Think of your blog as the tree with the biggest, fattest, juiciest oranges in all of Florida. That first squeeze – the initial posting and distribution – goes a long way. But there’s a lot more juice to be had.
You can squeeze more juice in a number of ways, from sales presentations and newsletters, to videos and podcasts, to press releases and ebooks. As valuable as that juice is, those oranges can take a while to produce.
But there are simple ways to start squeezing more juice out of your blog content right now – the next time you pick up the phone, the next time you meet a client or prospect, the next time you send an email, or the next time you post on social media.
Blogging makes you better at simply explaining what you do and how someone can benefit from hiring you.
When I speak with a client or prospect, or meet someone at a networking event, I always find myself repeating lines that I used in a blog post. Thanks to the blog, I’m able to communicate my thoughts more confidently, comfortably and persuasively.
Every business owner on earth is a salesperson to some degree, and every salesperson has to learn to deal with questions or objections raised by clients and prospects. Blogs make you better prepared for these discussions, especially if you’re using your blog to address those questions and objections directly.
If you use a very conversational, natural tone in your blog posts and focus on the needs of the reader, incorporating blog content into everyday conversations should be rather easy.
If your blog sounds like a self-promotional sales presentation loaded with industry jargon, this becomes much more difficult. And you should seriously reconsider your approach to blogging.
Use your blog as a FAQ database and follow-up vehicle.
To take the idea above one step further, follow up on a conversation by emailing a link to a blog post that answers the very question that someone just asked you.
This accomplishes two things. First, it proves you weren’t just blowing smoke. In fact, you believe in what you said so strongly that you created a permanent record of it online.
Think that might help you build trust and credibility?
Second, your follow-up has much more impact. It’s a heck of a lot better than an email that says, “Great meeting you yesterday. Let’s connect on Linkedin!” Or something lame like that.
Instead, you’ll be remembered as an honest person who provided something of value.
A client of mine told me his biggest roadblock was, not surprisingly, coming up with relevant topics that would interest readers. My first suggestion is always to make a list of the most common questions asked by clients and prospects, and then answer each of them in a separate blog post.
After discussing a few ideas, I followed up on our conversation by emailing a link to a blog I had written about questions that readers want marketing content to answer. The next day, he sent me a list of topics and said more would be forthcoming.
My blog made his life – and my job – much easier. That’s what a blog should do in the first place.
Use the best lines from your blogs as social media posts and integrate them into your other marketing content.
Everybody loves a good one-liner. The zinger that people remember. A good blog post usually has at least one of these, maybe a handful.
A line that’s particularly clever or funny – and makes a point that’s valuable and relevant to your audience – makes a great social media post. You can give it even more impact by using it as a caption for a photo that reinforces your point, or by simply linking to the original blog post.
Keep in mind that these brilliant lines don’t have to be from your most recent post. Your blog isn’t an ad that runs a certain amount of times and then disappears. Every post should be an eternal, lead-generating resource for your company.
One of my most successful blog posts was titled Why Content Writing Needs a Little Less Einstein and a Little More Oprah. That headline grabbed people’s attention, so I’ve used different variations of it on my social media channels. And it still grabs their attention.
Finally, don’t be afraid to update your website content, social profiles and other marketing collateral with a line that makes a point more powerfully than what you have now.
Can you improve the headline on your “About” page? Can the call-to-action on your “Contact” page be more enticing? Can you strengthen the description of one of your services?
We should always be looking to improve and fine tune – not for the sake of change, but for the sake of having more compelling content. Look to your blog for inspiration.
Sure, you can transform your blog posts into videos and newsletter features – and you should – but there are things you can do every single day to squeeze more juice out of your blog posts.
Bring the wisdom and value of your blog posts into conversations, sales calls and networking events. Use that content to create stronger social media posts and website content.
If you’re willing to do the squeezing, a blog provides a ridiculous amount of value long after it’s originally posted. Make sure you extract every last drop.
How have you squeezed more juice out of your blog content?
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