Cross Media Blogging and Why YOU Need it in 2024.

All, Blog Writing, Content Writing, cross media blog, Rank High on Google, Uncategorized

What is a Cross Media Blog?

This is one. We thought the best way to demonstrate Cross Media Blogs would be to produce one that shows you exactly what Cross Media Blogging can do for you. So, whether you are reading, listening, or watching this on video, do enjoy and feel free to contact me paul@yourcontentwrite.com if you have any questions.

What Can Cross Media Blogging Mean to You?

Imagine yours was the only business that provided your product or service, thereby eliminating all competition, solving your ideal clients’ burning issues and giving them exactly what they want and desire.

NOT ONLY THAT…

You rank number 1 on Google AND people connect with you and TRUST you to such an extent that they WANT to purchase YOUR product or service every time they need it.

NOT ONLY THAT…

They actively recommend your business to other potential customers too. And those customers do the same.

I’m not going to be twee and do the old ‘What would that do to your standard of living?’ But I think we can agree that the closer you can get to that scenario the better, right?

How close can we bring you to that dream?

At Your Content Write, Like the eager little marketing researchers we are, we’ve been chipping away for years to find the answer to that very question, and we’ve developed something very exciting:

Cross Media Blogging is the revolutionary new product from Your Content Write. It combines the power of the most effective marketing methods available today, with expertise from key professionals to generate (for you) unparalleled levels of user engagement, customer reach, accessibility, and lead generation.

How does it do that? To explain we need to break down the six elements that make up Cross Media Blogging and give you the juicy stats as to why they work and what they can do for you:

Commercially embrace the digital age we are living in.

How much of your current marketing efforts are online?

According to Web acquisition:

“Internet usage continues to grow rapidly, with over 5.18 billion (64.6 percent of the global population) users worldwide in 2023. This number is expected to reach 5.5-6 billion by 2024.”

You can, of course, continue to rely heavily on paper advertising, outdoor and billboards. They still have their place, but they are often not cost effective, and you are relying on your key demographic taking the time to look up from their phones and notice the right billboard at the right time for them to feel strongly enough about your company to make a purchase.

Put yourself in the mind of your customer.

As a consumer, you have no prior relationship with the company being advertised and therefore very little reason to do business with them. Traditional outdoor advertising works best for well-known brands, ones you probably already have done business with (ones you have probably regularly seen online). Then the billboard or bus advertisement merely acts as a reminder.

You could also advertise on the radio or the television. Having worked in both radio and television I can say that these are fantastic options if you have the money to get the job done properly and have your commercial aired at exactly the right times, then you will see results.

Since the invention of Netflix, Disney + and other streaming services however (as well as people’s preference for social media over television), these options tend to be regarded as overly expensive for reducing viewing figures.

According to Ofcom, the UK’s official communications regulators:

“Broadcast TV’s weekly reach fell from 83% in 2021 to 79% in 2022, the biggest-ever annual drop. The long-term decline in viewing of broadcast TV also continued – it fell by 12% year on year and was 16% lower than pre-pandemic levels.”

“For the first time, there is evidence of a significant decline in broadcast TV viewing among older audiences. Over-64s watched 8% less broadcast TV in 2022 than in 2021 and viewing was 6% lower than in 2019 (the last pre-pandemic year).”

“Older viewers are increasingly using streaming services, with take-up of Disney+ among online over-64s rising from 7% in 2022 to 12% in 2023.”

AND

“Among younger audiences, broadcast TV viewing continued to decline rapidly, falling by 21% year on year among those aged 4-34.”

HOWEVER IN THE ONLINE WORLD…

“YouTube and Facebook remain the largest social video platforms in the UK, each reaching 91% of UK internet users aged 15+ in Q1 2023.”

Okay, you’ve seen the stats. Can we agree your customers are online, and if you want to reach them then you need to be online too?

Excellent. So, the first essential ingredient to be placed into the ‘Cross Media Blogging’ mixing bowl is:

Your customers are online which means that’s exactly where you need to be.

Your customers are habitual creatures, so they need to digest your content in a way that:

a. They are used to

b. Will incite trust

c. Has been PROVEN to positively impact your brand personality, leading to sales

As the more astute among you may have surmised, Cross Media Blogging has at its core a well-written and engaging blog.

The simple blog, when optimised and used ‘properly’ can make a tremendous difference to your marketing efforts. According to OptInMonster:

“Every month approximately 409 million people view more than 20 billion blog pages, leading to 77 million new blog comments from interested readers every month.”

IN FACT…

“77% of ALL internet users read blogs.”

According to Hubspot:

“Businesses that blog get 55% more website visitors than businesses that don’t.”

AND

“Marketers who prioritized blogging received 13X more ROI than companies that did not.”

And for those of you who are currently spending more on advertising to get new customers than blogging, HubSpot also found that:

“70% of people prefer to learn about a company through articles rather than advertisements.”

Why Blogging is so effective?

It’s all about building the right relationship with your customers.

In essence, the blog speaks the language of your customers, it reaches them directly and gives them the information that they want in an engaging and informative way… WITHOUT the pressure sale.

I could write an entire volume into the psychology of blogging and just why it has the power to transform your marketing efforts, but for now let’s go with the common-sense approach:

YOU are approached by someone in the street that you have never met, and they try to sell you something. What is your response?

The majority of people would probably not respond favourably and would either ignore, politely decline, or rather more directly tell this presumptuous stranger where to go.

What this person is selling might be of great value and just what you need, but as you have no history with the vendor or what it is that he/she/other is selling you have ZERO reason to trust them.

Your blog, however, is written to appeal ONLY to your ideal customer and give them the information that they want for FREE, and subsequent regular posts continue to do this. When this happens, potential customers get to know you, begin to trust you, and see you as the ‘expert’ in that field.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out who they will be spending their money with when they need to make that all-important purchase.

Blogs Written by Humans for Humans

In this age of AI-assisted writing it can be very tempting to subscribe to an online, artificial copywriting service and have your web copy done in seconds, and many people are doing just that. Unfortunately, this can actually hinder your marketing efforts for the following reasons:

a. Google (assuming you’d like your customers to find your website on Google) only embraces AI to a point and that point comes when people simply use it to churn out copy and then publish it.

Google has already stated that they will not rank AI content if:

“If you see AI as an inexpensive, easy way to game search engine rankings.”

“When it comes to automatically generated content, our guidance has been consistent for years. Using automation—including AI—to generate content with the primary purpose of manipulating ranking in search results is a violation of our spam policies.”

b. As a copywriter with over 20 years of experience under my belt, I can spot AI copy a mile off. It all feels very generic and merges in with the content that EVERY OTHER person out there using AI is producing. As such, human-generated content has the ability to stand out now more than ever.

“A company using well-written and researched human content will rank better on Google and will effectively shine like a beacon against the backdrop of those companies electing to promote their business just using AI-generated content.”

Paul Greystoke

c. References and facts generated by AI are not always correct.

Needless to say then, the next element in our cross-media blog mixing bowl is the well-researched and engaging, ‘human-written’ blog post.

You need to be accessible to capture a wider audience.

If you want your company to be exclusive, then you NEED to be inclusive:

“One in every five people in the UK has a disability, one in ten has Dyslexia and approximately three hundred and sixty thousand are blind or visually impaired (a number set to rise to two point two five million in 2025).”

https://yourcontentwrite.com/crossmediablogs/

Think of the above in terms of spending power, then ask yourself: How are you currently reaching those demographics?

Add to this, that different people have different learning styles and take in and retain information in different ways. According to Avado Learning, a top-ranking platform:

“…roughly 65 percent of the population are visual learners, 30 percent are auditory learners.”

That’s roughly 26.4 million people in the UK who prefer to take in spoken information rather than have it written down.

The Professional Voice over Artist and the Cross Media Blog

There is a difference between a professional voice-over artist reading text and say, a business owner who is not a professional voice-over artist. Tonal quality, vocal inflexions, speed, and timing are all perfectly crafted over the years to produce something that will be instantly engaging and attractive to your potential customers.

For EVERY Cross Media Blog post we produce for you, there will be an audio version of that post that can be streamed directly from your site – boosting your Google ranking AND catering for those among your customers who can’t – or are too busy to – sit and read your content. We have a range of voice-over artists ready to give your brand the trusted voice and personality it deserves.

Add to this, our resident musician/producer further enhances your audio production with custom music and sound effects, giving your customers a truly unique and memorable experience.

So, the third element in the Cross Media Blog is the professional audio version that your customers can play directly from your blog post.

The power of the podcast

Once your audio is recorded, we also turn it into a regular podcast show, opening up your potential audience again by nearly 5 million worldwide.

According to podknowspodcasting:

“Podcasts are experiencing a surge in popularity around the world, with 61% of people, globally, reporting that they now listen to them.“

The same article also stated that the gender of podcast listeners was fairly evenly matched with 58% male and 42% female.

68% tend to listen to the entire episode too. This means that when your Cross Media Blog content is produced you have an audience the size of which is, frankly, unparalleled.

I’m sure also that many of my readers, listeners, and watchers (delete as appropriate) will already know that when you find a business podcast that really appeals to you, then you subscribe which means you are automatically notified every time a new episode is released.

You subscribe because you find the information both informative and perhaps entertaining too. You trust the information that is being given, as its purpose is to help without a pressure sales message – aside from a call to action contained within the podcast which might direct them toward a website / e-commerce platform or an email list – where you can actually engage them in a sales conversation.

So, the fourth element in your Cross Media Blog is a high-quality podcast that is distributed by us, throughout Apple, Microsoft, Spotify, and relevant Google platforms.

Google and search engine ranking (SEO)

Ranking high on Google (and other search engines) can be critical to your business success.

According to Berkley the top eight benefits of ranking high on Google are:

Google Ranking Benefit 1: Brings Organic Search Traffic to your Website.

Google Ranking Benefit 2: Generates Leads Cost-Effectively.

Google Ranking Benefit 3: Increases Brand Awareness.

Google Ranking Benefit 4: Gets You Ahead of the Competition.

Google Ranking Benefit 5: Optimises Your Website for Mobile Users.

Google Ranking Benefit 6: Builds Trust.

Let’s Talk Numbers…

Type your business service or product into Google and see how many results come up. Now, take into account that position 1 receives an average of 31.7% of those clicks, position 2 – 24.71 and position 3 – 18.59%. By the time you get to the very top of page two, you are looking at an average of ONLY 0.63% clickthrough rate.

This leads to the oft-quoted SEO joke that if you want to hide a dead body, so it won’t be discovered, the best place is page two of Google.

Thank you to numeroagency and orbelo for those Google stats.

To make sure your website is seen by as many people as possible, we have enlisted the help of a top-notch SEO consultant – or Google specialist, if you like – to help rise your Cross-Media Blog (and therefore your business website) to the top of Google.

Voice Engine Optimisation

A little speculation here, but we are also working hard to make your branded audio playable on Alexa and Siri as a result of a relevant user query. Early days and a little more experimentation are needed for this one, but as soon as it’s ready our Cross Media Blog clients’ content will automatically benefit from this.

So, the fifth element to be added to your Cross Media Blog is a dedicated SEO consultant to optimise your audio, written and video content so it will rank high on Google and the other search engines.

Your business on Video.

As an added extra, we can also include video production to your Cross Media Blog.

Whilst television may be experiencing dwindling viewing figures (as mentioned above) high-quality video content is NOT. According to Dash:

“In 2023 people are watching, on average, 17 hours of online video per week.”

Videos are also: “twice as likely to be shared than any other form of content.”

YouTube alone, has over two billion monthly users and 70% of viewers made a purchase as a result of seeing a brand on YouTube. This is probably part of the reason why 87% of marketers attribute sales back to their online video marketing efforts.

Your Content Write has teamed up with a long-established video production company to take your Cross Media Blog audio and add some stunning visuals/animation, which will then be uploaded to YouTube and optimised to rank on Google, as well as cutting a few short samples from your video content to be shared throughout your social media channels.

So, the sixth optional element we can add to our Cross Media Blog mixing bowl is the video content created edited and uploaded to YouTube.

So, what is Cross Media Blogging?

Cross Media blogging is the coming together of traditional blogging, audio marketing, podcasting, SEO Google optimisation and video marketing to create a product that can take you to the top of Google and gain the loyalty, trust and… money of more customers than you have ever experienced (see above for relevant stats).

And you don’t even need to come up with content ideas. Our researchers already know what is trending and what YOUR customers WANT to know about. We also look at gaps in your competitors’ content marketing strategy meaning you will absolutely stand out from the competition.

Ready to Stand Apart from Your Competition?

Click the link below and book a call and you can find out how Cross Media Blogging can take your business to the next level.

https://meetings-eu1.hubspot.com/greystoke

You can also SUBSCRIBE to our Cross Media Blog podcast, HERE:

<a href="https://rss.com/podcasts/crossmediablog/1186703/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cross Media Blogging and why you NEED it in 2024 | RSS.com</a>

by Paul@contentwrite

How to Supercharge your LinkedIn Profile and 10x Cusomer Conversions

All, Uncategorized

Why you NEED to change your LinkedIn profile.

If you are currently B2B, that is, you predominantly do business with other businesses then you need a LinkedIn profile that speaks to your customers.

WHY?

Because, like the majority of our clients were before we started working with them, you could be currently paying a lot of money for leads or funding elaborate advertising campaigns aimed at finding, engaging, and converting cold leads into customers.

Perhaps you employ a salesperson to pick up the phone and ‘cold call’ potential prospects. Invariably they will spend most of their time speaking to receptionists and other gatekeepers who are given specific instructions not to allow any sales calls through.

THIS SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF UNECESARY EFFORT ON YOUR PART…

…Especially when you are already using a FREE alternative that does the job better.

LinkedIn is the biggest social media platform in the world that has a specific focus on business. If your business success relies on making positive connections with other business owners, then surely leveraging the power of this platform and furthermore, the search function that puts you in direct contact with the people you want to do business with (NOT the secretaries) is a preferable strategy.

The first stage in attracting and then converting your ideal clients on LinkedIn is to make sure your profile is client-facing.

The trouble with most LinkedIn profiles today (and perhaps yours).

Back in 2003 when my daughter was born, LinkedIn was also brought into the world, and it was intended as a convenient way of connecting employers to potential employees. This is why over 90% of today’s LinkedIn profiles read more like an online C.V. or resumé. This does very little to attract and engage prospects who are looking for a commercial answer to their problems.

The very nature of a C.V. is that it speaks predominantly about the person for whom the profile was written. And, like a badly written ‘About Us’ web page, the LinkedIn profile rabbits on about themselves, and their accolades (no matter how irrelevant) with no attempt to really connect with a prospective client. In the second or two that the potential client may spend on the LinkrdIn C.V. profile, there is no engagement, and they leave.

Change your profile and start to build relationships.

Imagine a prospective client landed on your profile and in a few seconds became instantly excited because FINALLY, they had stumbled across an individual or business that existed purely to solve their problems and help them achieve their greatest desires. They’d want to know more… wouldn’t you?

Go through your own LinkedIn profile and ask yourself:

“Does my current LinkedIn profile speak directly to my clients – outlining the ways in which my product or service will help them make more money, save time, make their life easier and solve their problems?”

If not, then don’t worry this guide is here to help.

Self-promotion bit:

I should mention at this point that if you don’t want to do it all yourself then we have a simple cost-effective solution:

For a one-off payment of £75 we will have your LinkedIn profile rewritten within 24 hours. You also get our FREE eBook ‘LinkedIn Marketing Cheat Sheet’ and a FREE 30-minute Zoom call where we personalise your marketing efforts into a winning LinkedIn client acquisition formula tailored around your business.

Click this link if you’d like it done for you and me or one of my team will be in touch to discuss what you need for your LinkedIn profile.

Let’s build your LinkedIn profile.

Your LinkedIn profile photograph.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, so your photograph needs to be inviting, friendly and appealing to your prospective clients.

And before you say:

“I hate having my photograph taken.”

…then qualify that statement with a plethora of reasons as to why you don’t want to smile or look at the camera, you are going to have to get over that. There has been far too much research done to prove that a smile associates YOUR product or the service with positive emotions: health, optimism, and success – all the attributes you want clients to associate with YOUR brand.

Remember also, that your clients are connecting with you (another human being). Would you find it easy to connect with someone who didn’t smile and shielded their eyes behind a hand or pair of dark shades? If you (like just about everybody on LinkedIn) only spent a couple of seconds to decide whether or not you wanted to connect, then I’m guessing you would have moved on and not given the person a second thought.

What should I wear for my LinkedIn profile photograph?

Whatever you would wear if you were meeting a client out here in the real world. Something that would give them every confidence that you care enough about your appearance and therefore care enough about their impression of you to actually make an effort – subliminally saying that just as much care and attention will go into your service to them… also, something that compliments your lovely eyes and smile.

What should your LinkedIn banner look like?

Behind the photograph is a banner that spans the width of the page (1584 pixels wide x 396 pixels tall to be exact). I’ve stopped marvelling at the number of people who waste this valuable space with generic non-descript images. Your banner (like a good website banner) is the ideal place to draw your profile visitors in and show them what you do, or perhaps display some social proof.

This is mine. It states very clearly what I do and inspires the reader to read further down my profile to find out more.

There are a variety of different tactics that can be employed with your LinkedIn banner. You can:

Outline the service/product you provide.
Talk about the audiences you serve.
The benefits that you bring to your customers.
Or social proof “As featured in Horse and Hound”.

The professional LinkedIn title.

Next to your photograph, your title is perhaps the most important part of your LinkedIn profile. In just 120 characters you can let your ideal client know that your very reason for ‘being’ is to serve their needs, and also to say how you do it.

This is precisely the reason why you should not waste this opportunity by having a title that reads something like:

John Smith

CEO Random Company Ltd.

I don’t see a single client benefit in the above title. It tells me NOTHING about how he will help solve my problems and make my dreams come true.

This is mine:

My ideal client is someone who has an underperforming website and wants their website to rank high on Google, whilst at the same time generating so many client conversions that they can stop paying for expensive lead generation people/tools. So, I simply state that on my profile title.

To start off with your professional title you might find the following template helpful:

I help [ insert your niched customer type here] achieve [benefit here] by [how you do it]

Don’t try to be too clever here. ALWAYS go for simplicity over jargon-filled intricacy. Steve Jobs (of Apple fame) once commented that if you cannot express what you do in very simple terms then you either don’t understand your product or your customers well enough.

I could have said on my profile:

I provide digital marketing, SEO, audio production and content writing/content marketing.

But, besides the above being an awful snooze fest, that is sure to be ignored alongside every other similar ad, how many people outside the marketing industry know exactly what goes into digital marketing? Or SEO, OR the intricacies of content writing?

It is much simpler and more effective to outline the benefits my potential clients will receive.

Why Niche your audience on LinkedIn?

To put it simply, you can’t be everything to everyone and if you try then you will create sales copy that is so generic that it appeals to no one.

I am aware that you may be scared of turning away clients that are not in your niche but:

The benefits of niching FAR OUTWEIGH the comparative bleak, baron wasteland of opportunities that lie ahead if you don’t.

Consider:

No two client types are the same and if you want a profile that stands out it cannot be a generic, vanilla, there to please everyone profile. It needs to immediately jump out to appeal to a specific type of profile visitor.

If you are marketing to your ideal client, then that is the client that will be frequenting your profile more than any other chance visitors. You are therefore making sure your profile appeals to the 99% of already ‘warm’ prospects that will be visiting rather than the 1% that happens to be there by chance.

Up to now, how many client conversions have you had on LinkedIn and of those how many were NOT your ideal customer?

Emojis and your LinkedIn profile.

Before we go into the content of your ‘About’ section I’ll address a question I’ve been asked quite a few times:

Should you have emojis on your LinkedIn profile?

Being in digital marketing for the past twenty years, my personal view is absolutely yes, provided they aren’t overused.

Psychologists say that emojis can help reinforce the meaning behind a message:

“I’ll see you later.”

Conveys a different tone and meaning, for example to:

“I’ll see you later.” 😃

According to Entrepeneur.com:

“Emojis are a great tool to make your brand seem more human and relatable. While social media cannot replicate the intimacy of face-to-face communication, emojis can fill in essential aspects of communication, such as facial expressions and body language.”

AND

Messages sent by a business that contains emojis are four times more likely to get a response from a customer.

Humans are naturally visual people, meaning they can process emojis faster than they can read and understand your sentences, so I would stand by my earlier statement and say emojis (provided they aren’t overused) are definitely something you should consider adding to your LinkedIn profile. They definitely add the ‘human’ into an otherwise digital conversation. 🤗

Jargon and your LinkedIn ‘About’ section.

Unless your clients (NOT YOU) commonly communicate by using industry-specific jargon I would advise staying away from it. It can tend to alienate potential clients when you should be reaching out to connect with them on an emotive level as well as practical. Human beings always react emotionally FIRST which means if you can reach them emotionally, then your potential customer WILL read on to support the buying decision they have ALREADY MADE.

Apple are masters at this. Check out any advertisement for the latest iGadget and you will find the sales language reaches you on such a personal and aspirational level that instead of dismissing the ridiculously priced status symbol, you try to figure out which of your children deserves to go without shoes and food for a year so you can afford to buy it.

I was once asked to look over an eBook written by financial advisors for their clients. It was filled with technical jargon and was not (to my eye) fit to give to anyone but another financial advisor to read – even then it should have come with a public health warning. I rewrote the eBook, removing most of the technical jargon, and instead concentrating on appealing to the wants and desires of their client base. The resulting eBook improved client engagement by over 80% compared to the previous version.

Your business website is your corporate platform, but your LinkedIn profile has to be more ‘human’. So, please avoid technical jargon in favour of appealing to your clients’ desires.

LinkedIn ‘About’ section

If your profile visitor has made it this far, that is a great sign. It means your profile picture, banner and LinkedIn title have compelled them to read on. Now you can go more in-depth with to HOW you can help them and what they must do to take advantage of what you have to offer.

Impress your visitors with an amazing ‘About’ section and your chances of them jumping feet first into your sales funnel are massively enhanced.

What is your LinkedIn ‘About’ section NOT?

This should go without saying but the biggest way to turn away an interested prospect is to stop talking about them and instead talk about yourself: how many years you have been doing your job, what university you went to, the professional qualifications you have etc… This is NOT a ‘show off’ at the expense of your customer section. This is a ‘what I do in as much as it will help my clients have an easier life section’.

So, start out by doing something like:

I help [niched audience] achieve [their goal] by [whatever you do to help them]

One of my clients has this:

I help healthcare businesses dominate their marketplace, save money, and become more efficient by implementing robust I.T. solutions.

Clear, focused and client-facing!

For the rest of the ‘About section try to include the following points:

What you do.
Who do you work with (target audience or industry type)?
Why your product or service is something they NEED.
Your USP (what makes you different).
Testimonials and social proof.
Your process (so they know what to expect).
Ready to talk? (How do they take the next step?)

In closing…

Thanks for reading. I hope this guide has helped.

If you would like to supercharge your LinkedIn profile but simply don’t have the time, then we do have a cost-effective solution that will help:

For a one-off payment of £75, we will have your LinkedIn profile rewritten within 24 hours. You also get our FREE eBook ‘LinkedIn Marketing Cheat Sheet’ and a FREE 30-minute Zoom call where we personalise your marketing efforts into a winning LinkedIn client acquisition formula tailored around your business.

Click this link if you’d like it done for you and me or one of my team will be in touch to discuss what you need for your LinkedIn profile.

Thanks again and have fun leveraging the power of LinkedIn to attract and convert more profile visitors into clients.

by Paul@contentwrite

YCW Partnership Programme (Web Designers and Web Developers)

All, Content Writing, partnership programme

Your Content Write Partnership Programme

by Paul@contentwrite

Why Blogging is Good For Your Business

Blog Writing, All

Blog for business, business blogging, Your Content Write, why blog?,

So, you have an amazing site… Great, well done you.

You may also post regular sales messages through your own social media channels.

In fact, there are a myriad of sales options out there, designed to show your clients that one irresistible offer that will make a huge difference to their lives and to your bottom line.

So why introduce blogging into the mix? What purpose does it serve?

I’d like to start by stating the obvious… Your clients are people.

Let’s think about that for a second. Whether they are the CEO of a major corporation, the owner of a chip shop or a single parent struggling to make ends meet, they all share that one common quality.

As ‘people’, they will base their relationships on perception, trust and familiarity. This works not only in their personal lives but also transcends into their purchases too.

Remember, your website is a sales platform pure and simple. It is the showroom for what you have to offer to satisfy your clients desires.

Trouble is, yours is not the only website out there, and the chances are you are not the only one offering the same product or service.

Having a blog takes you out of the rat race, in which thousands of businesses are standing on their own little patch of land screaming:

“Buy from me… Buy from me… BUY FROM ME!!”

When you have a blog, the clients come to you. They seek you out – Why?

Let’s look at the stats. Then I’ll help you understand why those impressive figures are entirely logical:

Firstly, the blog is NOT a direct sales tool and (barring a few minor exceptions), should never be used as one. It’s there to build a relationship between you and your clients:

You wouldn’t walk up to an attractive lady or gentleman at work and suggest marriage and children over the water cooler (I hope).
You’d get to know them and they choose to get to know you (based on their initial perception). You might even offer them a small gift in the form of a FREE refreshing cup of water.
When your relationship has reached a certain level of familiarity and trust, you can take your communication to a new venue (coffee shop or restaurant) then move on from there.
After a few restaurant dates, your level of commitment may move to the next level, perhaps eventually leading to marriage.
Heavy couple of days eh?

So, when designing a blog think initially about what it is that your clients want to see. Be aware that they are constantly barraged by numerous metaphorical marriage proposals which they automatically ignore.

Look for initial opportunities to serve your clients for free, offering them content that they really want (the chat and cup of water at the water cooler).

Make your blogs regular. This sets you up as the resident and reliable expert in their mind’s eye.

Encourage those who can’t get enough of your content to sign up to your mailing list (taking them away from that water cooler and into a coffee shop to offer them something of more value for free. The metaphorical cup of coffee).

Once they are on your mailing list:

They already know and trust you.
They are comfortably familiar with your brand.
They WANT to buy from you.

Now your free content can point towards a bigger offering, whilst still adding value.

If you follow this, then more than likely you will begin to receive comments and emails from potential clients who have loved your free content and are eager to purchase your bigger offering.

On the subject of what specifically to put into your blogs, this will be covered in a future post. I will say for now though, that my rule of thumb is the same as it is with social media:

Your content has to either inspire, educate or entertain (or a combination). If it does none of those then it is a waste of a post.

There should be some sort of call to action (To like a Facebook page or join a mailing list perhaps).

And I know this was mentioned earlier but beyond the branding, your blog should not be a blatant self-promoting sales document.

Remember you want your clients to WANT to buy from you not ignore you.

Good luck with your blogging. Comments and questions welcome below, as always.

Till next time…

If you would like to be kept up to date with my latest blogs and free information, tips and tricks, click the button below:

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by Paul@contentwrite

Why Optimizing your FAQ Page Could Be One of Your Smartest Moves.

All, Rank High on Google

optimise your FAQ page, your content write, rank high on google, increase sales

It’s your FAQ page. Many people put them up because… well because everyone else does. But beyond serving your clients with some blatantly obvious answers to things that are mostly covered in your site, what other use does it have?

I can’t even begin to describe… Actually, I can and that’s what the focus of this blog is. So, let’s dive right in.

Let’s look at the basics from a user perspective, then delve into the SEO possibilities that will help your website rank high on Google.

Assuming you are on first name terms with your customer avatar, you will have a site that addresses the majority of your users and presents them with the information that they want, in order for you to make conversions and sales.

That’s all great, but what of your potential clients (The ones who are frantically typing away on Google, hoping and praying for the solutions that you have for their burning wants)? They will have specific questions, phrased in a way that is unique to them and similarly use unique associated keywords.

Wouldn’t it be nice to rank for those specific questions and have the answers ready-made?

That was rhetorical.

Welcome to your new and improved FAQ page…

Below follows a few tips and tricks on optimizing your FAQ page so Google, your customers and you are smiling so much you’d think you all slept with hangers in your mouths.

Your website is there because you want the user to perform an action (join a mailing list, buy a product etc). Your FAQ page is no exception. Treat it like a sales page, treat it with the same love and dedication as you would your home page. No more bland and vanilla yes / no answers to unoriginal questions. Make each of your answers enticing – compelling the user to want to take an action. Think of each answer as something you could see on the Google SERP (Search Engine Results Page) and want to click through to a website.

Start out with your generic questions then hop onto Google and start to think about how each question could be reworded to match what Google would recognise as a natural link to your service. This does not have to be guesswork. Start to type a question into Google and loads of options will populate below before you have finished typing. These options are not made up, they are there because Google recognise those terms as ones that are frequently put into the search bar. By replicating the appropriate ones (by clicking through and see where they lead), you are answering the specific questions that your potential clients have and you are using the keywords that Google already know and recognise as being related your product or service.

Take the Following Example:

Imagine you run a parcel delivery service. Think of the most basic question that a user might ask like, ‘When will my delivery arrive?’

Before you have finished typing the word ‘delivery’ Google will already predict what you might want, based on frequent searches. You’ll see those populated below your search.

Click on one and see where it leads. You’ll probably find companies that offer the same service (or similar) to you.

Because the FAQ page is often ignored as a lead generation page you’ll find it easier to rank as the competition is far less.

Include links on your FAQ page and calls to action that are relevant to your customer’s specific questions.

Don’t assume your text has always answered your user’s questions. Offer them an alternative option for a more in-depth answer (could be a phone call or an email). Let’s face it many people leave FAQ pages, frustrated because they didn’t get the answer they want. By offering them the option to get the exact answer that they want, then the chances of them using you to fulfil their desires are greatly increased as they now know you actually care about serving their wants.

Lastly, as discussed on previous posts – look at the keywords that you want your FAQ page to rank for on Google for and make sure they are not in competition with keywords in the rest of your site (Every page has a specific purpose and Google will not rank two pages from the same site on the first page).

I Hope you enjoyed this. If you want to be kept informed on future blog posts please subscribe and like our Facebook page:

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Questions and comments are always welcome in the space below.

Till next time…

by Paul@contentwrite

How to Write Web Content Like Apple.

All, Content Writing

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With the launch of the new Apple iPhone X, Your Content Write thought it might be fun to investigate exactly what makes Apple web content so irresistible.

So, if you want to be able to write content like Apple and make your products and services sound as enticing as the iPhone X, then read on.

Once you log onto https://www.apple.com/uk/iphone-x/ you are presented with a graphic (a huge ‘X’) which magically transforms itself into a phone as you scroll down.

One might say, you are greeted with a concept of the future, and since the user has to scroll down to complete the transformation into a phone, it is a vision of the future that the user can now hold.

This is very empowering and thrills the reader enough to want to read on.

For those familiar with marketing and sales, you will know that creating an excitement or buzz around a product or service, before the reader has even looked further into it is essential if you want to take your potential customers down a sales funnel and convert them into long term fans.

Having seen this graphic, the words that Apple use must live up to the Graphic and nurture those subliminal concepts. See Below:

The next section starts with an <H> tag title ‘iPhone X’ making it easier for Google to read and understand what the web page will be all about.

In the 53 words that follow (before the next graphic), iPhone is mentioned three times and iPhone X twice. Throughout the page the keyword iPhone X is mentioned 18 times.

The text in this section contains language that is both inspiring and emotive and builds upon the established graphic as a true taste for the future.

Apple speak of their ‘vision’, creating a sense that this amazing piece of Tec has been worked on for many years and now their ‘vision’ is finally a reality.

This gives it an unique ‘sought after’ quality, helping the reader along the path to owning this little slice of heaven.

Right from the gate Apple speak of their device being:

‘…so immersive that the device itself disappears into the experience.’

This is essential… Let’s face it, a phone is a phone. You text, make calls, take pictures, record movies and play games (My grandma would be turning in her grave shouting ‘No. You make calls. End Of!’)

So, instead of selling a phone Apple are instead selling a dream, a vision for the future, a chance to escape the normal hum drum of daily existence.

Apple are selling what the user wants not needs. A drill salesman by comparison does not sell drills, he sells holes in walls i.e. The end result.

So, instead of selling a phone with a few upgrades, they sell the dream (the customer buys the phone as the natural transport to that dreams reality).

Let’s look at the keywords that stick in the mind from a user’s point of view:

Vision (Mentioned twice), create, immersive, experience and intelligent.

These words are lovingly wrapped around the words iPhone and iPhone X, with the closing line:

‘Say hello to the future.’

It even uses alliteration to heighten the readers experience with:

The device itself disappears into the experience.

There is then another graphic, followed by another paragraph. None of the paragraphs are long (The next being just 23 words) and are all centred around fulfilling a promise for the taste of tomorrow.

Throughout the whole page we are taken on a journey to experience the wonderment of what could be (subtly upselling Apple accessories and Apple Music on the way) which, if you have made it to the bottom, (resisting the temptation to click the buy button) then you are starkly presented with the call to action that Apple want you to take:

Buy an iPhone X now!

Apple know that if you have resisted clicking that buy button, but have read to the bottom, you are clearly interested in the product but perhaps money is an issue. It then offers monthly payment plans and even a chance to trade in your old phone for cash.

The complete sales funnel displayed on one page (I love it).

One thing I found quite clever on this page was its wider reach in relation to audience type:

At every stage people are offered the opportunity to learn more about the technical aspect of the phone with a simple inbound link (which is a brownie point for SEO and reduces the bounce rate).

One thing that Apple did NOT do was to include the technical know how and jargon in with the text on the front page. That’s because they know that not everyone is interested in that and it would interfere with the user experience as they make their way down the page.

That would be the same as an illusionist explaining the secrets behind a magic trick as he / she performs it for the first time on stage – all the viewer excitement and wonder is lost and you are left with nothing more than a how-to guide, which may be only mildly interesting at best.

I Hope you enjoyed this. If you want to be kept informed on future blog posts please subscribe and like our Facebook page:

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Questions and comments are always welcome in the space below.

Till next time…

by Paul@contentwrite

How to Write Content that Google and Your Customers will Love (Part 2)

All, Content Writing, Rank High on Google

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All righty then…

This is a follow on from my previous post (hence part 2) If you missed that one, please refer to my previous blog.

All caught up?

Good.

When I write content for my clients I do it in two stages:

1. I create an amazing piece of prose that will educate, inspire or entertain (hopefully all three depending on the subject matter of the text). When doing this I pay absolutely no attention to keywords, Google or any of the other search engines out there. My first and most important task is to communicate an idea that will lead to a call to action.

2. After stage one is complete I then look in great detail at the purpose of the page. I want my clients to rank on Google so I try to make the purpose as specific as possible. I am trying to make this as niche as possible thereby making it easier for Google to present the page to the right people.

Generalized Phrases should be avoided as much as possible. Remember Google is not as clever as you (yet) so work has to be done to make the search engine crawler’s job easy.

As an example, if a car dealership wants to rank high for the keyword ‘Cars’ they will find it:

a. Very expensive if they are paying for it.
b. Extremely competitive if they are wanting to appear on the first page.

With such a general term Google has to cast a wide net in the hope that the information you are looking for is on that page.

Typically, you may find:

A few local car dealerships near to where the user is, information on Disney’s Cars, Magazine listings on the top performing cars, Newsworthy items that include cars and a few YouTube videos that have cars in them.

‘Cars for sale’ or ‘Cars for sale in Jarrow’ on the other hand is a lot more specific and helps Google recognise exactly what your page will be about.

How to write Content that Google and Your Customers Will Simply Love (Part 1).

All, Content Writing, Rank High on Google

Web Content Writing, your content write, seo, rank high on google, increase sales by supercharging your web content

Do you want Google to love your website as much as you do?

Do you want to increase your chances of ranking on the first page, when a prospective client searches for your product or service online?

That was rhetorical, by the way. I’m assuming that’s why we’re all here.

There’s something I tell my clients quite a bit and that is…

“Think like Google.”

The top techies at Google have the opposite goal. They are trying to make their algorithms so clever that eventually it (Google) will be able to think like a human, thereby producing an exact match for whatever search query you type (or speak) into the search engine.

But they’re not there yet, so for the moment we have to come down to their level and understand what makes Google recognise and rank one web page over another for the same search query.

Now, in future blogs we’ll be tipping our toes into the fascinating world of search engine optimization (SEO), then diving right in. For now, we’re going to look at the most important element and that is, your content.

You may have heard the phrase bandied around “Content is King.” That’s true because it serves two very important purposes:

It helps Google (and other search engines) understand what you do and therefore where you should rank.
It communicates an idea to your readers (hopefully) in a way that will inspire them to perform a desired action. That could be to buy a product or subscribe to a mailing list.

With me so far? Good.

By far, the most important element in the above is number two. You are less likely to rank high if your content alienates your readers. Google looks at popularity as well as readability and purpose when ranking a web page. If people are not engaging with your site it will be seen as not fit for purpose.

I want you to look at each page in your current website if you have one (or if not, start your initial design now). Pen and paper in hand, write down the web page title and next to that write what the purpose of that page is.

After you have done that, realise that you have probably been very general in your description and that description could probably apply to a million other websites. Do it again and be very specific:

Write down in as much detail as you can what the purpose of YOUR web page is.

What we are creating here is a niche. With a niche comes a certain set of keywords that will clearly define your niche (we’ll go into that in a little bit).

Now look at your content on each page and answer the following question with a yes/no:

Does this web page cover EVERYTHING your user would want to know (Not YOU, your user) when reading this page with no questions left unanswered?

If you answered yes to the above then make sure.

With no leading statements ask a target group to read your page and come up with questions. Have them communicate their understanding of the page. You might also ask the user how the page makes them feel and if they are inspired to perform your call to action in the page?

It’s handy if your target group are not friends and family but a small section of people who ‘should’ be likely to want to part with their hard-earned cash to purchase what it is that you have to offer.

Doing this on social media (which we’ll go into in a future post) can be very useful. If people feel like they have helped you then they are more likely to feel a sense of ownership and be engaged with what you have to offer.

Once you have these results then back to the drawing board you go, to re-write your page (Or congratulate yourself on being a content writing genius).

If you answered ‘no’ to the above then rewrite your web page, answering your own questions then follow the steps above.

If you need help with the actual content then please see my previous post:

http://yourcontentwrite.com/how-to-write-stunning-web-pages/

Ok, by this point we have a website that engages your potential client base. That’s great. Well done you.

If it is important for you to rank high on Google too (it isn’t always important, which will be explored in a future post) then jump into stage two.

Stage 2

Earlier you heard me speak briefly of keywords. They are important, but not as important as many people would have you believe.

John Mueller of Google stated in 2014. –

“keyword density, in general, is something I wouldn’t focus on. Search engines have kind of moved on from there.”

My advice is:

Definitely include keywords and synonyms but don’t overdo it and above all make it sound natural.
Once done, test it with your target group. Offer them something free for their assistance and get them signed up to a mailing list or a Facebook group. They will do some of your marketing for you in referrals.

There is more to ranking high on Google. This will be continued in my next blog post:

How to write Content that Google and your Customers will simply love (part 2).

I Hope you enjoyed this. If you want to be kept informed on future blog posts please subscribe and like our Facebook page:

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Till next time…

by Paul@contentwrite

How to Write Stunning Web Pages.

All, Content Writing

your content write advice on how to write web content.

As a passionate and dedicated business owner you could probably write loads about your company.

You may create vast quantities of content that show off your various skills, qualifications and your experience. You might then go to highlight all your USP’s and your existing client base to instil confidence into your reader.

Nice idea, but unfortunately that doesn’t work for Google or for your customers. Let’s explore why.

This blog post will cover five of the basic techniques you should be including in your web content.

Define your customer.

You want to communicate an idea to someone it’s probably useful that you understand who they are so you can speak in a language that will inform, possibly entertain and definitely inspire them to hit that buy button or subscribe to your mailing list.

I’ll go into the customer avatar in more depth in a future blog but for now try to identify your customer by basic demographics (age, sex, location, income level) and then look more in depth.

I like to put myself in the mind of the customer and do a basic personality test on their behalf. There are quite a few useful ones online. A simple Google search will highlight which works best for you.

Write for your customer, not yourself.

So many people use their website to show off their relevant skills. Whilst it’s important that the customer needs to feel confident that you can do the job, remember they have already logged onto your site because they are looking for what it is that you have to offer.

If they have to make their way through reams of text to find what they are looking for they’ll simply click off – increasing your bounce rate and decreasing your conversion rate.

So, the key here is show the customer what they want to see and try not to bog them down in loads of technical jargon. Richard Branson attributes much of his success in the fact that he keeps his content simple and easy to understand.

Get to know your personal pronouns and avoid the passive tense.

If you are talking with your clients make them feel like they are part of the conversation. Don’t be afraid to use the word ‘you’ or ‘your’ in your copy:

The Teddy bears are produced and delivered within 24 hours.

will never sound as good as:

Your delectable teddy bears will be ready and shipped out to you within 24 hours.

Avoid needless repetition.

The key word here is ‘needless’. It may be necessary to repeat an idea or a subscribe / buy it now option but don’t overuse it. Studies have concluded that this comes across as needy and desperate.

Use short sentences and paragraphs.

Try to keep to four sentences per paragraph as a general rule.

I could write volumes on how to create stunning web content (and will in future posts) but to begin with I think that’s enough to be going on with.

My next blog will be how to craft your content so that it ranks high on Google.

Hope you enjoyed this. If you want to be kept informed on future blog posts please subscribe and like our Facebook page:

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Till next time…

by Paul@contentwrite

What is Google Hummingbird and How Can it Work For You?

All, Rank High on Google

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Your Content Write is still hard at work, creating its long awaited ‘Supercharge Your Web Presence’ course.

As we do this, when we pluck out particular nuggets of information that could help you, we simply post them. If you have any questions post us a reply in the comments section. Enjoy.

Today… Hummingbird.

Hummingbird is the search algorithm that Google uses to decide what websites to show when a user puts a query into the search engine… and it has recently changed.

It used to be that when you pop a search query into Google then Hummingbird would look at websites with relevant keyword rich content amongst a few other variables. The sites who did this best were the ones who ranked on the first page.

Whilst, in essence this is still true, Google is endeavouring to stop keyword spammers from ranking above the more well deserving sites.

In Google’s own words:

“Hummingbird is paying more attention to each word in a query, ensuring that the whole query — the whole sentence or conversation or meaning — is taken into account, rather than particular words. The goal is that pages matching the meaning do better, rather than pages matching just a few words.”

So, what does this mean for you?

Look at each page on your site and note what the purpose of that particular page is.
Come up with keywords that clearly identify the purpose of that page.
Try not to have more than one page that is trying to rank high for the same keyword as Google wont generally display multiple pages from the same site on the first page (you’d be competing with yourself).
Then write content that is both keyword rich and enticing.
Try to make the copy as comprehensive as possible so the reader does not have any questions, except maybe “Ok I’m sold. Where is the buy / subscribe button?”

If you need any help or have any questions regarding this, Your Content Write will be happy to assist.

Click on the comments below or visit us on http://yourcontentwrite.com/

Till next time…

by Paul@contentwrite

What is a Cross Media Blog?

What Can Cross Media Blogging Mean to You?

How close can we bring you to that dream?

Commercially embrace the digital age we are living in.

How much of your current marketing efforts are online?

Put yourself in the mind of your customer.

HOWEVER IN THE ONLINE WORLD…

Your customers are online which means that’s exactly where you need to be.

Why Blogging is so effective?

Blogs Written by Humans for Humans

Needless to say then, the next element in our cross-media blog mixing bowl is the well-researched and engaging, ‘human-written’ blog post.

You need to be accessible to capture a wider audience.

The Professional Voice over Artist and the Cross Media Blog

So, the third element in the Cross Media Blog is the professional audio version that your customers can play directly from your blog post.

The power of the podcast

So, the fourth element in your Cross Media Blog is a high-quality podcast that is distributed by us, throughout Apple, Microsoft, Spotify, and relevant Google platforms.

Google and search engine ranking (SEO)

Voice Engine Optimisation

So, the fifth element to be added to your Cross Media Blog is a dedicated SEO consultant to optimise your audio, written and video content so it will rank high on Google and the other search engines.

Your business on Video.

So, the sixth optional element we can add to our Cross Media Blog mixing bowl is the video content created edited and uploaded to YouTube.

Why you NEED to change your LinkedIn profile.

The trouble with most LinkedIn profiles today (and perhaps yours).

Change your profile and start to build relationships.

Let’s build your LinkedIn profile.

Your LinkedIn profile photograph.

“I hate having my photograph taken.”

What should I wear for my LinkedIn profile photograph?

What should your LinkedIn banner look like?

The professional LinkedIn title.

Why Niche your audience on LinkedIn?

Emojis and your LinkedIn profile.

Should you have emojis on your LinkedIn profile?

Jargon and your LinkedIn ‘About’ section.

LinkedIn ‘About’ section

What is your LinkedIn ‘About’ section NOT?

So why introduce blogging into the mix? What purpose does it serve?

Welcome to your new and improved FAQ page…

Your Content Write is still hard at work, creating its long awaited ‘Supercharge Your Web Presence’ course.

As we do this, when we pluck out particular nuggets of information that could help you, we simply post them. If you have any questions post us a reply in the comments section. Enjoy.

Today… Hummingbird.