Tips to be a Disciplined and Inspired Blog Writer

admin — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:02:23 +0000

Finding Inspiration

Everyone gets writers block.

Even the best bloggers/writers sometimes come to a point when the words just won’t flow. God knows I’ve been there many times… However, there are a few things you can do to combat falling into the trap of having a blog that is sparsely updated.

Make Lists and Update Them Often

My desk is constantly littered with random notes and post-its… But, I always keep a place on my desk to have a pad of paper to write down random thoughts I have while I’m working. This helps more than you can possibly imagine.
At the end of my work day, I go over my notes and make ANOTHER list of actual blog article ideas [Just like this one ].
Another handy place to keep a pad of paper is right by your bed. Some of the best ideas I have ever had have been right before I fall asleep, waking up in the middle of the night, and when I’m just getting up in the morning. This has been an old writers trick for years, and it sure has a lot of salt to it.

Go Do Things During Your Work Day That Aren’t Work

The hardest part of writing is finding the time to be inspired by everyday life. I guarantee you that most people do not find inspiration to write about something while they are slaving away at their computer or piece of paper. They gain their ideas while they are out taking a walk through the park with their dog, interacting with other people in a social or public setting, or just plain relaxing at home by themselves or with their family.
As hard as it may be for people to get away from their work for an hour or two during the day [myself included], it’s absolutely essential to take a little you time during the day to go out and get inspired.

Read Your Trade Articles/Blogs/Books AND Articles/Blogs/Books That Don’t Have Anything to do With Your Trade

I spend a good chunk of my morning going through Sphinn and getting up to date on anything in the Internet Marketing field. This is imperative in the SEO business, but it’s also imperative not to over saturate yourself throughout the day with ONLY trade material.
Read news headlines, blogs about a hobby you have, or even a good book. My article about “Singularity Vs. SEO’s” came from a book I was reading on 2012 [Don't judge me...it's actually pretty interesting to read what people have to say about it!].
You can gain inspiration from just about anything you read…but nine times out of ten, you get a good idea that somebody hasn’t already written about by only reading articles within your trade.

Listen to Music

This is an iffy one.

A lot of people find it hard to concentrate when anything else is going in the background, but I find it soothing. Few things will inspire me more than a little Sinatra [...or good metal] playing in the background .

A Happy Mind Normally Means a Productive Happy Writer

If you get bored or frustrated, take a break and go do something to relax. If you aren’t relaxed while you are writing, your article will come out sounding stilted and forced. Nobody wants to read that…do the literary world a favor and just relax and let the words flow. If they wont, take a break and come back to it when they will.

I’m no Hemingway…but that’s my two cents on how to be a disciplined and inspired blog writer. Hope it was helpful!

How to Unlock Your Website’s Hidden Potential with a Company Blog

admin — Sat, 30 May 2009 18:22:12 +0000

Find your website's hidden potential

Most of today’s businesses realize that having a website is an important part of whatever business they conduct. They hire a web design firm to put up all of the information about their business, where they can be found, what services their business offers, and how to get in contact with them. While this is a good start, after most businesses get their website up and running with what they think is the information that their customers need, they leave it alone to possibly be updated 5 years down the line when they discover one of their competitors has a better, and more up to date website.

Despite this being a common practice with today’s local businesses, this is not the goal of having a website. A business can never get ahead just by following what their competitors do, they have to lead, and be innovative. In this article, I’m going to talk about a few things that your business can do to be innovative, and at the same time feed your customers the best information possible about your business with a company blog.

Company Blogs are not a Luxury, but a Necessity

A lot of people think there is a negative connotation surrounding the word “blog” and normally think of frustrated teenagers venting their “teenage angst” on the internet for their friends to read. While this does happen, blogs can also be a very powerful business tool as well.

An article from business week in 2005 states this very well telling us about how blogs will change your business.

”Go ahead and bellyache about blogs. But you cannot afford to close your eyes to them, because they’re simply the most explosive outbreak in the information world since the Internet itself. And they’re going to shake up just about every business — including yours. It doesn’t matter whether you’re shipping paper clips, pork bellies, or videos of Britney in a bikini, blogs are a phenomenon that you cannot ignore, postpone, or delegate. Given the changes barreling down upon us, blogs are not a business elective. They’re a prerequisite.”

The object of a blog is break down traditional barriers that currently stand between you and your customers and create empathy. If your customers can see your business from the inside out, they are much more likely to become loyal customers.

Topics for your company’s blog

The beautiful thing about a company blogging is that it allows you to talk to your customers in a more personal, one-on-one, tone. And that’s exactly what you should do when writing your blog entries. Don’t give your customers a sales pitch, talk to them like you would anyone else trying to find out more information about your business. The goal of a blog is not immediately shove information about how and why they should buy from you, but to rather talk to them in a tone they can relate to, and guide them through the buying process. Some topics that are great to use in company blogs are:

”How to” articles
”Get to know the company”
”The Best way to get the Best Customer Service”
”What can we do to Live up to our Customer’s needs?”
”The economy is bad, but here’s how we’re helping you”

These are all great starting points in creating a company blog that really speaks to your customers. And the best part is, your customers will speak back.

Softouch SEO » Blogging