Boom! - It knocks you off you feet! It that record shattering idea for your next blog post that’s guaranteed to bring you in a ton of traffic and get your sales screaming.

You drop everything and at the speed of light bang it out – frantic to hit publish now, you fear your competition will think of it!

Your keyboard sizzles as you complete your post, toss in a little title and ha ha ha I’ll show them and punch PUBLISH!

You can taste the victory, you imagine all the links – all the comments - the tsunami of traffic – the sales.

But then…

Like a poke in the eye, reality hits you. There are no visitors, no comments, links or sales.

Ha ha ha is suddenly replaced with WHAT? – Your post is DEAD!

Sound familiar? It’s happened to all of us – more than once.

The following article is a step-by-step approach to crafting a well-constructed business blog and posts that will land targeted visitors on your blog and bring in comments, links and sales - so slow down and take a deep breath because it takes time.

What is a blog?
The word blog is a contraction of the term “web log”. It’s original purpose was to share links and stories with others on the web. As technology has advanced so has blogging. Writing a blog is something that everyone is doing now days, from teenagers to grandparents and small business owners to CEOs of Fortune 500 companies blogging is their way to have a voice on the web. A blog account can be free or you can spend large amounts of money customizing your blog. So what is a blog? These is no definitive answer – a blog is whatever you want it to be – the only rules are the ones you establish in your blog.

Why Start A Blog?
The Internet is the most cost-effective and accessible marketing vehicle there is, blogging is a part of this vehicle. Unlike other marketing vehicles the Internet keeps a permanent record of what gets posted in your blog, it lasts and can be search for by users indefinitely

There are many benefits to starting a blog

• Internet marketing
• Brand development
• Sharing of industry information, photos, videos, news
• Branding yourself and employees as industry experts

This list is by no means complete – the use of your blog is limited only by your imagination

Who should start a blog? One of the best features to starting a blog is it’s very easy to do. Anybody who can use a word processor and surf the web can start a blog, but should you? Here are some questions to consider:

• Do you have specialized knowledge you want to share?
• Do you want to enhance or grow your business?
• Are you passionate about a certain topic?
• Do you enjoy writing?

If you answered yes to any of these questions take a look at the first step to crafting your blog

While this at first may seem like an easy task consider that your blog is a series of posts that you will be adding to from time to time. Keeping topics original, useful and engaging can become more challenging as time goes by.

The success of your individual post depends greatly on choosing the right topic. A topic that is useful and engages your reader is vital. Give this ample thought or you could end up wasting your time by starting in the wrong direction.

On occasion an idea for a blog post will come to you that needs no “tweaking” however in most case you will find it needs a little refining to make it a winner.

Here are some steps to consider:

1. Compile a list of topics for a potential blog post. This should be an ongoing list that is added to when ever an idea strikes you. Many times you may think of an interesting topic while doing something else so jot it down and make a quick note or two.
2. Review this list regularly; you may discover on certain days you will be more inspired to write about a certain topic.
3. Compile points / goals you want to make about the topic of choice, list some possible titles and keep the reader in mind – what need will be fulfilled in reading your post.
4. Often times in doing this you will reveal a deeper and more interesting topic or many related topics that you can write a series about. You also have a head start on possible titles and points you can write about.

Other consideration

• Address a useful need: As mentioned earlier what will the reader gain in reading your posts, what need will your post fulfill. If you keep this thought constant while writing your posts you will create a focused and useful blog post.
• Imagine your readers: Great bloggers will often include a particular readers needs, problems and questions much like the politicians always mention a letter from “little Mary from somewhere” in their debates to convey a message to the larger audience. In keeping one readers needs in mind you will stay closer to the actual topic, keep it useful and avoid abstract or theoretical subjects.
• Use fresh ideas: Nobody likes to read about a topic that’s been covered over and over again. If your topic of choice has been extensively blogged about try to put a new prospective, spin or angle on it. Engage the reader with something new to think about.
• Choose a topic your passionate about: Your deep feelings, concerns and knowledge will connect you to the reader at a much deeper level. Passion is something you cannot fake and is one common denominator always found with great success. When you are passionate about what you’re writing it shines and intrigues others who are interested in your topic.
• Stalk your topics: Be on the lookout for current popular topics that directly relate to your passions. If you have a strong presence in the social media voting communities this will be easy for you. Others may want to look at Google Trends where hot topics and hot searches are displayed.
• Limit posts to one topic: Posts that lock-in on one topic and convey one idea do best. Most readers will scan your posts initially so multiple topics can be confusing causing the reader to pass on it. Your post does not have to be very long to get the message through –shorter is often better. If you have multiple related topics consider doing a series or simply save them for another post.

As a business owner you may have to write about topics you are not particularly passionate about or are not that popular but still useful, somewhere in the midst of the fore mentioned the best topics will find you. Take your time and develop your topic into something useful that will engage you and the reader.

Did you notice, “land targeted visitors” (above) in the description of this article. One big falsehood of business blogging is that you are cultivating repeat, loyal readers. Nothing could be farther from the truth and there are a number of reasons why but mainly only 16% of consumers trust company blogs. According to Forrester Research that makes company blogs dead last.

Another more recent study by Compendium finds 80% of business blog traffic comes from first-time visitors.

Consider this, your reader is most likely a first time visitor who typed in a keyword phrase and landed on your blog via a search engine. Chances are they don’t even realize it’s a blog so you have their attention for a few seconds. This is your chance!

Every title gets read but not every post. These few but very important words are what make the difference between your posts getting read or collecting dust in your archives. Why? Most readers, especially at this stage, are scanning to find what they’re looking for. The reader will make this decision, to read or not, based upon your title.

• Search Engine Results
• Social Media Sites
• In Your Archives
• In Links
• In RSS Feeds (really simple syndication)

In all of these places the title can be the first and only thing a reader sees. It is here that the decision is made. Craft a title that makes you yawn or that is so complex you need N.A.S.A to decipher it and it doesn’t matter what your post says – nobody will ever read it!

Your dilemma as a business owner is how to write a title that gets the reader to read your opening line?

There are some great techniques for business owners to uses that will challenge the reader to read on but before we give them to you we want to share an earth-shattering tip - Take you time. It’s the main theme behind this entire article. When you rush your title there is a strong possibility that everything you write going forward will be a waste of time. Taking your time in craft an enticing, useful, well-thought and strategic title will reward you every time.

Here are some great techniques for business owners to consider.

1. Keywords grab the attention of the targeted reader who we mentioned in most cases is scanning not reading.
2. Keywords in the title are an important part of what the search engines use to assign ranking. Keep in mind search engines look at only the first 65 or so characters so make sure you get them in at the beginning if your title is long.
3. Make sure your keywords are relevant to the topic of your post. As simple as it sounds many business owners fail to do this.

This is a great technique for businesses because you’re selling a product or service and as we have told you over 85% of consumers use web search to find products and services.

Sell The Benefit:
When a reader finds your title in the SERPs (search engine result pages) or on social media sites and it promises to deliver a solution to a particular need they have your chances of getting a click are greatly increased. Identify a need your targeted reader has and communicate how reading your post will answer their problem or solve their need. Simple titles like “10 Ways To Childproof Your Home” or “How To Install A Ceiling Fan” do best. No trickery, just simple titles that leap out at your targeted readers. Keep in mind you are not trying to get everyone to read your post but rather attract those with the need to read your post for a solution.

Power Words:
These words are used to persuade the reader but be careful some readers become cynical and avoid reading posts with titles using power words. Other readers will read your post but it better deliver what the title claims or the reader will be left feeling duped and get angry. Here are some power words that can be affective:

• Easy – everybody loves things that are “easy” and even more when they are “quick and easy”.
• Free – something for nothing always sound like a good deal.
• Secret / Secrets – powerful because it promises to tell you something you don’t already know.

Depending on your industry there are probably others but use them with the full understanding that your post must “walk the talk” in your title.

Big Claims:
This technique is actually a continuation of the second technique - sell the benefit – but you bring it into a light that can’t be overlooked. Big claims will often appeal to others beyond your targeted readers because the promise is so inviting it has to be explored. Without exception, if your going to use this technique in your title make sure the rest of your post fully supports and provides ample evidence for the claim or you will loose credibility which again is your currency in business.

Personalize Your Title:
Writing a business blog is essentially writing for the web, a never-ending sea of potential readers – however the individual can feel it was written specifically for them by using the words “you” or “your” in titles. Examples:

“10 Ways To Childproof A House” or “10 Ways To Childproof Your Home”
“10 Home Childproofing Tips” or “10 Home Childproofing Tips You Need To Know”

As you can see the latter of the 2 in both examples clearly identifies the readers need on a more personal level which in some case can be the difference in getting clicked or not.

What result should a good blog post title deliver?
You have read about a few title techniques and there are still others but they all share one common goal – Get the targeted reader to read your opening line. Enticing headlines (titles) will bring readers to your opening line every time.

Your opening line matters more than you realize. If you don’t nail it you’re going to loose readers.

Opening lines are everywhere:

• Books – “Call me Ishmael.” - Herman Melville, Moby-Dick (1851)
• Movies - “I believe in America. America has made my fortune…” The Godfather (1972)
• Songs - “You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips” – “You’ve lost that lovin’ feeling” - The Righteous Brothers (1965)

Opening lines are powerful, can trigger an emotion, are memorable, and pull you into the moment and that’s what they’re designed to do.

Above we told you the headline is definitely the most important thing for attracting readers to your blog post and the most important factor, when it comes to getting people to read your blog posts. Its purpose is to get the reader to read your opening line.

Your opening line, the words that come right after the title, is the second most important words in your post. Their purpose is to get the reader to read the next line – to draw him/her deeper into your post.

So how can you craft the type of opening line that will effectively engage your readers and pique enough interest to send them reading deeper in your post?

• Identify The Need: This should ring a bell by now; we’ve mentioned it on almost every “how to” page on this site. It’s important to remember the readers need and provide a solution. In this technique you identify the readers need you will be addressing and let them know you will solve it further into the post.
• Ask A Question With Only A YES Answer: It’s simple; in fact we did it at the beginning of this section – “would you like to learn how to write an effective opening line.” Ask the reader a question that will be answered yes. In doing this, your reader is responding to the need and clearly understands the solution waits in your post. Longer post can use this more than once and you can actually use these “yes” questions as a step-by-step call to action.
• Make A Claim: “This post will show you how to…” or “In this post you will learn…” These are simple and straight to the point – They tell the reader exactly why they should read on, just make sure you deliver or the reader will not be happy.
• Facts And Statistics: Using statistics are great for communicating a need and getting the readers attention. Example: “Less than 1 in 10 small business owners understands features vs. benefits.”
• Ask A Question That Provokes Curiosity: Asking a question that leaves the reader hanging for the answer can be very effective. “Is the Trane XL15i the most energy efficient air conditioner made?” or “How much did SEO increase my businesses sales” or “Is steam cleaning better than Chem-Dry for carpet cleaning”. Although all of these questions appeal to a different audience each one is designed to get the reader curious and continue reading for the answer.
• Pictures: They’re worth a thousand words incase you forgot. Persuasive images can be very affective at bringing the reader deeper into your post and in some cases will make the difference between reading it or not. Use images that are compelling and captivate your readers’ attention. Also strategically name your images throughout your blog. Naming the images you use in your blog posts to match relevant keyword searches can drive some of that image search traffic to your blog, just make sure your chosen images are on topic.

These are some of the best techniques for crafting opening lines. Experiment with them as some may have a greater impact depending on your industry and writing style.

This one question is asked over and over again by marketing / advertising pros and copywriters. Asking yourself “so what?” clarifies the point and verifies you actually have one. Similar questions may be “how will this benefit my targeted readers?” or “what am I trying to say?” – basically “what’s the goal of this writing?” For a reader to take hold of your post it needs to matter – it needs to have a point. All of your efforts on topics, titles and openings lines will be in vain if the body of your post has no point, does not communicate something or has no impact on your readers - it has to deliver something, it has to matter.

While many, even most blog post have no point you are in business and what you write is a direct reflection upon your company. Broadcasting a post with no point is counter productive to your business image and demonstrates a lack of organization and an inability to effectively communicate with your customers. However when you craft something useful that benefits the reader value and knowledge are quickly associated with your name.

There are three critical times to ask these questions:

• Before you start writing: Identify your goal before you attempt to start writing the body of your blog. Go back to the picking a topic stage where you have a few points and goals listed under the topic. Select one and make a simple sentence. Because you are a business owner it should look something like this: “This post will teach you how to make widgets” Now when you ask - so what, what’s the point - it’s clear that you intend on teaching readers how to make widgets.

  Put this sentence at the top or your rough draft in big bold print to keep you on track. You can keep it as an opening line or delete later.

  As a business owner you will often write in the “how to” or teaching style but asking the same question, “so what”, for other writing styles like informing or entertaining is just as useful.

• During your writing: Because you have the goal or point of your post smack dead center and big as can be at the top of your draft it should be easier to craft the rest of your post without straying from the point – it will constantly remind you what your trying to achieve. Refer to this sentence often and keep it in mind as you write.
• Before you publish: Many time you may find your original idea has grown into something else, often better, and that’s fine but you still need to ask “so what” to verify your post has a point.

Have you written something that addresses a readers needs? Have you fully developed the topic? If you wrote a “how to” did you include all the details or do you have the “curse of knowledge”.

Often times because you are an expert or authority on your topic you can leave out important steps without realizing your doing it. This “curse of knowledge” gives you the assumption that the reader understands the complete process without actually including it. The clearer you are the more useful your post will be.

Don’t try to accomplish too much in any one post. Keep posts limited to one topic and one theme. If your goal is to teach don’t also try to inspire and entertain you run the risk of achieving less. Take this article for example, originally we were going to write it in a standard format but it encompassed too much so we decided to break it up into separate sections with individual goals in each section.

As a business owner do you want your blog to simply get read or do you want your readers to take further action. You want the reader to take further action - most likely to buy something. Do not assume the reader will take any action just because they have read your wonderful blog. Here is a little tidbit that professional copywriters have been using for years; it’s called a call to action.

A call to action is one of the most important parts in marketing. Once you've established that you have something of value to offer and that you're the perfect company to deliver it, you want to ask your reader to take the next step. You deliver a call to action.

Call Today!
Look familiar, you may even have this on your website but never new what it was. Other calls to action include “Click Here” or “Add To Cart” maybe “Sign Up Now” the list is endless but these are all single, focused commands you are giving to your readers.

A blog is a form of permission based marketing which basically means the reader is voluntarily choosing to receive your information. Other forms of permission based marketing are newsletters, white papers and even Twitter. It is advisable to keep your call to action on the “humble side” instead of the “power side”. Example:

“Email me if you would like more information” instead of “Order Now” or “for more information about our product/services click here” instead of “Order Here”

There is no need to hard sell in this environment; your readers are already here by choice. Your job is to share good information with the goal of the reader investigating you and your business further. Although you may have already sold the reader at this point the actual close should take place where your call to action brings them. In most cases this will be your website.

• Decide what action you want your reader to take: Utterly simple but it’s very important to be clear. This is a stepping stone off the last major point “identifying the purpose of your post – what’s the point” Knowing the answer to this puts you in the right place for including the right call to action.

• Keep it simple – one call to action per post: Don’t give your reader options; make it a simple step that requires no thought. Example:
  
  Subscribe to our RSS feed
  I would love to hear your tips about…feel free to comment below
  For more information click here
  

  The reader has to think should I get more information or subscribe to the RSS feed or leave a comment. You have strayed from your goal and you have confused the reader. You have lost your momentum and given the reader a stop to think about what he/she is doing next and increased the chance of doing nothing.

  Give your reader one simple next step - don’t overwhelm them with choices.

• Make it a win / win - it’s good business: Asking the reader to take an action that benefits you is perfectly fine but also include some upside for them. Example: “contact us for more information and receive a 10% off coupon.”
• Place your call to action in the post: Most blogs seem to place a call to action on their sidebar, usually an invitation to subscribe to their RSS feed but you may get better results placing your call to action in the actual post. “I’d love to hear your opinion on the topic”, “feel free to include your knowledge in the comments below” and “feel free to share your experiences and lessons in the comments below” are a few examples.
• Numerous calls to the same action are helpful: While logic dictates that the best location to place your call to action is at the end of your post consider also placing the same call earlier in your post. Why? 1. You are planting a seed in the readers mind to take action. 2. Some readers will never read the entire post but may still want to take an action long before finishing reading.

  For longer posts you can add more calls for the same action.

• Make sure your call is seen. How?
  1. Use a heading above it
  2. Place an image nearby or even make the call an image
  3. Use boarders, colors, caps, italics and bolding
  Like other important parts of your post it’s important that your call to action is seen.

As you can see the call to action is a vital ingredient in getting a tangible response from the reader. Keep in mind that not all calls to action have to be of the contact us nature. Action often breeds action. Getting comments is a great accomplishment and often times comments build upon comments. Many times people who make a comment will check back several times to see how others react to their comment and that build traffic.

In this section we want to explore some different way to make your post more useful to the reader. Throughout this article we have been stressing the importance of useful content and now that you have finished writing your post we want you to take another look at it before publishing it and ask, “how can I make this more useful?” This can be the difference between a good post and a great post – lots of traffic or a few clicks – getting inquiries or none at all.

Some techniques to consider:

• Including Examples: Providing working examples brings the reader to a deeper level of understanding your topic. While delivering the theory is helpful, sighting an example demonstrates a real life implementation that the reader can apply directly to his or her own needs. This grounding of your topic provides clarity through actual application. It’s priceless – show me, don’t tell me.
• Offering Your Opinion: This is especially useful if your topic is about industry news. All to many times it seem business owners regurgitate the news without adding their opinion. Offering your opinion engages the reader giving them a point of view to think about. It opens the door to comments from readers who may have something to add about your opinion and demonstrates the values and insight of your company.
• Famous Quotes And Quoting Industry Authorities: Famous quotes can be powerful in communicating a message; after all they have “stood the test of time”, just make sure they’re relevant to your topic. In many cases a great way to support your point and provide additional information to the reader is to echo the words of an authority figure. Example: "69 percent of all diagnoses done in this country were wrong." C. Everett Coop, M.D., Surgeon General of the United States.
• Including Charts / Diagrams: Basically you are including a visual example to strengthen and support what you’re saying. Often this will provide more clarity for your readers again making it more useful in solving their needs.
• Make An Honest Assessment Of Your Writing: Although we cover this in the “Your Points – So What” section, it’s imperative that you have cultivated a useful and fruitful post that will solve the needs of your readers.

You’ve taken the time to craft a great post, you choose the right title, the right opening line, you addressed your readers’ needs, added you call to action – it’s perfect – or is it?

Spelling errors and improper grammar say a lot about you and your company. Although many readers will overlook these it still casts a shadow of doubt over the reliability and credibility of the post.

Years ago we received a flyer that had a great offer for a security system, everything was exactly what we wanted and it included a manufactures rebate. We were not familiar with the company reselling and installing the system but the product measured up. Upon a second read we noticed the word rebate was spelled REBAIT big as could be as part of their headline. This created a moment of pause because we wondered how much depth the company had. How big of a company this was making the offer? Would they stay in business to backup their warranty? Needless to say but we passed on the offer and opted for a more established company to do business with all based on that spelling error.

Presenting your business with proper spelling and grammar signals you pay attention to details, you don’t haphazardly conduct yourself and you took the time to get it right – you are in fact a professional.

Layout, design, use of images and timing of publication vary from industry to industry. There is no right or wrong as long as you have a clean looking blog with relevant images. As far as publishing times, just avoid the holidays. You can experiment with the idea of publishing on the weekends. The theory is less activity happens on the weekends so blogs have a greater chance of standing out.