3 Things You're Getting Wrong in Your Blog

If this headline got your attention, it is my job as a writer to carry your attention straight to those three things. Perhaps surprisingly to you, that is exactly what I am doing.

You Still Optimize for SEO Keywords First ?? (yes, that is a fax machine emoji)

Sure, it's important to be mapped correctly and rank high on search engines, particularly for headlines, but let me ask you: what content do you pick up and read day-to-day? Where do you find blog posts? Let's go with where you found this article: a social site. Why is that?

• Even non-creators (who do not write their own long posts, opinion pieces, or articles) like to share content to be active on social networks, participate, be active, and seen. They need something to share.
• Your content being shared by those outside of your organization is free, and each share is another person joining the movement or 'carrying a bag with your logo on it' through their town. This creates momentum and extends shelf life beyond the day you publish or your content is indexed.
• Shareable content creates traffic to your blog by those who are not even researching the topic. Your article lets readers self-qualify as a match to your content and then you ideally foster this relationship by placing other enticing headlines in proximity to keep them on your site or offer a call to action, such as to subscribe for more.

So while you may attract some visitors to your site who searched online in a quest for an answer to their question, it is much more likely and easier to attract the people who didn't even do a Google search. You do this by making your content shareable. It's the evolution from writing about what you want to tell your audience to what your audience wants to discover, to where you write about what your audience did not know they needed to discover.

??You're writing to be the smartest one in the room - but are you making a connection?

Some blogs offer up fantastic information. In-depth research and new data might offer previously unknown insights, but in the end, the reader clicks out of the article and the interaction ends. What happened?

While a good call to action influences behavior, even the best calls to action will not work unless readers connect with your content in at least one of many ways. Take the example of social content that baits for interaction by asking to "Comment YES if you agree"; it is usually one of the most peaceful places of silence in a busy social universe because it does not feel natural. On the other hand, social pieces that ask to "tag a friend who" often receive quite a large amount of interaction and with it impressions, because readers instinctively made a connection to their own life or that of someone they know - often even without a prompt.

So how do you foster connection in a blog post? The answer is simpler than you think: the same way you would when you talk to any person, when you meet someone at a trade show or shake their hand for the first time. It's not all about you and in a blog, it's not all about the topic. There are research papers and journals for pure thought leadership, but your blog is the place to present information in a way that connects to them as a person, their job, or their lives. Ask yourself: if you talked to any reader in person, would you just want to sound smart or have other human traits to connect with, too? It's all in the tone. More on that later.

??Your Marketing Team Are the Only People Talking to the Copywriter

We get it: you're busy and need fresh content regularly while spending minimal time on it. Sadly, by treating your content like something you have to produce, you miss an easy opportunity to shine with authenticity and to use your voice strategically for good. Your marketing team will likely tell you the same, but they should not have to carry the burden all by themselves. Ideally, they are empowered to guide a copywriter to other stakeholders in the business for interactions that are relevant and inspire. Imagine the exponential effect of exposing your copywriter to your top seller. What content might a professional writer produce after spending a few minutes with one of your leaders? What if your best content ideas are already there but not noted down because they are going unnoticed?

Each piece of writing, whether consciously chosen or not, carries intention. Intention always shines through. That intention should never be 'to deliver 500 words on'. The ideal intention aligns with you, your business, and your current goals, as lived by stakeholders across the business, making it your job to empower your copywriter appropriately.

So if your job ads for content writers still primarily ask for an expert in SEO and keyword placement who is experienced in your field and does thorough research, and if your results are mainly your own team liking and sharing that content, then take this moment to reflect. Now imagine some of the best content you have recently read. And then go spend 30 minutes with a talented writer, perhaps not from your field, who asks you unusual questions: your time with the right person is a small investment that creates long-term results.

In 1996 Bill Gates told us that "Content is King". Today, the number of full-time content creators is growing exponentially, participating to varying degrees of success in this marketplace of content. If it's working for you and your audience, then it's working. And if you're reading this feeling pretty "done" and ready to move on to the next chapter of your relationship with content, then doing so with support can make a world of difference. Click through to my profile to connect.