no idea. But as walking is free of charge and even a 30 minute daily walk can be of so much mental benefit, why not give it a try?

5 Great questions to massively improve your results

By Jim Connolly | October 29, 2011

Here are 5 great questions to help your business thrive in any economy:

How many leads am I generating each day from my website / blog? Our sites should be a constant source of highly targeted sales leads. If your site is not currently generating as many leads as you can handle, you need to fix that immediately. I’m constantly amazed how many business owners pester people for leads at networking events, when their website or blog could be generating high quality leads for them every day.
How easy would it be, for someone to write a manual, which explained how to do my job? Whilst every human being is of equal value, those in business with the highest commercial value do work that matters, which can’t be neatly explained in a manual.
What am I doing, to ensure that the next 12 months will be better than the last 12 months? If business hasn’t been good over the past year, we need to change our direction. It’s way too easy to mistake movement for progress and end up working hard, doing the wrong things. If hard work alone were the secret to success, our grandparents would have been millionaires.
If my business was perfect in every way, what would it look like? Write your answer down in as much detail as possible. Include everything, from; the type of projects you would be working on, your profit figure and the length of your working day, to the number of hours you would work each week and the location of your business. The clearer a picture you can build of your ideal business, the easier it becomes to direct your current business into that image.
If my business were to stop trading on Monday, how easy would it be for my clients or customers to replace me? This is similar to question 2, but is focused on the unique value of your business. The easier it is for people to replace us as providers, the more volatile our client list will be and the harder we will find it to attract new clients.

Give a blogger a hug!

By Jim Connolly | October 1, 2011

blogging, blogs, content marketing

In the tiny village where I live, we have just one small shop. When severe weather kicks in and we can’t get into the nearest town, that place is our only option.

Every day, I buy something from them; even if it’s just a pint of milk or some bread. It costs about 10% more than buying the same thing in town, but I know that if everyone does what I do, that little shop will be able to stay in business, serving the local community. Then, the next time our village gets snowed in, it will be there for us.

The harsh reality is this: If you find something genuinely useful or valuable, you need to either support it or risk losing it.

Free, valuable information

As a blogger and blog reader, I often see people commenting on blogs regarding how useful they find all the free information, which the blogger shares with his or her readers. I see business owners thanking the blogger for saving them time, money or both.

It’s important to understand that the free information on these blogs is only free for the readers. The blogger picks up the bill. It can be a pretty hefty bill too. A blog like this one, which gets many thousands of daily readers, requires thousands of pounds/dollars every year in managed hosting costs alone. Then there are the billable hours, which the blogger invests writing all that free content for their readers.

Give a blogger a hug

If there is a blog you find useful (any blog other than this one, see below), I ask you to do one small thing for me. Go there today and either buy something they are selling or, if you can’t afford to buy something, recommend the blogger’s work to your network.

Otherwise, you may go there for some valuable, free information one day and find their shutters are down!

BTW: WebFusion pick up the hefty bill for my hosting, on my reader’s behalf. I’d like to publicly thank them for their support and for keeping this site super-reliable for over a year. They ensure my work is here for you and accessible, whenever you need it.

Google: How to get your photo to show up in Google search results

By Jim Connolly | September 28, 2011

A number of readers have noticed that whenever a post from this blog shows up in Google’s search results, Google displays a photo of me next to it (see above). People are emailing me more and more, asking how I did it, so here goes.

I need to start by saying that I didn’t do it. Google did! This is really important. Even if you follow the steps in the guide I am about to share, there’s no guarantee it will work for you. According to Google:

This feature is being rolled out gradually, and ranking will be implemented algorithmically, so author information will not always display in search results.

So, this may or may not work for you. Currently, I know just a few bloggers other than myself who has had the feature activated by Google. Every other example I see comes from huge sites like mashable and a-list bloggers like Robert Scoble.

Why are Google attaching “author information” to Google search results?

There is a huge issue right now, with people stealing other people’s content and claiming it as their own. Thanks to this new author information service from Google, it will be easier for people to identify the initial or original source of a blog post or article. In essence, when you see that photo show up in your search results, it means Google are verifying that the blog post was written by that person.

If you look closely at the image above, you will see that next to my photo are the words “by Jim Connolly.” If you then click on my name in the search results, it takes you to my Google+ Profile. By the way, you can join me on Google+ here!

For bloggers like myself, whose content is used without attribution on lots of other sites, this author information allows people to find the original source. Within minutes of my posts being published here, they start appearing on other blogs; something known as content scraping. This is an effort by Google, to help match the correct blogger (or author as they call us) to the correct post. Most of my posts are scraped around a dozen times, meaning there are lots of versions of my work out there, often attributed to people who simply scraped them.

How does Google Authoring work?

The idea is actually extremely simple. You link from your blog (or your website), to your Google Profile and then, you link from your Google Profile back to your blog. This reciprocal linking verifies that the owner of that Google Profile is also the (or an) author on that blog. If you own a multi authored blog it works too. You just need your bloggers to link from their Google Profile, to their author page on your blog. Once that process is completed, a circle is created, allowing Google to confidently identity you as the rightful author of your own work, in their search results.

Whilst the idea is extremely simple, the process is currently a little tricky. Rather than try and explain it here, I’d like you to read the instructions from Google, which I followed. I also recommend you watch the short video on that page.

Then what?

Once you have followed the instructions, check that you have done it correctly using Google’s Rich Snippets Testing Tool. This tool is extremely useful and will show you if the code is working and what your blog’s listing will look like in Google’s SERPS (search engine results page), AFTER they have activated it. To use the Rich Snippets Testing Tool, simply paste the URL (address) of one of your blog posts into it and press the preview button. It’s that simple.

Then, if everything looks OK and you see your photo in the preview, it’s a matter of waiting!

Sadly, I don’t know people at Google who can fast-track your site and I am not the guy to help you if you try this and find it doesn’t work; so please, no technical questions in the comments. I just followed the instructions and it worked for me.

Is it worth it?

Yes. It’s useful for people to know that they are reading something, where there is a verified connection between the author and the content. I have also seen a significant increase in Google search traffic since the author information was activated. This makes sense as anyone searching Google, who knows who I am, will see my photo next to a search result and be more likely to click it. Photo’s act a lot faster than text and give an immediate signal.

I applaud Google’s work in helping bloggers to be credited with authorship of their own work. I look forward to seeing your smiling faces staring at me when I’m next searching!

Doing work that matters

By Jim Connolly | September 5, 2011

Pro development topics r

Last week, I wrote one of the most popular posts ever on this blog. It was about the difference between doing normal work, and doing work that matters. I recommend you read it, before continuing with this post.

One of the many emails I received following that post, was from Giles Payne in Canada. Giles asks an excellent question, which echoed what the majority of you asked me. Here’s the question along with my answer:

I know it’s impossible to tell each reader what we, individually, should do in order to switch to the work that matters model, but can you help us with some ideas on where to start, Jim?

Your craft

The best general advice I can give, regarding where you should start, is with your craft.

Your craft is the element of your work, which is uniquely you.
Your craft is the creativity you inject into what you do.
Your craft is about creating something fresh, which then touches the lives of other people.

If you give 100 people a pencil and paper and ask them to draw a bridge, you will get 100 unique drawings. Each of these drawings shows how that person sees and depicts a bridge. No one is right. No one is wrong. Everyone is unique.

In business, those who successfully apply their craft, accept the fact that they are unique and allow their uniqueness to touch everything they do. Commercially, the magic begins when your craft produces something, which others see unique value in. Doing work that matters is what I call the development and delivery of your craft.

The majority of business owners struggle, because they focus on being like their competitors, but just a little, cheaper, faster or better. By being too similar to their competitors, they render themselves almost invisible. They get into the numbers game. They find themselves selling on price, not value.

How doing work that matters can be a game changer

Imagine you are looking to buy a tablet device today. For most people, they are faced with the following question: Do I buy an iPad or one of the other devices? In reality, that is not the correct question. There are dozens of choices and some are very good indeed. The thing is, Steve Jobs’ approach to doing work that matters, means Apple produced a game-changing device that has so far, eclipsed everything else.

It’s worth remembering that Apple were not first to market with a tablet by a LONG way! Toshiba and others were producing tablet devices many years before Apple; yet they failed to produce anything that excited the marketplace. They simply produced what were essentially laptops, with a touch screen. They failed to use their craft to develop something fresh and compelling.

Sharing your craft

It takes courage to share your craft with the marketplace, rather than do work that’s expected. That’s because the more unique you are, the more visible you become. If there are 10,000 people standing in a stadium, wearing white shirts, and you are standing in the middle, wearing a red shirt, you will draw more attention than any of them. That’s because people’s attention is drawn to that, which is different.

Here on this blog, I share my craft with you very publicly. I try to write useful material for you, based on my unique experience and my particular approach to marketing and business development. Everything I do here is visible. Every idea I share is open to debate. However, as a direct result of sharing my craft, every day a subset of my readers contact me, to see how I can help them develop their business.

Whilst I’m sharing my craft here, there are marketing providers all over the world, attending networking groups, pestering people for business leads. Many of those marketing providers are talented. However, they need to ask people for referrals, because they focus on doing what’s expected, rather than applying their craft to doing work that matters. I have helped dozens of fellow marketing professionals to overcome this challenge and the first step always, is to focus on your craft. That is my suggestion to you too, regardless of your industry or profession.

That’s a pretty long answer to that initial question, but the subject is way too important to dismiss with anything less.

I hope you found this post useful!

How to become a prolific writer

By Jim Connolly | August 2, 2011

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If you do, this post is just for you!

I received a note from a reader today. He said how impressed he was that I managed to have a series of posts ready to be published whilst I was away last week. He went on to say he’d love to be able to write as much valuable content as me, one day.

Many people seem to be waiting for some magical flash of inspiration to strike them, before they will start to write. In my experience, you get a lot further, a lot faster, if you decide not to wait for inspiration to strike, but to proactively seek it out.

Writer’s block and bricklaying

My late father was a bricklayer and never once suffered from bricklayer’s block. However, if he spent a while away from laying bricks, when he returned to work his back and shoulders used to ache and he found it harder. You may have experienced something similar, if you start exercising again after a week (or 3) away from the gym; everything aches! Interestingly, something similar happens when you write. If you write regularly, it becomes easy. If you write infrequently, it’s a lot harder.

I use a similar approach to writing as my dad used for laying bricks and have never had any issue with writer’s block. I get to work at a set time every day (before my family wakes up is best for me) and lay one word down at a time, like my dad did with bricks, until I have the piece written. I don’t wait until I feel like it, in fact, I’m not even sure how it’s supposed to feel!

Writer’s block and perfection

Many people tell me they have a perfectionist mindset, which means everything has to be perfect before they can write and that the actual writing itself has to be perfect too. The challenge with perfectionist writers is that they seldom get started, because perfection is in very short supply. I strongly suggest you drop the perfectionist mindset when you write, as it is both high-pressure and low output.

I decided a long time ago, to give myself permission to write imperfectly. I am happy to say that I have stuck by this and have never written a perfect piece of work in my life. I have, however, developed one of the most popular blogs in my niche and helped clients to make millions in sales, from copy I have written for them.

Something that helped me massively, was this quote from Ernest Hemingway:

For a long time now I have tried simply to write the best I can. Sometimes I have good luck and write better than I can.

In short: Get started, write often and give it your best shot!

Photo: Wiertz Sébastien

Are you ready, willing and able? Then show me!

By Jim Connolly | July 15, 2011

For your marketing to work, you need your prospective clients to know that you are ready, willing and able to service their needs. The challenge here, is that many small business owners only demonstrate 2 out of those 3 requirements.

Here’s what I see time and again with small business marketing:

I know you are ready to attract more clients, because you are marketing your services to me.
I know you are willing to work with me, because you have targeted me with a marketing message expressing your willingness.
I have no idea if you are able, though!

Yes, you have testimonials on your website but so do all your competitors. These testimonials provide me with little real insight as to your ability, because we all know they are usually written by the best case clients; so not as representative as I need them to be.

I see you have some badges on your website, brochure or letter head, but they mean nothing to me. I’m not an expert in your industry and have no idea if they have any credibility. Even if they are credible, I am likely to see them on your competitors sites and marketing materials too. In other words, I still know zero about your knowledge or skills.

Show me

So, if you want me to find out how awesome you are, show me!

Start writing blog posts or newsletter articles, which demonstrate your knowledge to me. Show me what you know and how valuable your information is. Use your marketing messages to deliver information to me that has value; something I can use rather than just a sales pitch. Educate me. Cause me to position you in my mind as an expert in your field and the logical person to call, when I need paid-for help from someone in your industry.

Show your prospective clients that you are ready, willing and able.

The good news? Very, very few of your competitors are doing this right now!

The secret to long term business success

By Jim Connolly | July 5, 2011

Today’s post is all about something that’s even more valuable to your business than overnight success!

In an age where people expect instant results, the value and importance of developing a long term relationship with your marketplace is often overlooked.

The thing is, business is all about people and people place enormous value in those who consistently demonstrate their expertise over a prolonged period of time. I was prompted to pull the post I had originally planned for today and write this one for you, after a comment that was left here yesterday by Sue Davis. Sue is a long time reader and as you will see, there is real value in developing this kind of long-term relationship with your marketplace.

Here’s the comment in full, republished with Sue’s permission. I have highlighted the areas I shall be focusing on:

I have just had proof of your expertise! I wanted to find something on social media sharing for a course I am writing and almost by default came to your site because I knew you would be doing it right.

Before I got to the bit I wanted I was reading one of your posts, followed a text link and found myself buying your Audio program. The copy was so well written I jumped into your sales conversion funnel and popped out with something I wasn’t even looking for.

I rarely buy programs of any sort. I did because over the past few years you have sent a lot of sense into my email box so I trust you. It’s one of the few blogs I like to read instead of skim. This has built trust and is proof positive that everything you have been saying is true. Of course you knew that already!

Turning up with value, regularly, over time

If you take a look at Sue’s comment, it demonstrates one of the cornerstones of successful content marketing: To show your prospective clients your expertise, by regularly reaching them with valuable content, over a prolonged period of time.

The trust that Sue mentioned is an essential element in any great relationship and in this instance, I earned Sue’s trust by becoming a regular, valued part of her working week. Equally, I regularly receive emails about my services, from people who tell me they feel like they already know me, because of the relationship I have formed with them via the ongoing content I share here.

The bottom line: Overnight success may grab the headlines, but the most valuable business relationships are those you form with your marketplace, by earning their trust, over time.