Jim Connolly Marketing

How to turn your blog into a Customer Magnet!

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marketing blogs, content marketing

This is a very important post. If you want to get more business, feedback and recognition from your blog, this could be exactly what you need to know.

The post was inspired by an email I received from Shannon. She kindly gave me permission to share part of it with you. Here’s the core challenge she wanted help with, along with my answer and lots of tips and examples to help you build a successful business blog.

Here’s what Shannon wanted to know:

“I’ve been blogging for close to three years now. It’s been frustrating to say the least! […]  I have no idea what I’m doing wrong and I’ve followed the advice from [she mentioned a very well known blogging site] totally.  I’m just about ready to quit.  Can you take a look at my blog and tell me what I’m missing?”

I did take a quick look at her blog and it’s exactly the same as countless other business blogs, following the same, general blogging advice.

Here’s what the challenge is and how to resolve it!

Blogging is exceptionally effective

I’ve worked in marketing since 1987 and nothing I have used, studied or witnessed, comes close to the marketing power of an effective blog. Period.

So, why has Shannon and the vast majority of business owners, seen such poor results?

Without doubt, the main reason is that blogging is often touted, incorrectly, as the written equivalent of painting by numbers. In other words, you follow a set of rules and success will follow. This myth persists because it’s repeated by well known bloggers, selling generic courses and programs on how to grow a successful business blog.

The polar opposite is actually true: The CLOSER you follow the same general format, rules and techniques as everyone else, the LESS likely you are to achieve anything worthwhile from your blog.

Here’s how I created one of the world’s most popular marketing blogs, using a more individual approach.

I didn’t SEO my posts

I decided to write for my readers, not Google. This gave me the freedom to express my thoughts, rather than SEO my thoughts.

Shannon’s blog posts are written using SEO software. This means they are often too long, just so she can reach her minimum SEO word count and keyword density. Posts that should be information rich and 250 words long, are filled with fluff to make them more SEO friendly. It has totally robbed her of her voice and individuality.

Google likes it. However, it reads like crap. As a result, Shannon attracts drive-by traffic, rather than client enquiries.

Tip: Read this – Stop writing for Google. Really. Stop it!

I didn’t guest blog

I focused on building my readership, by producing the most useful content I could and then made it extremely easy for people to share it.

This approach works even better today than when I started in 2008, thanks to the popularity of social networking sites.

Many bloggers waste their best material on other people’s blogs, because their blog guru convinced them it’s a great idea. Guest blogging is one way to build your readership, but certainly not the best. [Or the second best.] Shannon told me that she has guest blogged a lot, with nothing to show for it.

She’s not alone. People tell me similar stories all the time. And it’s heartbreaking.

The solution is to build your own platform. Put your best stuff on your own turf. If your content is useful enough, 1 reader will get you 1 more. Those 2 readers will do the same. Before you know it, by turning up regularly with useful information, you will have built your own community of engaged readers. A subset of them will go on to become clients.

Just don’t sell yourself short. Don’t be someone else’s unpaid content provider!

I removed comments

It was almost exactly 3 years ago, in summer 2013, when I removed the commenting feature from my blog. Blog commenting is a vestige from the days before social networks. It was also a huge time suck for me, as I often got 2500 spam comments a day.

It was still a tough decision though. The only other person I knew who’d done it was Seth Godin, and he had a very different reason. But it was the right thing to do. So I did it.

Back then, I was attacked. Social media gurus said you HAD TO have comments on your blog or it wasn’t a blog.

Today, the mood is changing.

Since I removed comments, other popular blogs including; Chris Brogan and Michael Hyatt, have followed suit. Top news sites have done the same, including CNN, Reuters and ReCode. And they’re absolutely right.

My point is that you need to question perceived wisdom. Then if you believe something needs to change, do it your way. Don’t wait for someone else to tell you. Be prepared to lead. We need more leaders.

Shannon has comments enabled and she gets very little feedback. Many comments are from people trying to get backlinks or score free advice from her. This lack of so-called social proof, does nothing to enhance Shannon’s reputation. It also makes her blog look like a ghost town, when prospective clients check her out.

I didn’t pump my posts with buzzwords

Disrupt, ruckus, growth hacking, big data, intersection… buzzwords like those fail twice.

  • Firstly, they make informed people cringe.
  • Secondly, they confuse the uninformed. That’s a bad idea if you want people to understand your message!

Shannon’s blog uses lots of content marketing buzz words. This, combined with the keyword loading she does for her SEO, means readers have no personality to connect with.

I made 1 rule and stuck with it

I made a rule, which I have stuck to since 2008. It’s simply this:

I will only publish a post when I have something useful to share and I’ll make sure I find something useful, often.

This means I often write when it’s easier not to. I also update older posts daily, to keep the information relevant. Blogging is a primary business activity for me, rather than something I fit in. As a result, I write when I’m extremely busy, when I am tired and even when I’m not feeling great.

Your rules

The Internet is packed with sites that offer largely the same, general advice on how to build a successful blog.

You should avoid it.

Their advice seems to make sense, until you consider that by following it, you become invisible – lost in an ocean of millions of other bloggers using the same, general advice.

If you’re following what they say, you will be able to identify with Shannon’s situation.

In short: Your blog needs to be as individual as you are. Otherwise, you’re invisible.

Tip: This post asks an important question: Bloggers: Are you 1 question away from 10,000 daily readers?

The secret your competitors don’t want you to know!

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marketing blogs, marketing help

How secure would your business be, if an expertly marketed, high quality competitor started targeting your clients and prospective clients?

Most people only consider this scenario after the fact. They wait until an exciting new business, product or service shows up. It’s only then that they think about how to respond.

We have to be smarter than that my friend.

The secret?

The secret to building a robust, thriving business, is to act as if that competitor had already arrived.

This means always, always looking for ways to improve the quality of your services. Listen to your marketplace, find out what concerns them and figure out how to help them. This will make your existing clients love you and ensure you attract a regular supply of new clients too.

Of course, I recommend you do as I have done and avoid having any competitors. Yes, it’s absolutely possible. Here’s everything you need to know.

The message here is simple: Don’t allow the arrival of “some guy’s business” to be what determines when YOU up your game. A new provider, product or service WILL show up in front of your clients. Take action now and be so well prepared that the new competitor doesn’t stand a chance.

You need to solve better problems

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marketing advice, help

Here’s one of the most important questions in business: What are the biggest problems facing your clients and prospective clients?

Whatever these problems are, you need to focus on how to solve them. Here’s why!

Why you need to solve better problems

The vast majority of your competitors offer a predictable range of services, which provide answers to a common set of problems. That’s why they [and maybe you right now] compete on fees or attract fee-sensitive clients.

I recommend you take a more profitable route. A route taken by the most successful people in every industry and profession.

Decide to solve bigger and better problems! If you do, you’ll attract more clients, earn higher fees AND always be in demand, because you will have pretty-much zero competition.

It’s an extremely effective way to grow a highly profitable business.

Think about it. You already solve problems for your clients or customers. So why not deliberately chose to solve the biggest [and most valuable] problems?

Get passionate about your business

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marketing blogs, passion

A business owner with passion is a formidable force. Here are 5 powerful advantages these passionate people have, over the average business owner:

  1. Their passion inspires others to believe in them. Steve Jobs was perhaps the best known modern day example of this. When trying to hire John Sculley away from Pepsi, Jobs famously asked him: “Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?”
  2. Their passion drives them forward, when others decide to quit. Passion acts like fuel. It propels you forward.
  3. Their passion gives them the courage they need, to leave their comfort zones when required. People with passion will do things, which those who lack passion will avoid. And these “things” are usually the big, brave decisions, which separate the winners from the losers.
  4. Their passion is contagious. It motivates the people around them. Whenever you are in the company of a passionate person, you know it instantly. I can’t think of a single leader, who lacks this powerful quality.
  5. Their passion acts like a magnet, which attracts the people and resources their business needs. Passionate people also attract other passionate people. This compounds to propel their business [and life] forward at an accelerated pace.

Where does that kind of passion come from?

Passion is something we create ourselves. It happens when we have a clear and highly compelling goal, which we believe we will achieve. Foggy goals are no good. Puny goals are no good. We need goals that are clear and inspirational. And we need to believe we can achieve them.

Dream big dreams. Convert the dreams into goals… then create a plan to make your goals a reality.

It’s impossible to overstate the positive impact this can have on your business and your whole life. I hope you found this useful, but more importantly, I hope it helps you and your business.

How often should you publish blog posts?

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marketing blogs, content marketing

Karen from Delaware emailed me with a question earlier.

“I’d love for you to post on your blog every day like Seth Godin does.  Is there a strategic reason why you don’t?”

That’s a good question. The answer is that you need to match your publishing model to the business model behind your blog. Allow me to explain.

My publishing model

It’s easy… very easy, for me to publish something every day. However, my business model doesn’t require me to keep tapping you on the shoulder [reminding you I’m here] with daily posts.

Why?

I market just 2 services via my blog. There’s a limited number of clients I can work with and every post generates client enquiries.

Daily publishing, [which I did a few years ago], caused me to receive way too many enquiries. The huge momentum created by daily publishing is disproportionate to the few additional posts I was publishing each week.

If I decide to change the blog’s business model, so my income is primarily from the sale of products or advertising, I will need to adopt a daily publishing model of at least one post a day. It’s all about getting the balance right for what you want to achieve.

The daily publishing model

Whatever his motivation, Seth Godin uses a business model that rewards daily blogging. His blog is a kind of single author book store. Every post displays a carousel [on the left of each post], which is stacked with around 20 or so books.

His superbly written, daily posts are what create traffic to his book store. Visitors to his book store are also extremely well targeted, because the topics covered on his blog match those in his books. If you like the posts, you’ll love the books. Seth’s daily publishing model also pre-markets his books, by referencing new books in his posts long before they are published.

So…

  • You arrive on Seth’s blog.
  • If you like Seth’s posts, you may buy a book.
  • If you don’t buy a book, you may still decide to share the post you’re reading with your social networks.
  • By sharing the post, others will visit Seth’s blog.
  • They too may decide to buy a book or share the post.
  • A cycle is created, which is fed by daily content.

That model clearly rewards daily publishing. Fewer posts would equal less traffic, fewer subscribers, fewer shares and fewer sales.

Getting your balance right

The key take-away here is this: Your blog publishing model should support whatever you want to achieve. So, choose the best frequency for your business, rather than copy what someone else is doing. Their approach could be totally wrong for you.

If you’d like to get more from your blog or you’re thinking of starting a blog, here are a few free resources to help you.

Here’s how to launch a successful blog.

This explains how to make your blog stand out and build a large, valuable readership.

Ever wondered if you need to write long blog posts or if short posts are OK? Well, here’s the answer.

This is a list of 7 blogging mistakes, which you need to avoid.

Why your hard work isn’t working and how to fix it

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marketing blogs, marketing help

Every failing small business I have ever encountered had the same problem. Here’s the problem and more importantly, how to avoid it happening to you.

I need to start by asking you a slightly odd question: What do you do if you have a problem with one of your teeth?

OK, the answer is easy. You visit your dentist. The dentist will then either treat the tooth or as a last resort, they will remove it. Simple.

It looks like this:

  • The small business owner notices that they have a problem [toothache].
  • They then arrange to go and visit a professional for the help they need [a dentist].
  • Finally, they have their problem resolved [the treatment].

Now look how differently that same small business owner acts, when they have a business problem. They apply none of the logic above.

It looks like this:

  • They identify their business has a problem. They start by hoping the problem will go away. Whilst hope is essential, it isn’t a business strategy. So their problem remains.
  • Next, instead of getting expert help, they dabble with their problem. They look online for answers, even though they have no idea what they’re actually looking for. They ask friends and contacts for advice, even though these people lack the expertise they need.
  • Their problem then gets progressively worse. They get the commercial equivalent of severe toothache.

With even the most extreme toothache you can get pain free by having the tooth extracted. That pain is nothing, compared to the pain the business owner suffers when they slowly go broke.

Their commercial toothache is numbed with painkillers, rather than professionally treated. The painkiller of choice is to tell themselves that business will just get better if they hunker down and work harder. Things will magically improve next month, or when the economy picks up or after the next election, etc. This self-talk acts as a narcotic, to ease the pain of the reality of their situation.

The answer is simple

We need to treat the health of our business with the same care we give to our teeth!

It starts with accepting that there’s a problem and that it won’t just disappear. Burying your head in the sand does nothing to help the situation. It just makes things worse.

The first step is to get the expert help you need. If cash flow is a problem or you have a tax problem, talk with an accountant. If you need more customers, more sales and bigger profits, speak with a marketing expert. If you have a legal problem, discuss it with a lawyer.

The barrier here for non-entrepreneurial business owners is money… or rather, how they feel about money.

In short: They’re scared of investing. That’s because they run their business with an employee mindset. They genuinely believe it’s safer to starve their business of essential investment. That’s because they still have not emotionally understood the difference between spending money and investing it.

So they see the riskiest thing possible [failing to invest] as being safe, and the safest thing possible [investing when needed] as being risky.

Think about it: If a business isn’t growing the way the owner wants it to, all they need to do is get the correct strategy and work that strategy. It isn’t rocket science. When a business owner works hard for too little reward, it’s because they have deliberately chosen to do so, by choosing not to invest in the help they need.

When I speak with entrepreneurs, the picture is very different.

Entrepreneurs get it

Entrepreneurs never have this problem. When an entrepreneur sees an area of their business needs help, they take intelligent action. They speak with an expert. They get the right strategy. Problem solved. They treat their business the way they treat their teeth.

In short: If your business needs help, think DENTIST not DABBLE.