The world is full of great business books by awesome authors. I want to specifically look at the bookshelf of someone who’s involved in marketing and business and recommend the best-ever books they could put on their shelves.
I’ll admit to not reading each of these cover-to-cover (yet they are all on my must-read list), BUT I know plenty who have benefitted from reading them, and recommended them; plus, I am familiar with each of the authors . I hope you find this book list helpful!
Get Ready To Change Your Life With These 20 Business Books
Many entrepreneurs and captains of industry started off as regular people, but the books they consume changed who they are at a fundamental level so that they were able to make the decisions that put them into the positions they are today.
And, a book is like an insight into another person’s mind. People inspire people. Want to be inspired by someone? Read what they write and understand where they’re coming from. Business coaches, self-starters and entrepreneurs all write books detailing their thinking and the model of their success. By reading their books, you can pattern your thinking around theirs and reap similar results. Here’s a list of the twenty most influential business books I’ve come across that are very likely to change your future.
1. See You at the Top – Zig Ziglar: Originally rejected by over thirty publishers, this particular book is one of Zig’s greatest works. Although it’s a bit dated (it was published in 1974) a lot of the principles it teaches regarding your own personal motivations and how you get what you want are still relevant. Through a series of steps based around your own, honest self-evaluation, he develops a method for changing your outlook on life and your aims of accomplishing what you believe needs to be done. It’s not new information, but it’s a brand new way of looking at yourself.
2. So You Think You Can Write? – Julia McCoy:Authored by yours truly, this is a summary of all the lessons I’ve learned on how to craft successful, winning online copy after 5+ years in the field learning it on my own. I left nursing school and built a multi-million dollar company around online writing. Now, I’m sharing all the lessons I know so you can change your life by a) writing winning online copy for your brand that gains you rankings and reads or b) make a career out of online copy. It’s on Amazon as print and Kindle.
3.Maximum Achievement–Brian Tracy: As far as motivational manuals go, this one is among the best available. Brian Tracy is a self-made-man. He outlines his tactics in Maximum Achievement and creates a roadmap for all of his readers towards success. Although the things that Tracy propounds should be obvious to anyone, the way in which he presents them makes you think critically about your goals and your results. It delves into the idea of result-oriented tactics. Even if you don’t follow what he says, his writing will forever change the way you look at a task.
4. The Art of SEO – Rand Fishkin: This book is a must-read for marketing professionals, simply because of how well laid out it is. Fishkin and company outline and define the important aspects of SEO, ranging from the basics to the extremely advanced approaches. And when I say it covers everything, I do mean everything. Anyone, at any level of SEO knowledge can pick up this book and learn something from it. It’s obvious that as time goes on, SEO will be even more relevant to everyday life, which is what makes this book an investment in understanding the future.
5. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen. R. Covey: You’d be hard pressed to find someone in business and industry who hasn’t read this book. It belongs on the shelves of everyone because it helps you to get your mind focused on your tasks at hand. Covey developed a methodology for personal effectiveness that is as important today as it was the day it was published. Another oldie (this one was also published in the 70’s), the book goes back to the roots of what drives success and makes you think about your character first and your personality second, something that many books of the period seem to do in reverse. It’s definitely one of those business books that will affect the way you look at life.
6. Rich Dad, Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki: Kiyosaki, a self-made multi-millionaire, explored the differences in conditioning between a rich parent and a poor parent and explores the differences between the thought processed between the two social classes. It’s semi-autobiographical and reads extremely easily. By applying Kiyosaki’s lessons to your own financial situation and change the way you perceive value. That’s a lesson that tends to follow you all the years of your life.
7. Ogilvy on Advertising – David Ogilvy: This particular book has helped many entrepreneurs figure themselves out. Ogilvy focuses on big-picture thinking, proposing that your most important ideas are the ones that are huge. Those ideas are the ones that drive your success. He also writes about dealing with negativity and always having your facts to hand, two things that serve you very well in day to day life. Although the book is mostly aimed at advertising professionals, everyone can glean some form of inspiration or insight from it.
8. The Magic of Thinking Big – David Schwartz: Schwartz deals with the mind-over-matter phenomenon. It’s a book that has changed the lives of many people by teaching them a time-honored lesson: “don’t sweat the small stuff”. It’s mostly self-motivational in content, but it does help you to overcome hurdles that your own mind erects for you. Most importantly, it has something for everyone, no matter what level of business you find yourself at. From employee to owner, everyone can benefit from reading this book.
9. Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard– Chip Heath and Dan Heath: Everyone knows change is hard, but it’s also necessary. People are usually afraid of change because it means something different from the ordinary and would require people to leave their comfort zones to deal with it. Chip and Dan make a compelling argument for helping someone deal with change, whether it’s in the workplace or in life, by breaking it down and understanding change to make it less scary. It’s a very well-thought-out book that combines the psychological stimulus of fear with the physical and logical reasoning needed to overcome it. This book helps you master your fear of the unknown.
10. The 4 Hour Work Week – Timothy Ferriss: I acquired this book in my early twenties and it has been a source of constant motivation for me. Ferriss breaks down the modern view of success and replaces it with a simple philosophy, then gives you the tools you need in order to achieve this philosophy. When I got this book, I was skeptical about its claims but it does work. And what’s more, it gives you a different look at life in general. It makes you reconsider what you think of as “success”. Whether your treat it as an instruction manual or a motivational tool, it’s definitely something that’ll change your future.
11. Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? – Seth Godin: This book is based on the idea of leadership and potential. It helps you to marshal your resources and become indispensable to a company or organization. In a job market such as this no one is one hundred percent assured of their place in an organization. Overnight changes could render your position redundant. By becoming a linchpin you add value to yourself and if it’s one things companies love, it’s value. Godin teaches us to be the linchpin that holds organizations together by simply doing what we do to benefit the right people.
12. The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho: The only fictional entry on this list is here for a very specific reason. Coelho is noted for the way he explores the lives and personalities of his characters in his work. The Alchemist does that to an extent that most of his other works abandon in favor of the narrative. Although the premise seems to be that the universe will conspire to make things happen to people, the deeper meaning is that success comes to those who work for it. Through all the struggles of the protagonist we see a very human figure surpassing almost insurmountable obstacles in his quest. As an analogy for life, you can’t get any more accurate than that.
13. The Lean Startup – Eric Ries: When you have limited resources, how do you function? You get more creative and efficient to deal with those reduced resources. Ries has developed a different sort of mindset from what we are used to when it comes to putting together a startup business. In the 90’s startups were abundant because capital and speculation in the “electronic age” was high. With the eventual collapse of the startup market, it has become increasingly difficult to present and expand on a good idea because there were so many bad ideas. Ries gives you a whole new way to think about business that will definitely shape your future.
14. Maverick – Ricardo Semler: Most people have never heard of Semco, a Brazilian business that has a very unorthodox work ethic. Due to its unique business structure, it has managed to weather and even better a Brazilian recession and perform vastly better than its nearest competitors, both in production and worker satisfaction. Semler explores what makes Semco such a good place to work for his employees. It’s one of those books that leave you considering that worker happiness can actually lead to a more productive company in the long run.
15. The Score Takes Care of Itself – Bill Walsh: Starting with the randomness that pervades all success, Walsh takes a look at the things that are out of our control and then goes on to tell us that we should deal with the things within our control. As a former football coach, he was well positioned to know this. The advice he gives is simple and although we do this daily with a number of things, we never apply it consciously to our own life decisions. Walsh’s philosophy of leadership is the kind of thing that gives you hope for the future in a rational way.
16. Rework – Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson: Efficiency is the name of the game. At its core, Rework is a business manual, but it’s so much more than your run-of-the-mill step-by-step to success. Fried and Hansson give you ideas about how to circumvent the traditional method of developing a successful business with the same end result. The most important thing that you learn from this book is that success comes from doing, not talking. It’s a lesson that you should apply to both your personal AND your business life.
17. Traction – Gabriel Weinberg: Traction gives startup owners insight into previous startups that have managed to succeed over the years. By utilizing such well-known names as Jimmy Wales (Wikipedia), Alex Pachikov (Evernote) and Alexis Ohanian (Reddit), we get to see how these masters of business think and what got them to where they are today. Marketing professionals should definitely follow what he has to say since his statements are based around finding the right channels of communication for a particular business.
18. Seneca: Letters from a Stoic – Lucius Annaeus Seneca: For a book to survive over two thousand years, it has to be a pretty good book, right? Letters from a Stoic touches on the simple dictum, “actions speak louder than words”. As a life changing manual it can be pretty dry, especially when compared to the other business books that I’ve mentioned. Seneca’s letters have survived the test of time because these speak to a certain part of us and inspire us in ways modern works can’t. It gives us a sense of perspective that is lacking in many modern methods of motivation and inspiration, something that lingers with us forever.
19. The Intelligent Investor – Benjamin Graham: The newest installment of this book with added commentary by financial journalist Jason Zweig underlines the importance to investors of knowing the value of the product or company they’re investing in. Even if you’re not in investor, this book teaches some important lessons on financial risk management that are likely to benefit everyone to an extent.
20. The Hard Thing About Hard Things – Ben Horowitz: In any business, there will be hard situations to deal with. Horowitz explores in-depth the sorts of uncomfortable situations CEO’s and managers tend to find themselves in. As a semi-autobiographical writing on Horowitz’s life, we get to see how the upper echelons of a company deals with the hard decisions that they may have to make. It’s a very good manual for those aspiring to be the leaders of a group.
BONUS, # 21: Zag: The Number One Strategy of High Performance Brands – Marty Neumeier: This book is a treasure-trove of information for the marketing professional and entrepreneur alike. The book focuses on understanding why certain brans are good at what they do and why some fade out of existence a couple months after hitting the shelves. It gives you insight into customers, audiences and understanding their unspoken signals. Neumeier says, “When everybody zigs, zag.” I could not have said it better myself.
For You: What to Read?
Understandably, not all of these books would fit into any specific category for any type of individual. Investors would have a different set of books that change their lives compared to marketing professionals and entrepreneurs. The books you read are usually reflected in the decisions you make and the steps you take to secure and promote your business. A couple of these books promote the idea of not having a business or profession run your life and to me that’s as important to your future as is dealing with your current position in life. These business books all have something to teach you, regardless of your field or position.
Reading these books (and starting with which one feels most relevant to you right now) would be among the best things you can do to enrich your life in the long haul. Grab a cup of coffee (or tea) and get started! And, let us know in the comments which book YOU love to read!
Creating content that converts is something every single website and business owner wants. You want people to come to your site, read your content, and click links to buy services or products. However, you might find it difficult to create content that converts your visitors into leads. I want to share some excellent ways that you can ensure you get great content that will convert your readers into clients, as well as keeping them for the long-term. Let’s take a look at the various aspects of content and specific points within each that can help you craft expert content that helps to generate leads.
I. Blogging
Blogging is an important aspect of any online campaign because it can bring in visitors and convert them quickly. You need to make sure you add a blog to your website to help generate engagement with your client base, as well as creating something that directs people to the rest of your site. You can do a number of things with a blog, and I am going to look at some of the elements you need to consider when blogging.
1. Use WordPress Only for Blogging. WordPress is a great blogging tool that can help you get some powerful results. There are many reasons why I think this is the best to use for your blogging needs. Some of the reasons are that it is SEO friendly, you can have a great blog design, and WordPress has been around long enough to be a trusted blogging resource. I would suggest using WordPress only for your blogging purposes, but you can use it for your static website, as well. They have a great selection of SEO plugins that help you get the most out of your blog, and so much more. Take a look at their blog platform to see just how easy it is to use and which aspects will benefit your business’s site.
2. Optimize Every Single Post. When you use WordPress, make sure that you optimize every post. WordPress makes it easy for blogs to be optimized to their fullest potential, and you need to take advantage of that. In order to get great optimization, do keyword research and use your low competition keywords in your posts. Make sure you optimize any and every image you use and select a good link name to use for the blog. How can you optimize every single aspect of a blog post with WordPress? I am going to look at that in my next point.
3. Use SEO Plugins On WordPress. As I mentioned earlier, one of the best parts of WordPress is the ability to use SEO plugins to optimize your blog further. There are several great plugins out there, but you need to choose the ones that will benefit you the most. WP Beginner highlights some of the latest SEO plugins you can use such as WordPress SEO by Yoast, SEMRush, and Google Keyword Planner. Take a look at the others listed to find some that can help your blog! You can also choose other plugins that aren’t specifically for SEO; just choose wisely and only choose the ones that will help your site and blog.
4. Use Big, Awesome, Colorful Adjectives in Your Headers. Your headlines and headers are crucial to convincing people to click and read through your blogs. When you create headlines or headers, make sure that you use amazing adjectives that capture attention. As you can see, I used a few in this header, illustrating how powerful, excellent adjectives can make a header. If you are trying to come up with great headlines or headers, you can follow a few suggestions of some of the hottest headlines out there to get started.
5. Use Action Words in Your Headers. Action words in headers are just as important as colorful adjectives because they convince readers to do something as they read. You can use action words in all of your headers, or you can wait until you create your call to action. Whichever way you choose, just keep in mind that you need to convince people to do something more than just reading your post. You can also do a mix of action words in a few headers throughout your blog and at the end for your call to action, which can be quite powerful.
6. Do a Controversial Blog Every Now and Then. Get your readers to sign up for something or go to a page by sharing a similar hatred or anger for something. Humanity is interesting and weird, isn’t it? We tend to do more when we connect with something, and many times that can be something we all feel strongly about and stand against. For example, how many people were willing to do whatever it took to stop the process of major corporations being able to take over the Internet? Several people and it was something that made all Internet users quite angry. When something like Net Neutrality comes up, you can use that as a way to write a blog and get people to act, no matter what the item is. You can also utilize trends like #WheresNatasha or other trends that have people angry or upset about something.
7. Do an Occasional Blog that Revolves Around Humor. Along with focusing on a controversy, focusing on humor is another way to get people to open up their wallets and buy your product. People love to laugh, and if you can make them laugh they will be more willing to buy items or services from you. Always make sure you are following some basic guidelines for using humor in your blog to ensure you have an impactful piece. A few things to remember are to be respectful, know your audience, and stay true to your specific brand. Once you incorporate humor, you will start to see many of your visitors starting to turn into leads.
8. Write Fun, Exciting Blogs On Seasonal Topics. When you sit down to plan out your content strategy, make sure that you look at holidays, the seasons, and any other seasonal items. Why? Because seasonal content can provide you with great inspiration for more blog posts. You don’t just have to stick with writing the typical Christmas or Thanksgiving posts, but can write on something like seasonal fails (burnt food, terrible presents, and more) or family or friend memories. Try to write your seasonal content with a fun, fresh voice without coming across sales-like to make the posts even more powerful.
9. Post a Recap Blog from an Event (and Add Photos!). Did you just have a fun event for your business? Then post a recap blog and add photos! This gives a great “behind the scenes” look at your business while giving people something to connect with. Your clients are more likely to feel a relationship with you and your business if you include them in things like your events, even if it wasn’t for clients. Your blog provides you with the unique chance to do this, and you can even use it to promote future events for your clients.
10. Use Customer Questions for Blog Inspiration. If you are looking for great blog content that can help promote a relationship and convert visitors, then utilize customer questions for blog posts. This is a great way to answer common questions while maintaining and building relationships with your clients. You can even host a monthly event where people submit their questions and you answer a handful every week, providing people with the information they want to see.
11. Write News Pieces on Your Blog. A great way to create content that converts is to start writing news pieces along with your other content. This helps you craft timely pieces that focus on trends within your industry, and offers value to your readers. You can easily find news topics in your industry by finding and following industry leaders who will post about similar topics and ideas. Always make sure you do your research and give excellent citations when creating news pieces to help make it trustworthy and set you apart as an expert in your field.
12. Do Not Hesitate to Get a Copyeditor. Every writer, no matter how skilled, needs a copyeditor. Copyeditors can read over your written material to make sure there aren’t any grammatical or spelling errors, that your pieces flow well, and that they make sense. Chances are if you simply write a blog piece and post it without editing, you are posting something with errors. We all make errors when writing, and it is hard to spot every single one with your own eye. A copyeditor can spot that, and he or she will help make your blog or web content top quality. This will help make readers trust your business more, and it will definitely make Google happy.
II. Social Media
The next aspect of content marketing is that of social media. It is just as important as your blog because it helps you connect individually with clients. It also opens up a new engagement method and gives you a great way to promote the blogs you’ve been writing. Let’s look at different aspects of social media that you should keep in mind when aiming to convert with your content.
13. Be on Facebook and Write For Facebook. Facebook is still a great social media channel to be part of, regardless of what you might be hearing. It can help convert many visitors into leads, and helps you stay in contact with your clients. With its constant evolving and improving, Facebook provides you with many great chances to reach out to your audience. Just how can you use Facebook for the best? There are many great tips out there and a few are:
Always share links on Facebook, especially if you are linking to your website or blog. Facebook’s design for links helps to showcase images, giving people visual content with a link to click on.
Create a post that is powerful in just a few characters. While you don’t have the limitation you do on Twitter, people have a higher likelihood of reading your Facebook post if it is short and to the point.
It’s good to post your Facebook content during non-peak times, giving your post a chance to be seen and not lost in a sea of other posts.
Have a consistent sharing strategy and plan for Facebook, and all of your social media channels.
Use hashtags on Facebook to reach more people. Many people don’t realize that Facebook hashtags do actually work, and hashtags are no longer just limited to Twitter.
When you create Facebook content, make sure you know your audience through research. Once you do, you can use Facebook’s targeting capabilities to select the various people who you want your ads and posts to reach. Vertical Response’s blog gives a great look at just how to do this to improve your Facebook posts.
14. Be on Twitter and Write for Twitter. Twitter is a great social channel and is one of the busiest channels right now. There are millions of people worldwide tweeting about their favorite shows, movies, and world events, and they could be your audience. You need to get on the social channel and begin writing and using Twitter to help leverage your business. If you want to see just how powerful Twitter has been and will be, take a look at Buffer’s excellent article.
One of the first things to realize is that Twitter focuses on what is known as micro-blogging, which means that their channel only allows for short tweets (140 characters maximum). Prepare to write content that is short and to the point. If you’re already doing this with Facebook, you shouldn’t have much trouble with Twitter. Forbes has a great list of other things to keep in mind when writing for Twitter such as:
Engage with your audience when they respond to your Twitter posts.
Keep your posts focused on one main goal.
Utilize humor and/or images in your Tweets.
Make sure that your profile is complete with profile image, bio, website link, and cover image.
15. Should You be on Instagram? Instagram is a great social channel, but it can be tricky to know if you should or shouldn’t be on it. There are a few things to consider such as whether or not you utilize visual marketing, if your clients are on the channel, or if your competitors are on it. Sit down to get familiar with Instagram and look to see if your business can benefit from it. You might be surprised just how much it might. If you get on the channel, make sure to use it to benefit your company by utilizing hashtags, knowing the age demographic you are trying to reach, and understanding how to use Instagram for Business.
16. What Other Social Media Channels Should You Use? Outside of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, there are several other excellent social media channels to use. You need to make sure it is something that your company can truly benefit from before getting on it, however. A few of the top channels are:
Google Plus. Google makes sure to make this a vital aspect if you want to rank on the SERP. It’s a given to get this for SEO purposes.
Pinterest. Do you do a lot of visual marketing? Do you share a lot of photos and DIY tips? Then this channel might just be what your company needs.
LinkedIn. This channel is great for business-to-business models as many professional utilize this channel. You most likely won’t be able to reach out to the general public here, but it can really help you network within your industry as well as help your B2B model.
YouTube. This is another great visual marketing social channel. If you make videos, then this is the place to share them!
17. No Matter the Channel, Always Engage With Clients. Social media requires that you be social, which means that if you aren’t engaging with your clients, it will fall flat. Sometimes it can be hard to get engagement, but once you get it you need to make sure you are engaging back. When someone re-tweets you, thank him or her. If someone comments on a post or responds to a tweet, respond back. This will help foster a relationship with your followers and clients, and make them more likely to continue engaging. When you engage, you are also boosting your chances of converting your followers into customers.
18. Change Up Your Blog Headlines When You Post to Social Media. Creating the perfect headline for your blog is important when you want to draw in readers. However, it is also important for you to change it up when you share on social media. You want to share your blog a few times throughout the month, which means that you shouldn’t be posting the exact same title. A great way to mix it up is to come up with a few different variations and use those all on social media. This can help bring in more readers, and catch the attention of different people.
19. Figure Out the Best Times to Post for Your Business. Learning when to post to social media for your business, and what to post when, can really help when it comes to converting and generating leads. There are many different studies out there, such as NewsCred’s, which talks about some of the best times to post your content. While this can be a helpful starting point, you need to make sure to try different times to see what works best for your business. Don’t hesitate to try out new things and new times to find the best choice for you.
III. Advertising
Advertising is still a major part of converting people into leads for your business. There are many newer methods of advertising such as social media, but the tried and true methods are just as handy. What are some of the different aspects of advertising that you should consider for your business? Read on further to see some answers that are sure to help you grow your business and create content that converts.
20. Should You Have Ads and Brochures in the Digital Age? Ads and brochures were something that many businesses utilized a few years ago to help promote their business or services. Many people wonder if they are still useful now in 2015; they can be excellent for your business still. In the digital age, you can now create brochures that are available online for your viewers to download and look at, and if you have a physical location, you can print out paper ones. However, if you don’t want to waste paper for a brochure at your physical shop, you could use QR codes and other digital methods to share brochures with people when they come in.
21. Should You Utilize Television Advertisements? It might seem like TV ads are a thing of the past when it comes to digital and Internet ads. However, it is still a great idea for many businesses. How so? Well, Google Fiber is slowly taking over America as a new form of cable TV, allowing faster access instead of using traditional cable or satellite. Google Fiber is starting to change the game when it comes to ads, by basing what viewers see on their TVs off of their viewing history, much like digital ads now. Consider getting an ad spot or two to benefit your company, especially in areas where Google Fiber is being used.
22. Create Downloadable Incentives. People love to get free things, which means offering your visitors downloadable incentives for signing up for emails or purchasing products is a great idea. Downloadable incentives can be things like free eBooks, Whitepapers, services, or whatever else you would like to give to clients. This can make them feel appreciated when they sign up for your email list or when they purchase something, giving them instant gratification.
23. Social Media Ads are Still Powerful Tools. Social media is a great place for advertising because it is, usually, free. Throughout the years, people have written about why you should focus on organic social media results, but the reality is that organic is falling away. Organic results are still very possible, so don’t worry about that, but in order to have more of an impact on social media, you need to utilize paid ads. This will help broaden your reach and can bring in new readers and customers quickly and easily.
24. Are Press Releases Still a Viable Option? While it might seem like press releases are a thing of the past, that isn’t the case just yet. They are still viable options when it comes to advertising. When you create a press release now, you always need to be sure that it is something that can, and will be, published as its own article. You will also want to make sure that you make the press release available for your Internet audience through a blog or a downloadable PDF, as this is where many people will see it.
25. Never Forget About the Power of Email Marketing. Like press releases, people often wonder if email marketing is still important to advertising. Email is still vital, and it is something you need to dedicate a decent portion of your advertising budget for. According to Forbes, when you dedicate some of your budget to email marketing, you will see an increase in lead generation, be able to connect email campaigns with your current content campaign, and measure results easily. Don’t neglect email when it comes to creating content that converts; this might just be the thing that generates more leads for your business.
IV. Visual Content
In this section, I am going to look at visual content and how it can benefit your business. Many people don’t know if visual content is for their company, but it really can help convert visitors into leads quickly. It also makes things easier to share on social media and helps people who want to consume short content to do so.
26. Create Short, Succulent Content for Infographics. Infographics are excellent for visual content and can help your customers and readers consume more content quickly. They are also easily shared on social media. When you create an infographic, you should always make sure that the content is short and incredibly interesting to help drive engagement and shares. Many people who consume infographics as a form of content are looking for shorter, easier to read content.
27. Create Videos or Podcasts from Your Content. Other great forms of visual content are videos and podcasts. These are great for people who are commuting on trains or when someone is taking a lunch break during the workday. In fact, depending on the individual’s job, a podcast might be something they listen to throughout their workday. Because of this, it is important to create videos and/or podcasts for your business. Any business can leverage a great campaign through these content mediums; just take a look at Accenture’s YouTube channel.
28. Utilize Images on Social Media and in Blogs. Visual content isn’t just for your blogs and website but is also an important aspect of social media. Images on social media will bring in more viewers as people connect better with images than with words. This is especially true now that our society is so visual. In addition to connecting better with images, people on social media are also more likely to share a post that utilizes images or video on the channel. I’m not referring to videos or images that are on your blog or site, but to images and video that you upload directly to Facebook, Twitter, and other social channels. Start using some visual content on social media to see just how many clicks and shares you get.
29. Create a Video Web Series for Your Content. As I mentioned, video content is great to help convert visitors into buyers, and a great idea is to create a web series based off of your content. You can tell stories or adapt your content into a series that people find enjoyable. A great example of a web series adapting content is the Lizzie Bennett Diaries, which is a modern adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. While you might not be retelling a classic story, a web series that follows some sort of story with your content can help connect with your audience and build relationships with them.
30. Encourage User-Generated Visual Content. Another excellent way to get and use visual content is to utilize user-generated content. If you have products that are perfect for visual content, then you can encourage your clients to tweet and Instagram images of them with the product or of the product itself. You can create a contest to get the ball rolling on user-generated visual content, but people do still like sharing pictures of products they buy. Always be sure you like any photos that are tagged to your business to help promote engagement and encourage even more user-generated content.
V. Content Audits and Research
While content creation is a vital aspect when it comes to converting leads, you also need to make sure your existing content is hitting the target. SEO changes from month to month as we all know thanks to Google’s many changes. In addition, your keywords can change over time, and you might need to spruce up existing web content. The best way to do this is to utilize content audits and do keyword and content research.
31. Get an Audit of Your Content to Fix Any Problems. A content audit is a great idea when it comes to making sure your existing content is on point. It can help you find if any of your links are broken if your SEO is off from what is current, and which blogs need to have changes made.
A content audit can help you figure out just what needs to be changed, freshened up, and gives you great ideas on how to handle your upcoming content. It will make your strategy more effective and powerful, giving you the chance to convert more with your existing and upcoming content.
32. Do Keyword Research to Find the Best, Most Powerful Keywords. While they might not be as central to an SEO plan now, keywords are still important when it comes to ranking. However, many people don’t realize that your keywords can change over time, and if you don’t make necessary changes, they won’t help you create powerful content. A great thing to do is to do keyword research throughout the year to find the best keywords, keeping your content up-to-date. You can either do it yourself by following HubSpot’s helpful guide or hire SEO experts to do the research for you. Either way, you will be on the track to finding keywords for your content that will help generate leads.
33. Don’t Forget the Importance of Content Curation. Content curation can help you find excellent resources for your web content, as well as finding great things to share on social media. Customers love to see more than just links to your website, so sharing curated content helps to break that up and give them great resources. Content Marketing Institute gives a great guide on how to do content curation to find excellent sources for your business as well as for your customers.
VI. Web Pages
If you want to create content that converts, you will also need to make sure your web pages for products and services are top quality. When Google approaches your website to rank it on the SERP, it will approach the entirety of your website, not just your blogs. Let’s see just how you can approach your landing pages to make them powerful, helping your site rank, as well as creating content that converts.
34. Create Powerful Landing Pages. One of the first things you need to do when it comes to making your whole website effective is to create excellent landing pages. You can utilize web designers to help you create something that will not only look great but be easy to navigate for your customers. A landing page is an important aspect of every website because this is where people usually happen across your site. Sure, the “home” page is important, but not many people will go to your home page at first. They will find a landing page through your blogs and social media posts.
35. Have Pages for Individual Services or Products. A great way to utilize your landing pages is to have pages for individual services or products. This provides you with several landing pages that people can happen across on the SERP, through blogs and social media. This will help direct people to a particular product they are interested in so as to keep them from being overwhelmed with other products they don’t want. Express Writers utilizes landing pages for every single one of our services, which makes it so much easier for our clients to find the services they want and need. Try this out on your site to see just how much conversion you can get from multiple landing pages.
36. Each Page Needs Its Own Call to Action. When you create individual landing pages, make sure that each has its very own call to action. This will help encourage people who are reading the content to click on the links to look at or purchase content. You will find that call to actions on your pages are perfect when it comes to creating content that converts. Never ignore the call to action, no matter what.
37. Keep the Design Easy and Simple to Understand. Usability is something you want to keep in mind when creating your website and web content. It needs to be easy to understand and use, and if it isn’t, you could lose customers quickly. If you want content that converts, then you need to have a website that is easy to use and understand. You don’t want visitors to get frustrated with your website. Once you have an easy-to-use site, people are much more likely to stick around and buy your products or services.
Conversion is Absolutely Possible Through Content
Following the various tips in this blog, you can easily start creating content that helps convert. Every single idea can help bring in a new customer, as well as keeping your existing ones around. Long-term customers are yet another way to help convert visitors into leads. If you need an expert in any of the fields mentioned above, do not hesitate to contact Express Writers. We have an excellent team of writers, social media managers, and more who can help craft expert content that converts. Contact us, today!
Content marketing is such a fun, interesting part of creating a website that converts. It can be daunting at times, but there are some truly excellent places to garner inspiration from.
Sometimes inspiration can come from unexpected places, like the laundry and cleaning products brand, Tide.
Let’s look at how they approach content marketing, as well as what you can learn from them. I promise you’ll learn some excellent tips that can help clean up your content marketing approach and make it sparkle.
20 Amazing Tips You Can Apply to Your Content Marketing
Tide is a great company with excellent product, and this company is one that knows it needs to focus on content marketing to bring in more clients—and creates great things in their content marketing space.
Tide Creates Ads Based Off of Common Problems. When you head over to the Tide landing page, you will see a great section with different blocks of content. There are a wide variety of content pieces, and each one has a chance to answer a problem you have. For me, it addresses how to wash certain types of clothing, which is very helpful. For parents, it addresses things like how to keep your Tide products in an easy-to-reach place while also being out of reach for children. No matter what, Tide has made sure to answer your common laundry questions all on the landing page.
Tide Personalizes the Landing Page To You. They do this by showing you a simple weather-in-your-area box. Heading over to Tide’s web page won’t just show you items that address your problems or needs. It is also personalized to show weather in your area. It is awesome to see my town’s name with a little weather widget on a huge brand’s website. Even though I know it is something built into the website, I still feel more of a connection with Tide by seeing something personalized.
You Can Go Coupon Crazy on the Site. Who doesn’t like coupons? They help you save money on items you want and need, and we can all use some money saving techniques at some point. Tide knows this and the company makes it easy for you to click on a coupon box and be taken to a list of excellent coupons for your favorite Tide products. You can keep these coupons on your phone or print them off to take with you. Either way you are able to save money on products you need, which can really help lower that grocery bill when you’re checking out.
Are You Washing Denim Wrong? As I mentioned in point one, Tide has many content blocks that help with problems you may have. One of mine is knowing just how to wash certain clothes, especially denim. Right there, on the home page, Tide links you to an excellent piece giving you tips and pointers on just how to wash your jeans and other denim products. I find this immensely helpful since washing jeans is something I do quite a bit of. It is great to find this, and while Tide would love for you to choose Tide products for washing clothing, the tips can work with other laundry detergents. This is a perfect example of giving your clients something useful instead of just focusing on selling your product.
Tide Utilizes Multiple Content Formats. While perusing through Tide’s website, I realized that there isn’t just one type of content. Tide utilizes multiple content formats to give clients access to every aspect of the site no matter what the client is doing. The company shares videos, images, and written content for clients, which is absolutely perfect. This helps to give clients content they can consume no matter where they are and how much time they have.
Help People Out and Look Great Doing So. People love to give back and help others in need, and Tide understands this desire. When you head to the website, you are given the chance to help someone out while getting an excellent, vintage-inspired t-shirt. When you buy a shirt from Tide’s Loads of Hope charity, $4 of your purchase will go towards helping people after a disaster. This is a great idea because it gives people something tangible to have while also helping others after terrible disasters take over their lives.
You Get Even More Tips for Keeping Fabrics Safe. Remember how I mentioned that the landing page links to a great denim “how-to”? Well, Tide doesn’t stop there. In fact, the company has a whole list of helpful tips for washing any type of material. No matter if you are washing specific fabrics or need some help with how to de-clutter the laundry you have, Tide is ready with excellent, helpful tips for anyone. This is excellent because the company doesn’t always focus on the products, and readers who don’t purchase Tide products can still get help. This can eventually lead to those readers becoming clients simply because Tide gave them free help.
Garment Stories Offer Excellent Advice for Style and Fashion. Tide also gives some fashion and style advice, because that is something clients will love. No, it isn’t specifically related to cleaning materials, but fashion obviously requires clothes, making this a great branch of content inspiration. You can see different “Garment Stories” from Tide, getting excellent tips for what to wear as well as how to care for your clothing.
The Site is Laid Out in an Easy-to-Understand Fashion. Something that I really enjoy about Tide’s home page and landing pages is that it is all easy to understand. I can quickly find exactly what I am looking for, and not be inundated with a bunch of content that doesn’t interest me. My eyes scan over the site quickly and naturally, helping me skim until I find something I want or need. What a great example of how a website should be laid out!
Tide Gives Helpful Tips for Parents. While not everyone who purchases and uses Tide are parents, there are quite a few who are. Which means that Tide knows it needs to reach out to the parent demographic. When you head over to “Tips from Tide for a Better Life” you will see a variety of postings giving tips to many people, including parents. The postings talk about messy games for kids that clean up well, as well as excellent games that can get your kids outside. Tide also focuses on safety, and how Tide can get out tough stains that kids inevitably get on their clothes.
You Can Easily Access Their Social Media Sites. No matter where you go on Tide’s website, you can get easy access to all social media channels. This makes it very easy for clients to click on the social buttons and like or follow Tide to get more news and information from the company. Tide has Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest and use all very well for clients and fans.
Do You Have Special Laundry Needs? Tide Helps. We all have special laundry needs whether it is cleaning workout gear to getting out tough stains and cleaning hard-to-clean fabrics. Tide covers all of these in the “Special Laundry Needs” section of the website. You can get a lot of suggestions and helpful tips from the company, making sure you clean every part of your laundry in the best, and safest ways.
You’re Encouraged to Sign-Up for a Newsletter to Get Great Deals. Do you want easier, quicker access to deals and coupons, as well as news about upcoming products? Of course, you do. People love being up-to-date with their favorite brands and companies, and Tide understands just how much this can benefit clients and the business. When you head over to the website, you are encouraged to sign-up for Tide’s excellent newsletter, which gives you more access to great deals. You can also learn about new products quickly, learning if the products are something you will need for your laundry or clothing.
The Social Media Campaign is Focusing On Upcycling and Recycling. A huge, and worthwhile, trend right now is taking care of the environment by recycling or “upcycling.” Upcycling is when you take something, like a Tide detergent bottle, and use it for something else. Tide is utilizing the trend to not only get more clients, and give them helpful tips, but also to do their part in protecting our planet. This is a great example of utilizing a trend, especially one for the greater good when it comes to social media.
Tide Re-Tweets Customer’s Tweets and Images. While doing the recycle campaign, Tide is making sure to encourage engagement with clients by asking them to send in images. When a client does this, the company re-tweets that person, which can help foster more engagement. This shows that there are other clients who are doing their part to help out the environment, which can encourage other clients to do the same. In addition, this is a great way to encourage more client engagement with a company.
Tide Shares Tips from Other Companies. When Tide makes a social media post, they sometimes share great tips and information from other companies. Tide doesn’t share material from competitors, but when they share content from other companies, they are giving more information on a wide amount of topics for all of their clients. This can be about fabric softener from Downy or any of the company’s current cleaning partners.
Social Media Focuses on Latest Trendy Items. If you take a quick glance at Tide’s approach to social media, you will see just how much they focus on trends. Whether it is Game of Thrones related or talking about the red carpet or Kentucky Derby, they have a post for it. Focusing on trendy materials when it comes to social media is a great way to help drive engagement and bring in more clients.
Tide Shares Notes on Facebook for Quick, Consumable Content. Blogs are great, but sometimes people don’t want to leave Facebook by clicking on a link to the post. Instead of making clients click away from the social site all the time, Tide shares small “notes” with the Facebook Notes feature. This gives clients immediate access to excellent tips, which is a great way to create and maintain a business-client relationship.
Each Post Has a Social Share Button at the Top. When you go around the Tide website, you will notice that each page and post has a social share button right at the top. This is a great way for the company to encourage social shares, especially when it comes to the various DIY and tip postings. Social share buttons can really help increase engagement and, if they are easy to access, they can promote your clients to share pages on their chosen social network.
Looking for a Nearby Store? You can purchase your favorite Tide products from Tide’s website, but most of the time, people buy their detergent when they go grocery shopping. Because of this, Tide has implemented a great little feature that helps clients find Tide products at the nearest store. This is great because it helps clients feel, yet again like their particular experience is made specifically for them. It’s a great feeling when it seems like a brand is helping you every step of the way.
You Can Have a Squeaky Clean Content Marketing Approach Like Tide
As you can see, Tide has several excellent examples that you can learn from when it comes to content marketing. Just by following a few of the company’s tactics can help you create a better, more effective plan. Express Writers can help you create content for your marketing campaign that will help make your content and website awesome for all of your clients and readers. Take a look at our content services to see which can help you create a stellar campaign!
Ultimately, with content, blogs, social media – any aspect of maintaining a marketing presence online – the goal is to influence people.
Whether you want to coax them to your side, convince them to buy your products, or convert them into loyal followers, your influential power matters.
In the beginning, it can feel like a tall mountain to climb. How do you build your reputation, your authority, and your presence so you can reach people in the first place?
How do you appeal to them, interest them, and move them?
This is a question people have been asking forever. Everybody wants to be liked and respected. We’re all human, and it’s a basic human need. As Dale Carnegie says in his iconic, best-selling book, How to Win Friends and Influence People:
“Dealing with people is probably the biggest problem you face, especially if you are in business.”
Turns out, the way you approach your online communication is everything. Every single blog post, social media update, direct message, email, comment, and tweet matters.
That’s a lot of pressure, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. Instead, focus on a few key areas, and you’ll naturally build up your influence so people will gravitate to you without thinking about it.
Consider this your guide to creating successful content that will influence readers positively.
Your Guide to Influencing and Winning Over Your Audience with Amazing Written Content
[bctt tweet=”How do you build your reputation, your authority, and your presence so you can influence your audience? @JuliaEMcCoy discusses her 7-step guide to create influence with amazing written content. ?” username=”ExpWriters”]
Ready to get into how to grow your clout and influence your audience with successful content? Follow these steps:
1. Know Who You’re Talking To
First thing’s first: It’s impossible to influence anybody without a tailored, personalized approach.
Who are you targeting? Who are you talking to? Without this knowledge, you’ll have no idea how to frame your messages and make them relevant to your readers.
So, before you ever begin thinking about how to win people over, first identify who those people are.
According to G. Riley Mills for Forbes, there are three main aspects of audience discovery to consider. He applies these to public speaking, but they also may apply to any type of marketing communication. They are:
Demographics – General statistics pertaining to your audience group and identifying factors including gender, age, marital status, level of education, occupation, etc.
Psychographics – Personal information such as beliefs, values, opinions, loyalties, and feelings.
Situational factors – The factors that may change on a day-to-day basis that influence why your audience might seek out your solutions, products, services, or content.
Research each of these factors and build your understanding of your audience before you move on to writing content or communicating with them.
[bctt tweet=”‘It’s impossible to influence anybody without a tailored, personalized approach. So, before you ever begin thinking about how to win people over, first identify who those people are.’ – @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”]
2. Know Your Objective (What You Want from the Interaction)
What do you hope to gain from posting that new blog, social media update, Instagram photo, or email?
When you have a general goal or objective in mind, tailoring your content to perform and complete that goal is much easier.
I shoot for three different “goal buckets” whenever I post a new piece of content. If the content won’t fit in one of my buckets or help me to advance toward a goal, I scrap it and move on to the next.
[bctt tweet=”‘I shoot for three different ‘goal buckets’ whenever I post a new piece of content. If the content won’t fit in one of my buckets or help me to advance toward a goal, I scrap it and move on to the next.’ – @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”]
3. Write Content That Moves, Inspires, Entertains, or Educates Your Audience
Ultimately, content that’s moving, inspiring, entertaining, or educational is going to be valuable to your audience.
If your content doesn’t accomplish any of the above, stop. Re-evaluate your content goals, and set some if you haven’t yet. Then, try these tips in your content.
A. Get Personal
Getting personal in your content doesn’t necessarily mean sharing every tiny detail of your life (TMI much?) – although you can share relevant experiences, thoughts, and ideas.
Instead, it mostly means talking to your audience on a personal level. It means empathizing with them, speaking to their concerns, and relating to them.
B. Add an Element of Surprise or Delight
Injecting your content with surprise or delight will go a long way toward moving your readers. Use these suggestions to bring more light and life to your words:
Use opposites – To jerk your readers out of reading by rote, introduce opposites in your writing. This can apply to anything, including descriptions and metaphors. For example, when describing a problem, compare it to falling into a patch of prickly thorns. Then, flip the script and compare the solution to a cloud of feathers.
Embrace the one-liner – When you want your words to throw a punch at your reader, put them on their own line, in a one-sentence paragraph. For great examples of this technique used right, look at Seth Godin’s blog:
Share personal anecdotes – Put humanness back in your writing and describe personal examples of whatever you’re writing about, where relevant. For instance, perhaps you experienced the problem you’re discussing or maybe you have a good learning experience to share that relates to your topic.
Be yourself – Don’t write to impress. Instead, be yourself. Use idioms and turns-of-phrase you would insert in your speech when talking out loud. Crack bad jokes, litter your writing with puns, or include nerdy Star Wars references, if that’s your M.O. You do you.
C. Include Research, Data, Statistics, and Studies
Want to truly inform and educate your audience? Turn to research to ensure your content is stuffed to the brim with value. Don’t just spout off some numbers or facts without citing a reputable online source – you’ll actually damage your authority instead of strengthening it.
[bctt tweet=”‘Content that’s moving, inspiring, entertaining, or educational is going to be valuable to your audience. If your content doesn’t accomplish any of the above, stop and re-evaluate.’ – @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”]
4. Be Human, Engage, and Connect
If you really want to influence your readers, find ways to connect with them and build relationships. The best way to do that is the simplest: Be human.
More specifically, be a friendly human on social media and across the web.
Engage and interact with the people you follow. Share posts, comment on posts, and add to discussions.
Participate in Twitter chats and live streams.
Reply to blog comments respectfully, thoughtfully, and with depth.
Building your reputation is about more than the content you publish or the online face you reveal on your website. It’s about every single interaction you have, no matter how seemingly small.
Think about this when you send that email, reply to that DM, or post that quick update on Twitter. All these small moments add up to how you’re perceived online – and whether people feel that they can trust you.
As you build that trust, you’ll build influence at the same time.
[bctt tweet=”‘If you really want to influence your readers, find ways to connect with them and build relationships. The best way to do that is the simplest: Be human.’ – @JuliaEMcCoy on creating content that builds influence” username=”ExpWriters”]
5. Craft Compelling, Irresistible Headlines, Subheaders, and CTAs
To influence your audience, every piece of your content needs to be convincing. That’s why care and attention should infuse your headlines, subheaders, and CTAs alongside the body of your content.
Headlines
A compelling headline will bring readers to your content, but, more importantly, it keys into their needs, wants, and pain points. This is what makes them click over to your piece versus the other guys’.
Touch a nerve – When you touch a nerve with your headline, you’ve succeeded. You’ve managed to get inside the reader’s head so deep, their problems have become yours. This should be your goal with every headline.
Don’t overpromise – Don’t overpromise in your headline. If you make a wild claim but fail to deliver on that in the content, it’s a letdown for the reader, and their trust in you will deplete.
Make the headline mirror the content – The headline should never be dangled like bait to make readers click. Instead, the headline should mirror the content, which helps the reader know what to expect when they invest their time to read it.
Subheaders
Subheaders have a few jobs to do inside your content.
Subheaders break the content into parts. It’s easier to understand your topic when it’s broken down into key ideas.
They make the content easier to skim and scan.
Neglecting your subheaders means you’ll make your content harder to read – and nobody has time for that.
CTAs (Calls-to-Action)
Your CTAs pave the way for reader action. Without solid CTAs, you will have fewer sign-ups, downloads, subscribers, and even purchases.
Every piece of content should tell your reader what to do next. If you don’t tell them, they’ll click away – and your amazing, influential content will go to waste.
Look at this recent post by Portent and note how they include a solid CTA to sign up for their newsletter at the very end:
[bctt tweet=”‼️ In creating influential content, never forget about headlines, subheaders, and CTAs‼️ Know more about the steps in creating content that can help you build influence in @JuliaEMcCoy’s 7-step guide.” username=”ExpWriters”]
6. Build Better Landing Pages
Once you begin crafting influential content, you can’t stop there. Other key pieces for conversions need to get the golden touch, too, including your landing pages.
Landing pages are separate pages from your website, where visitors “land” after clicking a link or ad. The goal of your landing pages should be to get these visitors to complete one specific objective (usually, whatever your conversion goals dictate).
According to CoSchedule, your landing pages should have three elements:
A strong headline
Compelling body copy
An irresistible call-to-action
Building better landing pages means:
Making sure the page has ONE purpose
Using conversion copywriting techniques
Holding your audience’s attention and staying persuasive
Focusing on the benefits of your offer (rather than the features)
Keeping the offer about the user (NOT about you)
Without great landing pages, you’ll earn fewer conversions on your awesome content. While you’re building influence, authority, and trust, you have to make sure there’s a net in place at the end to cash in on it.
[bctt tweet=”Without great landing pages, you’ll earn fewer conversions on your awesome content. @JuliaEMcCoy shares some tips on how you can create better landing pages that can help boost your influence.” username=”ExpWriters”]
7. Optimize Your Content the Right Way
The final piece of the puzzle is optimizing your content so your influence can grow and spread organically. This means:
Implementing SEO, including targeting keywords in the correct places
[bctt tweet=”Optimize your content the right way. Make sure to invest in quality content, SEO, and a user-friendly and beautifully designed website. Know more tips on creating winning content that builds influence in this post by @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”]
To Build Online Influence, Build Your Content and Social Presence
Attracting your audience, moving them, and influencing them are no small feats.
To do it, you have to have four things:
Patience
Knowledge of your ideal readers – their needs and desires
Amazing content that speaks to those readers
A consistent web presence (including consistent blogs!)
If you’re just starting, start small. Rome wasn’t built in a day, right?
Lay your foundation for online influence brick by brick, and soon you’ll build a haven for your audience – one they’ll flock to in droves.
Call me biased, but writing is one of my favorite things. It doesn’t matter if I am writing up web copy, blogs, book reviews, or short fiction, writing is something I deeply enjoy and I am not alone. There are many people out there who love writing, but there are also many out there who want to get started to see just what it’s all about.
However, it can be tricky when you’re a new writer, and looking for advice is one of the first things you do – hence why you’re here, right?
If you’re new to writing, then this blog is perfect for you because I will be going over some great, first-time writer tips that can help you create excellent content, no matter what.
Many of these are things I’ve learned over time and want to share my little bits of wisdom with anyone making their way in the writing world.
7 Ways A New Writer Can Be Successful
There are many ways to be successful when it comes to writing, but there are a few that I think stand out from the rest. Let’s take a look at what you can do to have a successful writing career whether you are writing a book or focusing on blogging for your business.
Write One Word, and Then Another and Another. This is incredibly common sense, but many new writers get so caught up trying to “be the best” in writing that they forget. When you are starting out as a writer and are looking for excellent tips, the best one to start with is simply to write. Write one word, then another and another until you have a sentence and so on. This is something award-winning author Neil Gaiman is known for saying, and it is incredibly helpful and true. When you focus too hard on getting the best short story, wanting the next Harry Potter franchise or having a stellar content campaign like Disney, you will get discouraged easily. However, if you just start to write and keep writing, you will find that you are able to come up with great content no matter what it is you are writing.
Know Your Resources and Follow Them. Writers all need to have resources, no matter if they are writing fiction, non-fiction, or focusing on writing web copy. Resources help give direction for content and give great, useful information. If you don’t use resources, you can end up saying things that aren’t true or writing something incorrectly. For example, if you are writing a story based in the 1940s, you need to make sure you know the lingo they used. In addition, if you are writing web copy and want to rank with great SEO, you need to know what to do.Following SEO resources like Moz or Copyblogger can help provide you with the information you need. This will help keep you informed about SEO changes, as well as helping you create excellent content for your website or blog. No matter what you are writing, you will be able to find resources and you need to make sure you have access to them.
Don’t Stress if Your Writing isn’t Top Quality Right Away. Writing is like playing an instrument or learning a new language, it takes time to master it. Even then, there will always be something new to learn, and you can’t expect to know it all. When you first start out writing, it isn’t going to be near as good as it could be simply because you are out of practice. Think of this; if you know a small amount of French but never practice it, you are going to have a hard time going around France, aren’t you? However, if you practice French, you will have an easier time traveling the country and understanding the people. The same can be said about writing. Keep practicing, and you will improve over time. When you first write and read your copy, don’t get discouraged if you feel it isn’t top quality or if someone gives you constructive criticism. Keep writing, and you’ll be epic in no time.
Set Aside Time Each Day to Write. When I first started writing, I made sure that I set aside time each and every day to write. This is important because it helped with what I mention in point one – getting in the practice of writing and improving. Before I became a copywriter, I wrote short stories and little prose poems each day just to write, and that helped me work towards a goal of awesome writing. This helped immensely once I started in the content field, and since I was already in the practice of writing every day, there wasn’t much shifting to my writing schedule. Now, I write several thousand words a day, and it helps to grow my writing capabilities. Since you’re just now starting out, consider setting aside thirty minutes each day and bump it up to an hour or more as you get used to it. Work out that brain and your fingers, and you’ll be incredibly happy with the results.
Stream of Consciousness Writing and Writing as You Speak Can Be Excellent. Stream of consciousness writing is a style of writing that is was popular amongst authors such as Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, and Virginia Woolf. It is even still a major part of modern American literature and is something you can expect to read when buying books or even reading blogs. While you don’t always want to write in a stream of consciousness manner, this can help you create excellent written work that flows and sounds natural. Another way to achieve this is simply to write as you speak. Basically, doing these two types of writing will help you write content that is easy to read, flows well, and makes more sense to a casual reader. However, if you do end up going the stream of consciousness route, always make sure to proofread and have someone else look over it to make sure it makes sense.It is wise to know that stream of consciousness might not work as well for web content, as web content needs to have more structure to it. However, this can really help improve your writing if you follow point number four and write every day. Stream of consciousness makes that goal easier to achieve and helps you work on excellent ideas, as well helping you flesh out various points. You might even find you can create great blogs by writing in this format and then going back and making changes to help it be more structured.
Avoid the Urge to Follow Popular Formulas. It can be easy to mimic popular, successful formulas when you start out writing. It seems like the way to go when you want to be successful, but that isn’t always the case. In fact, if you focus on following common formulas, you have a higher chance of learning bad habits, and you won’t improve. You can always gain inspiration from other writers, blogs, and websites, but you should always make sure you make it your own. This will help set you apart from others and make your writing something people prefer. You want to be known as someone who has new ideas, and can make readers think or give readers something to enjoy. You don’t want people to think you don’t have an original idea as that can lose readers quickly. Write original content consistently, and your writing success will take off incredibly.
Don’t Hesitate to Take a Journalistic Approach to Writing. Approaching writing for your business’s blog can be daunting. However, a great way to start creating excellent content, even as a new writer, is to start writing with a journalistic approach. This can give you a great formula to start with, and help you craft excellent material that will get read by your clients, and might even get you noticed by industry leaders. This is even a great idea for up and coming authors, especially if you want to engage with your potential audience via blogs when promoting any of your work. A journalistic approach means that you write the pertinent information first, give more explanation about said information, and then give the general info towards the end. Use this when writing your blogs whether you are writing news content or just writing a plain, simple blog post for your followers or fans.
Write On!
Don’t fret about being a perfect writer just yet. Just focus on writing and having fun, and you will begin to see awesome results from readers. Once you start writing consistently, you will see improvement in your style, more clicks on blogs, and you might just even get published! Whatever your goal for writing is, these tips are sure to help you and give you the best chance possible.
If you are still unsure about writing, especially for your business’s blog, Express Writers can help. We have a great team of dedicated writers who have all experienced the awesomeness of the written word. We can provide you with excellent copy, no matter what it is you’re looking for. Take a look at our services to see just how our team can help you create excellent, written content.
