Dan Noyes

Writing Better Blog Posts

admin — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:55:47 +0000

Insights into ways to write more effective social media updates and blog posts.

One of the on-going themes and challenges I hear from my clients is how do you write a blog post that drives traffic. There is an underlying sense of frustration by many corporate bloggers that they are writing blog posts that are rarely read. Add to this list the pressure from corporate management to show the effects of web marketing initiatives and many company blog writers are oftentimes left with feelings of falling short.

We’ve put together some simple tips and strategies that we have seen a number of successful corporate bloggers use that we think can be of value to you and your social media writing.

Measure everything.

As painful as it might feel at first try to keep an eye on how many views your blog posts are receiving and also the amount of time that users are spending on your post. Ideally you want to gauge if they are actually reading your content or bouncing off the site. Remember that to accurately measure this you need to make sure to push your readers to the full-post page. We’ve seen a few clients who went the Tumblog format realize after the fact that the very nature of this format means that you are going to underreport your readership since all your content could be on the home page.

KIS words.

This is one of the areas where I tend to struggle the most. Remember to Keep It Simple and avoid overly technical language. This can be tougher in some industries than others, but keep an eye on your readability scores (drop me a note to learn more about this) and adjust your copy as necessary. You really should try to strive to write at a fifth grade level. This is nearly impossible for me, but try to make it your goal. Keep it short and easy to understand. This can also make it much more compelling when it comes to social media sharing where attention spans are even lower.

Use the word “you.”

Successful blog posts and social updates gives the reader the impression that they are writing directly to you. It’s all about connection, so make sure to use the word “you” and try to build the bridge to your audience. Social media and blog writing is much more personal, even if it’s coming from a corporate perspective, so try to focus on avoiding “we” and instead include more “you”. If this becomes difficult imagine you are writing your blog post to an individual versus to a website. Think of how you would write and try to keep it conversational.

Write how-to posts.

People want useful information that they can put to work. I have found this to be a huge help on our Zephoria Facebook posts. We continually receive positive feedback when we include information that can enrich the lives of our readers/fans/friends. This means focusing on information and less upon being promotional. No on wants to be sold, but everyone wants information, plus this informational approach can help you build your reputational authority.

Create substantive posts.

Unfortunately there is no short-cut to engaging content so don’t hesitate to focus on developing content that has details and substance versus superficial surface content. This is tough because writing takes time and detailed posts can take a considerable amount of time to compose. The positive side is that the more detailed posts will get higher readership as well as have a greater chance to be shared. When possible also try to add graphics and photos, but don’t let the lack of these visual aides stop you from writing.

Develop engagement hooks to your readers.

When I hire a copywriter I look for someone who can not just write a create article, but also someone who can create an engaging headline. The headline is what will drive a click, while great body copy is what will keep their attention. I suggest that you look for headlines that focus upon the following:

Offers Something Unique: I love Lifehacker and think they do a perfect job at delivering on this promise
Useful Promise: A headline drives results when it is able to promise some specific benefit or usefulness to your readers. Look for ways to deliver upon a specific promise that meets your readers needs.
Get Specific: Add numbers or statistics to a headline, but do this carefully. This is a personal pet peeve of mine because if you overuse this technique it will make your blog appear to be “gimmicky”, but with that said look how often this is done on Mashable, TechCrunch and Lifehacker.

I feel the best headlines will use at least two of the above, but don’t stop with the headline. The first few sentences are absolutely critical to keeping your readers engaged. once again Google Analytics will allow you to see how well you are delivering on this promise. If you see that time on site is dropping to under a minute you may need to look at the structure of your posts as well as how quickly you are providing them with your compelling content. Remember – Google Analtyics is a corporate bloggers best friend.

To help readers continue to read your posts make sure you also use subheads in your copy. This is also a great way to use those all valuable H-tags to also help to boost your SEO exposure. So not only are your guiding the user, but you’re also communicating valuable information to the search engines.

Reputational authority.

I find that writers tend to fall into two camps. Either they feel overly confident about what they have to say and they begin to talk at their readers or they are not as confident as they should be so they write tentatively. Readers want to sense your passion. You’re writing not because it’s the means to a pay check, but you’re writing because you feel passionate about the topic. Passion is contagious so don’t feel you have to temper your zeal for your topic. Passion is supported by your reptuational authority so include examples that you feel help to support your claim. Make it personal and passionate and leverage it with your authority. Ironically it is sometimes the person who has the least reptuational authority who can sometimes write with the greatest passion so help to correct this mistake by using your knowledge, education, experience to help support your writing and when appropriate use your internal company knowledge base to provide you with additional authority.

Care and compassion.

I love working with author and marketing professionals that genuinely love and care about their company, products, and services. Know that your writing can make a difference not just to your company, but also to your users. You can make a difference! When you take time to personalize your audience and care about them as people it can transform your writing. Noted author and motivation speaker, Zig Ziglar once said “You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.” Have care and compassion for your readers and watch your blog posts and social media efforts excel.

I’d love to learn from you and insights you have on creating great blog posts. Drop me a line at dan@dannoyes.com.

Accountable Person: Dan Noyes About: Dan Noyes is an internet marketing consultant and president of Zephoria Inc. Description: Insights into ways to write more effective social media updates and blog posts. Author: Dan Noyes Content Location: New York Copyright Holder: Zephoria Inc. Copyright Year: 2012 Creator: Dan Noyes Editor: Dan Noyes Headline: How to write successful blog posts Keywords: successful social media posts, successful blog posts, writing successful blog posts Publisher: Zephoria Inc. Source Organization: Zephoria Inc.

Shoppers Connect to Retailers on Facebook

admin — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:04:18 +0000

According to eMarketer a joint study by Shop.org, comScore and Social Shopping Labs, revealed that more than half of Facebook users have reached a retailer’s website from its Facebook page. Facebook has become the most popular social media outlet amongst online buyers. Compete discovered that the number of online buyers using retailers’ Facebook pages increased 3 percentage points over the previous year, bumping blogs, forums and review sites to second place. Additionally, a third of respondents “like” six or more retailers or consumer products companies on Facebook.

You can view more about the report at eMarketer

Facebook Pages Attract Online Shoppers to Retailer Sales and Promotions – Report from CompetePulse

Achieving Success in Difficult Times

admin — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:18:43 +0000

Achieving success in difficult times can be overwhelming. The economy’s poor state, international competition, and constant technological advances make building a successful career more difficult than ever for those just beginning their professional life. Like me, you may be wondering, “How can I build an innovative, successful business, when so many people are struggling simply to find a job? How can I stand out amongst the mass of businesses and individuals seeking success and stability in a struggling economy?” In this situation, it is always helpful to consider the steps that current leaders in business have taken in the past to achieve their success in the present. What are some of the life lessons they have learned from creating and promoting their own businesses? Most importantly, what qualities have enabled them to rise above their competitors and achieve incredible success in difficult times?

Stay Proactive

One key to success in today’s business world is to adopt a proactive attitude. Technology is advancing and evolving at such a rapid rate that it requires constant and proactive effort to remain on the cutting edge. Constantly looking for ways to improve yourself or your business will help you stand out from your peers. It is essential to keep your product fresh, up-to-date, fully equipped to successfully compete in its market. Constantly weeding out the deficiencies in your business and improving its virtues can do wonders to refine and streamline your business. Never become complacent with the success that may come your way, but always be looking for the next way you can improve your business and make it more efficient. Your business’s success can be a fragile thing, especially in today’s economy. Acknowledging this and making sure you are always one step ahead of the market and your competition is vital for your company to be successful.

Complacency Kills

Another quality that has helped business leaders and can help us as well is to never grow comfortable with where you or your business currently may be. You never know what the future can bring to you or your business. Natural disasters, health problems, or the economy are all variables that could affect your success, and in many cases, there is no way for you to control them. This is what makes it so essential for you to always be ready for the next experience, for what the next phase may be for you or your business. You always need to be prepared for the obstacles that might be thrown your way.

Don’t Quit

Perseverance is an invaluable commodity in today’s business world. Looking at some of the most successful companies competing today, it may seem upon first glance that their success is nothing more than good luck or just the right set of circumstances. Some businesses, it seems, achieve monumental success virtually overnight. What many of us probably don’t realize is the number of years many of the prominent business leaders have invested in their companies to rise to the status they now hold. Dedication to your business and its product, especially through hard economic times, is what sees you through difficulties and enables your business to come out of them on top.

Seize the Challenge

Turn every challenge into an opportunity. Focus on your business and its product obsessively. Take good advice, but also listen to your instincts. Understand that not every wise business decision is a monetary decision. These are only a few of the principles that have enabled today’s business leaders to rise to incredible heights and achieve success many of us only dream about. But these qualities are not exclusive to them. They are things that every one of us can incorporate into our businesses and our daily lives. With an economy in which it is harder than ever to build a successful career, the basic qualities of a proactive attitude, a persevering work ethic, and an innovative mind are what will enable you to stand out from your competition and turn your dreams into a successful, profitable business.

To get the entire article with examples from today’s business leaders make sure to email me at dan@dannoyes.com.

Nearly 60 Percent Say LinkedIn is Most Important Social Network Account

admin — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 10:21:15 +0000

According to a June 2011 social media study from Performics and ROI Research, nearly 60 percent of respondents said that LinkedIn is their most important social network account (complete report). The study went on to say that half of those with active LInkedIn accounts visited the site at least once a weekly and twenty percent visited the site daily. While the frequency of visits is down from the highs experienced during the recession the perceived value of their LinkedIn profile has dramatically increased in value. The study goes to discuss the significant impact that social media has on brand perception and awareness.

Small Business Flocking to Social Media

admin — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 16:18:53 +0000

According to a survey from Webs.com more and more small to medium sized businesses are flocking to social media as a way to grow their business and communicate with existing clients. Here are a few of the primary takeaways.

69% of small business owners use social media
More than 89% are using Facebook
77,5% plan on spending more time on social media
40.8% use social media to attract new customers

These results are not surprising especially given the impact that a social media presence can influence your organic search presence it only makes sense to see this grow even more.

Lady Gaga’s Innovative Use of Social Media

admin — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:36:54 +0000

Lady Gaga’s Innovative Use of Social Media

Lady Gaga, who has already proven to be one of the most innovative and influential superstars of recent generations, has recently been at the forefront of yet another wave of change, this time in the area of social media. With the release of her new album “Edge of Glory” and single of the same name, Lady Gaga launched a socail media campaign unlike any that has been used before, encouraging fans to post videos on YouTube of them singing and dancing to her song “Edge of Glory” and then editing the fan videos into one collective and compelling video promoting her new music. This strategy successfully forged a direct link between her and her fans, and resulted in Lady Gaga’s gaining 36 million fans on Facebook and 10 million followers on Twitter.

Lady Gaga through this effective and innovative utilization of social media has proven to be an unlikely example for businesses to follow. Direct interaction with fans, or customers, has proven to be a compelling method of Internet marketing for businesses to employ, especially through tools such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

Google +1 Website Integration Insights

admin — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 10:54:19 +0000

With the potential integration with YouTube, Product Search, and the Android Market this could be a game changer. The true value proposition with Google +1 is the ability to measure engagement.

You can read the complete post at Google +1 Integration.

Best Times to Follow-up

admin — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 21:45:15 +0000

Thanks to a report titled Lead Response Management Study from the Kellogg School of Management and presented by David Elkington, CEO of Insidesales.com and James Oldroyd, PHD Professor at M.I.T. Here are the facts.

Wednesdays and Thursdays are the best days to call in order to contact (by 49.7% over the worst day) and qualify (by 24.9% over the worst day) leads.
Thursday is the best day to contact a lead in order to qualify that lead (by 19.1% better than the worst day).
4 to 6pm is the best time to call to make contact with a lead (by 114% over the worst time block).
8-9am and 4-5pm are the best times to call to qualify a lead (by 164% better 1-2pm, the worst time of the day).
4-5pm is the best time to contact a lead to qualify over 11-12am by 109%).

The odds of calling to contact a lead decrease by over 10 times in the 1st hour. The odds of calling to qualify a lead decrease by over 6 times in the 1st hour. After 20 hours every additional dial your salespeople make actually hurts your ability to make contact to qualify a lead. The odds of contacting a lead if called in 5 minutes versus 30 minutes drop 100 times. The odds of qualifying a lead if called in 5 minutes versus 30 minutes drop 21 times.

This is why a tool like Leadlander or Demandbase can be such valuable tools in your online business development process. If you’re interested in learning more about these tools, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

Website Benchmarking

admin — Tue, 31 May 2011 15:44:00 +0000

A common question amongt website and marketing managers is what is the most effective way to benchmark website traffic. Typically we have these discussions while we’re helping a company formulate their key performance indicators, but it is also something we need to revisit and reassess especially when considering the impact of social media. Contrary to some social media hype, websites aren’t going anywhere, but the age of social media does mean that we need to continually monitor and benchmark how our site is performing and how web traffic is being produced.

The big question is what are the averages that we should be comparing our website traffic against. First, it is important not just to measure your overall website traffic, but to measure your length of stay, percentage of first time visits and first time bounce rates, number of pages viewed and length of site visit. All important criteria, but there is another variable we’d recommend adding to the mix. Don’t forget to measure the percentage of website visitors coming from any particular traffic source. For example, is most of your traffic driven from direct navigation or type in traffic (when someone types your URL into their browser) or are they being driven from some other referral sources.

We find that companies that focus on building long-term relationships and use their website as a way to communicate with customers will tend to have a significantly higher percentage of traffic through direct navigation. It just makes sense, the more your drive customer back to your website the higher percentage they will be going to your site directly versus through some other source. It is not uncommon to see at least fifty percent of website traffic being driven through direct navigation. We feel that if this traffic is also engaging with your website content as demonstrated through time on site and pages viewed it generally means customers view your site as a resource. Like with all website traffic is it important to consistently measure these trends and try to spot any shifts that may require action. For example, a decline in traffic from existing customers may mean that the website needs to have content added or refreshed.

After you analyze your core customer base traffic then start to plot an analyze all other sources of traffic. These would include

Search engines
Paid media whether this be paid search or display advertising
Social media
Email
Referring site links

It has been our experience that most clients will have between 30-60 percent of their total website traffic coming from organic search engine traffic with the rest being spread across the other channels. Obviously a site with an aggressive paid search strategy may have a completely different percentage. The key take away is to benchmark your referral sources month to month and year to year to give you a clear sense of long-term trends and directions as well as an opportunity to revisit your online communications plan.