Tips for Writing a Good Blog

There are so many different types of blogs out there from how-to guides, news article reviews, interviews, explanatory and even personal.  If you’re a vet or just getting started there are a few things to consider when trying to write a great blog. Here are some of our tips to writing something that grabs your audience’s attention and keeps it.

1.     Trim the nonsense. Make sure your writing is concise. This isn’t a college paper where you’re trying to make it to 7 pages of information and adding unnecessary sentences and words. People want something that is easy to read and clear!

2.     “The hook brings them back.” Blues Traveler wasn’t wrong. A good hook will grab your reader’s attention. There are so many ways to do this. Start with something startling, form an emotional connection, ask a question… you get the idea. Do some research on how to write great hooks.

3.     Use the senses. Taste, smell, audio, touch and even taste. Be descriptive with your writing to make the reader’s imagination go wild.

4.     Connect your sentences. A powerful sentence is connected to the ones around it but make sure to vary your words and say the same things in different ways.

5.     Proofread! I’ll be honest here. I’m the run-on sentence queen. I always have someone double check my writing for errors and mistakes.

6.     Keep it conversational. Write as if you’re talking to a good friend on a Sunday evening sitting on the couch. They should be fun to read as well as informative. I speak directly to the reader sometimes. I love being able to do this coming from an academic science background of formal writing. Use it to your advantage and have fun with it.

Writing blog aren’t only fun, they’re good for your business! They improve your SEO on your website if you have one. We’re gonna’ assume that if you’re reading this, that you do. It will also help drive traffic to your website and reinforce your brand. In turn, it can help increase sales. Hopefully this added some tools to your writing tool box that may have not been there before. Happy writing 

Developing a Solid Business Strategy

Having a successful business is a marathon, not a sprint. A solid business strategy will help your brand succeed over the long haul. Think of it as a road map. You have goals that you want to get to and your strategy will help you get there. There are a few components to a good business plan.

1.     Objectives and a clear vision. Why did you start this company? What is its mission? Where do you see your brand going in the future? These are all questions that wil help you find your brands vision. Once this is established, it’s important to set clear and decisive goals. Start with the destination goal and work your way backward to see how you can achieve it.

2.     Know your target audience. Defining your niche will help determine who you should be marketing to. People who need what you have to offer will help you gain customer retention.

3.     Know your competition and be innovative. Make your brand’s product or service stand out from the rest. Although wise to choose an undersaturated market for a business, that’s not always going to be the case. So, what makes you better than the next guy?  Being innovative is what will make you stand out and beat your competitors.

4.     Measure your results. This is crucial. You need to see if your plan is working. Check weekly, monthly and annually to assess the data. Check your KPI’s to make sure your hitting the mark.

5.     Always be adaptable. After you measure your result, they may not be performing how you had hoped and that’s ok. What’s not ok it being stubborn and beating your head against a wall when something is falling short. We get it. You really wanted that awesome idea to work but If a strategy isn’t working then change it. What’s more important is finding what works. Look for ideas within your company from others who may have specialties in a particular field of interest.

This is a general overview of what is needed to build a solid business plan and should be considered a starting point. Make sure to do plenty of exhaustive research for your brand in order to customize the business plan that will be right for you.