by Mark Bloom | Feb 19, 2016 | Blog Writing
A Step-by-Step Guide by Professional Bloggers
For many people, including businesspeople, writing a blog post seems difficult. Where do you start? What do you write about? What’s the point? You have lots of questions, and we — the professional writers at Ray Access — have some answers for you.
The very first step is to answer two questions:
- Who is your intended audience?
- What do you hope to accomplish?
If you’re in business, your audience is likely the same as your business customers (and potential customers). If you’re writing a business blog, you could be writing to educate (a how-to), to share tips (a list) or to share news about your company or industry. All are valid. Once you’ve answered those two important questions, follow these four steps to write your blog post.
1. Pick a Topic
No matter what your business does or sells, people have questions about you and your industry. Pick a question and answer it in your blog post. The more pertinent and timely your answer, the more traction your blog post may get. Lists and how-to articles are especially helpful and popular. Some sample questions, just to get you started, include:
- How do you find the best [dentist in Asheville]?
- What’s the best way to [stop a leaky faucet]?
- 5 steps to [writing a blog post]
- The 5 best [questions to ask your Realtor]
- [Insurance] tips no one told you
Your topic question or statement may become the title of your blog post. If it’s engaging and promises an answer, use it. Otherwise, wait until you’ve written the blog post to come up with the title. Then you’ll know what to promise.
2. Do Your Research
Believe it or not, you don’t have to be an expert in a field to write knowledgeably about it. We’ve written about subjects as diverse as industrial roofing and cloud computing. What you do need to do before you can write about your chosen topic, regardless what it is, is to research it adequately.
So once you know your topic, do an Internet search to find what others have to say about it. Whenever possible, use reputable sources to get your information. In other words, never use Wikipedia.org. If you’re writing about your industry, you should know which sources are reliable and which aren’t. To be absolutely safe, don’t use anything until you find it on two different authoritative websites.
3. Write the Blog Post
After you’ve collected bits and pieces of solid data, you can write your blog post. Keep the original question in mind as you write. A clear answer should be your goal, while explaining it as best you can. Often, a simple question takes a long time to answer because one question leads to another. And that’s how you string one sentence to another, one paragraph to another and one section to another.
Remember who your audience is and what they may already know. Your goal is to answer their questions and connect with them. Use language that reflects how they use language. For example, at Ray Access, we often write in a comfortably conversational tone. It’’s the way we talk, and most likely how you talk. But we’ve written for clients who didn’t want any contractions in the content. The point is to write for your audience.
4. Have It Edited
Congratulations, you’ve written a blog post! But your task doesn’t end there. Before you share it with the world — or at least with your customers and potential customers — have the article edited. Have someone else look at it with a critical eye. This step shouldn’t be just a proofread. While catching typos and misspellings are important, a good editor can improve the flow of your blog post so that it reads smoothly, point by point, from beginning to end.
And by the way, did you know that Ray Access offers editing services? That’s right. We can take your original blog post (or whatever you’ve written) and make it better. And our editing services are just half the price of our writing services. Good editing can make the difference between a sale and a fail.
Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.
by Mark Bloom | Jan 21, 2016 | Blog Writing
Start Writing Your Blog Now and Keep It Going
A business blog contributes to the ROI of your website.
Just as every business eventually realized it needed a website, more and more businesses are coming to the conclusion that they need blogs. An effective blog drives more traffic to the website, thus generating quality leads and phone calls. A business blog that uses keywords correctly can even raise the search engine ranking for the entire site.
It’s never too late to start a blog for your business website. It can start delivering ROI within months of your first published blog post, which — in our age of instant gratification — may seem like forever. But the more frequently you blog, the faster you’ll see the results. And the earlier you begin, the sooner your work will pay off.
Start with the Basics
Once you commit to your business blog, brainstorm a list of topics. Make sure you have enough quality ideas to get you through at least three months. And plan to brainstorm more every three months. Put it on your calendar.
At Ray Access, we recommend starting a new business blog with three blog posts. No one wants to visit a blog on a website and see a single entry. Start with three, and it looks like you’re serious about it. Write a short “Welcome to Our Blog” post that describes your blog’s benefits to the reader. Then pick two topics that excite you. Write them and publish them all at the same time. Congratulations, you have a blog!
Maintaining Your Business Blog
If you’ve decided to blog weekly (or even more frequently), you may already feel the pressure building to write. But here’s the trick: you don’t have to spend time writing every week. Follow Ray Access’s example and spend a weekend writing all the blog posts you need for the following month. Then the articles are sitting there waiting for you to publish them.
When you brainstorm once a quarter, select not only the blog topics to write, but also the order in which to write them. Pick a day of the week as your publication day and make sure you have a topic for every one of those days during the three-month period. Then you can develop a publication schedule so you know when to “turn on” each blog post.
Don’t Forget to Edit
Any business writing needs proofing. You don’t want your business card to misspell your name. You don’t want a typo in your brochure. Your business blog is no different. Make sure you have someone else (not the writer) edit each blog post before it’s published. Make this part of your process.
An editor not only catches typos and repairs grammar, but a good editor can make sure the blog post is on target and effectively communicates your intent. Every one of the blog posts Ray Access produces, whether for our clients or for our own website, is thoroughly edited. Please do the same for yours.
- And if you need help writing your blog, even temporarily,
Ray Access writes blog posts.
- If you need help editing your blog,
Ray Access provides professional editing services.
- Even if you need help developing blog topics,
Ray Access can help.
Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.
by Elle Ray | Jan 14, 2016 | Blog Writing
Effective Brainstorming for Good Blog Topics
When brainstorming leads to great ideas…
One of the most difficult tasks in keeping a blog updated — as we hear from small business owners and blog writers — is coming up with new topics on a weekly basis. We’ve heard nightmare stories about people who, trying to think of even one topic to write on, sit in front of a piece of paper or a computer monitor for hours.
One of the services Ray Access offers its blog clients is providing a targeted list of blog topics. We usually brainstorm four months’ worth of topics at a time, which translates into about 16–17 unique, fresh, timely titles. Then we put the titles into a weekly content schedule. And with the brainstorming techniques we employ, we can do it in about 10 minutes for each client.
Lightning Thinkers
Just because we can come up with so many good ideas in such a short amount of time doesn’t mean we’re lightning fast thinkers. The writers at Ray Access rely on exceptional writing and editing skills, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we are all that brilliant. We’re just good at putting words on paper. We work hard at it.
But it’s not those capabilities we rely on when it comes to thinking up blog titles. In fact, being too cerebral may actually disrupt effective brainstorming. Analysis and judgment can impede a productive brainstorming session. Brainstorming can get a little crazy when we let our imaginations run free with no boundaries, so it’s something we do in the privacy of our office.
Tips for Brainstorming Blog Titles
New York advertising executive Alex F. Osborn coined the term “brainstorming” and recognized its value in the creative process. He wrote about brainstorming and its possible usefulness in a 1953 book called Applied Imagination. At Ray Access, we’ve borrowed ideas from the world’s master barnstormers and added a few steps of our own.
For the brainstorming process to work for you, you have to being willing to experiment. Read the tips below, take what feels right, tweak them as needed and make your own recipe for success:
- Set aside a specific time to get together with your team to brainstorm. Put it on the calendar in advance. This way, everyone involved can flex their creative muscles in preparation.
- Shout out ideas uncensored. Stopping the process to analyze or judge ideas is one of the biggest obstacles you’ll run into. Let the ideas flow, not matter how outrageous. The analyzing part comes later.
- Appoint a note-taker before you start. Once the creative juice is flowing, don’t interrupt it with mundane matters like “who’s writing all this down?”
- Get comfortable. Make sure everyone involved is fed and hydrated. Gather in a place where everyone can sit or pace for as long as the session lasts. Make sure the temperature is just right. Once the body’s needs are out of the way, the mind can be free.
- Set a timer. One of the reasons to incorporate brainstorming sessions into your creative process is to save time. If you take so long that you get tired or have to put off other tasks, it’s not working correctly. A good idea is to come up with a few more viable ideas than you need; then stop and move on.
- Think in terms of your stakeholders. For example, if you need to come up with blog ideas for a real estate company, give yourself 10 minutes to come up with blog ideas for buyers, 10 for sellers, 10 for Realtors and so on. Give each angle its due.
- Remain open-minded. Explore topics as they come up. An outlandish idea may not be suitable, but it can open up a new vein of ideas. Take the time to see where those ideas take you. Being open-minded and intellectual are not exclusive, at least they shouldn’t be.
- Call for help. If all else fails and your brainstorming sessions turn out to be more like hair-pulling sessions, contact Ray Access. We can do the brainstorming for you and send you the results. Although we charge a fee to non-clients for this service, think of the time you’ll save.
Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.
by Elle Ray | Dec 1, 2015 | Blog Writing
Hire the Right Person to Write Your Blog Posts
When you don’t have the time or inclination to write your own — buyer beware..
It’s now quite evident to most business owners that one of the best ways to reach your intended customers is with well-placed, timely, pertinent, informative and entertaining blog posts. Thing is — you’ve got a business to run and no time to sit down and think of topics, let alone write 400 to 2,000 words on a subject. So you want to hire a blogger.
4 Things to Look For
Someone in your organization may have good writing skills and be able to take on the extra work. Maybe you have a student in your family or circle of friends who’d love to write and get published online. Whether you hire a blogger who writes professionally (like the team at Ray Access) or decide to give an amateur a break, there are a few things you should look for in a blog writer:
- A good listener hears what you want and gives you just that. It doesn’t matter how well someone writes; if they don’t listen well, you won’t get the blog posts you hope for.
- Creativity is hard to define until you hire a blogger who doesn’t have it. A creative mind will be able to come up with original and lively topics that fit well with your industry and attract attention from potential customers.
- A good writer is willing to take criticism. Good writing relies on good editing. If your blog writer can’t handle a correction or a suggestion, you end up with more problems than solutions.
- All blog writers must understand deadlines. If you don’t get an assignment back until weeks after you need to post it online, you might as well not even have a blog. Consistency is one of the hallmarks of a successful blog.
Go Professional
Sure, we’re professional blog writers and would love for you to contact us. But we also appreciate the competitive landscape and want to win your business because we meet your needs. You do have options when you want to hire a blogger. Here are a few more tips to keep in mind when you go shopping for a writer:
- Ask the perspective blogger if their blog posts are edited. Your paid posts should be ready to go as soon as you get them.
- Find out how many (if any) revisions you’re allowed before incurring extra charges. Your constructive feedback can help your writers become more in tune with your requirements.
- Request a discount for a long-term commitment. A blog works when it runs for six months to a year. Only then will you see measureable results, although we’ve seen results in as little as a month. Make a commitment and then ask for a discount; it ties you both into a relationship-building pattern.
- Read the blogger’s blog. Too often, professional business writers are like the cobbler whose kids had holes in their shoes. But writers should keep an active blog for their own company, kind of like we do at Ray Access.
- Offer to pay for a trial month to find out how well you work together. Don’t hire a blogger until you’re ready and willing to make a long-term commitment. That extra month may cost you more, but it’s worth the expense so you can be sure your relationship works.
Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.
by Mark Bloom | Jun 28, 2015 | Blog Writing
Everything You Should Know About Keywords
Writing business blogs, one of the core services Ray Access provides, is not like writing for a newspaper. It’s not writing a scholarly essay. And it’s certainly not like writing a short story. There’s an art and a science to it that few have mastered.
When done correctly, blog content attracts people looking for similar topics. It draws traffic to your website. A business blog can be a marketing tool, promoting your business and extending your reach, but only if your business blog posts are written properly. You don’t necessarily need Ray Access for this process, but we can do it quickly and inexpensively, freeing you up to run your business.
What Are Keywords?
A keyword is actually a string of words that together compose a phrase that someone may type into a search engine entry field. In other words, it’s a phrase that people are searching for. The more people that are searching for that phrase, the more valuable that keyword phrase becomes. Broad keywords (such as “writing”) have lots of competition, while more refined keyword phrases (such as “business blog writing”) may be easier to rank for.
Choosing the right keywords is an important part of gaining online visibility for your website. For example, if you own a massage business, your location should be in the keyword, as well as a descriptive word. So “Asheville therapeutic massage” is a better keyword phrase than “table massage.”
The Science of Business Blog Writing
Using keywords appropriately is the science of blog writing for your business. Keywords make it easier for people looking for your business to find you. Keywords tie your business blogs into the way search engines work.
But that’s not the only thing you need to know about the science of business blogging. You also need to post blogs regularly and consistently. You do not need to post a new blog every day, although that wouldn’t hurt. Once a week is sufficient. Your business still gets benefits from a bi-weekly or even monthly blog post; it just takes a little longer to work.
The Art of Blogging for Business
When you write a business blog post, write for your human visitors, not for the search engines. Only by providing useful content will you gain online traction. While the goal of maintaining a blog is to market your business, the way to do it is to appeal to actual people.
Answer common (and uncommon) questions about your business, industry or location. Share tips about your product or service. Provide content that is “share-worthy.” Going viral is hitting a home run in the blogging community, but don’t expect it to happen often. Target your customers and write to help them in some way. That’s the way to build your business.
Writing Tips
Develop a title that will grab attention. “Tips” is a good word to use in the title. So is “How to.” Include subheadings within the content. That helps visitors scan the article to find information. Subheads also break up the text so you don’t have imposing paragraphs that chase visitors away.
Use language that your customers can understand. When you write, speak to your audience, not at them. Write in approachable terms. You are building a relationship with your customers, so just as you might in real life, face-to-face situations, be polite, clear and friendly. Remember, that people do business with people and companies they like. Be likeable, even in print. It’s a science and an art that the experts at Ray Access can help you master.
Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.
by Elle Ray | Apr 8, 2015 | Blog Writing
Ray Access Makes Blogging a Bit Easier for You
A blog is an ideal vehicle for sharing information with your business customers, for attracting new customers to your website and for communicating with people within your industry. The problem, of course, is that you may not feel like you can write a blog post. When you don’t know what to say or how to say it, you end up saying nothing at all.
But blogging delivers real results. A regular business blog can help you establish yourself as an expert in your field. So, to create engaging copy and entertaining blog posts, follow these five tips from the experts at Ray Access:
- Keep Your Promises
Visitors to your site will resent it if they follow a link full of promise, but get nothing of value. Deliver what your title says you’ll deliver and give readers information they can use. Only then have you earned enough trust to ask for their business. You can’t lure them in for a sale without keeping your promises. If visitors don’t trust you for the simple things, they certainly won’t trust you with their hard-earned money.
- Say Something Worthwhile
Respect is a two-way street, so if you want customers to respect you — and your products or services — enough to make a purchase, respect their time. Don’t waste your opportunity to connect with visitors with blog posts about what you did during your recent retreat, how your golf game reflects your excellence or what your latest sale brought in. Provide valuable, useful information, even if it’s not about your company. If you can enlighten your readers or improve their lives, you can bet they’ll take the time to read your post.
- Include Graphics
Not everyone reads an entire blog, but if you can condense the information in a graphic, then do it. Give everyone that option. Graphs and charts often tell a story or impart key information much better than a block of text can. Plus, graphics break up the text and help readers get the information quicker. Artistic graphics draw the readers’ eyes to where you want them to look.
- Try a Video
More and more people are getting used to the idea of website videos. Many younger Internet users prefer to sit back and watch rather than read. But to appeal to older visitors, include the script — or at least the highlights of the video — below it. Avid readers can scan through the text in seconds, and you keep them on your page long enough to get to your call for action.
- Don’t Forget a Call to Action
“Hire us to write your blogs if you don’t have time.” That’s a call to action, and you need to include one somewhere in your text, preferably after you’ve already earned your readers’ trust and given them educated food for thought. A blog is not the place to put your latest big sale. Save that for your homepage or even better — a sale or specials page. That way, folks who are looking for deals can find them. But you want every reader to do something after reading your blog. Don’t leave it up to them to figure it out.
We hope these blogging tips will make your blog useful, powerful and effective. Good luck!
Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.
