Lucy’s Blog from WIB Lunch 19th January
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Well this is awkward, isn’t it?
Last week, Tristan’s was once more the scene of a gathering of dynamic and go getting business
women as part of the WiB ongoing schedule of networking events. So why is that so awkward I hear
you ask? Well because I was the guest speaker (that’s me – Lucy Pitts, copywriter and founder of
Strood Copy) and now as the quasi in-house writer, I have to review myself!
Well I’d like to tell you that I was witty, erudite, highly informative and insightful. In fact to hell with
it, I will tell you that. But perhaps more helpfully, I’ll give you a quick re-cap of the gallop that was
my presentation to you about blogging and how to make it work for you. So here goes:
1. Don’t forget to identify and have a clear idea of the specific objectives of your blog. It will
not only help you to write in a more focused way but you’ll also find it really helps the
strategy side fall into place. Put simply, if you know what you want to achieve, it’s a whole
lot easier to work out how to achieve it!
2. Don’t forget to think about your keywords. Use the many keyword research tools which
you’ll find online, check out what others are using, apply some common sense but above all
else make sure the keywords you use are relevant and refined and the sort of words or
phrases your target audience are likely to use (not what you want them to use). Oh and
don’t forget after all your hard work and research, to use your keywords in your writing in a
way that reads “naturally”.
3. Remember, 80% of people won’t read past your headline! So make it clear, concise and
“benefits” driven and try to make it compelling, a little bit urgent or darn right irresistible!
And don’t just concentrate on your blog heading but think about the headings you’ll use
when you promote your blog on social media or via email and for goodness sake, if you want
your readers to do something, do not forget to include a nice, clear and visible call to action.
4. So what do you write about and how do you get people to engage with you? There’s so
much to summarise here that this blog is at risk of becoming a small book! So by way of a
very quick re-cap: know your audience, provide something they need or want to know, make
it conversational and ask for comments. Don’t forget the different types of content you can
focus on; timeless, newsworthy and guest blogs and don’t forget to interact with other
bloggers in a meaningful way. “Great post!” is not enough. Do also keep a swipe file and
notebook of ideas handy and read and research around your topic and your niche as much
as you can.
5. And finally, don’t forget to record and monitor how and when you promote your blogs and
how they perform. Then you can tweak and amend accordingly.
So is blogging worth it? Well the results of the 2013 Hubspot survey (remember the hot topic I was
reading in bed) certainly seem to suggest they are. But they do need to be done well and
strategically and there are no shortcuts. They take time and practice to get right and you mustn’t
just add to the noise out there already. Will you promise me that?
As always the food at Tristan’s was superb, the company compelling and the buzz a little but electric.
Do contact me (lucy@stroodcopy.co.uk ) if you want to take advantage of my 10% off offer on my
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marketing materials review and edit service or contact any member of the wonderful WIB
committee if you’d like to know more, join, speak, eat or network with us. Until next time.
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