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Sara Lancaster here. Thanks for visiting the No. 2 Pen blog where I share examples of sharp website content and other online marketing information.Follow No. 2 Pen
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June Blog Post Ideas for You
In June I’m challenging you to reeeeeach into the creative side of your brain. Write a mix of the straight-edge business blog posts that you’re used to writing with imaginative blog posts that you may not be used to writing. That means you get to paint pictures or deconstruct your favorite song or…
June Blog Post Ideas Start Now
1 – Images get shared on social media more than any other type of post. Consider taking a 30-day photo challenge and discuss it on your blog. Here is a site dedicated to photo ideas.
2 - What do you want to learn? Go crazy. Why not take up knitting or pickling or car maintenance? Chronicle your progress.
3 – The Webby Awards were announced May 21. Find sites that inspire you and share.
4 – Are you a member of an association or do you sit on any boards? Talk about that work.
BONUS TIP!
Tim Esterdahl of TE Creative Services has two great sources of blog post inspiration. Here’s what he has to say:
“First, find a forum related to your niche. Write a post about a forum topic with a lot of comments. If forum posters are talking about it, odds are others are searching for that topic, too. Second, look for the corporate media sites in your industry. I use automotive media sites like Toyota’s Press Site, but heck, even Walmart has a media news page. You never know when a new product or idea will be announced.” (more…)
The Official No. 2 Pen View on SEO
The terms “search engine optimization” and “SEO” feel like jargon to me. They are buzzwords. The average person has become confused about what it all means. Here are a few questions I’ve heard from clients lately:
- Are you going to SEO my content?
- Do you know how to SEO?
- How will you make sure the search engines see the SEO?
My short answer to these questions: Good content is SEO. We will write something that matters to your customers.
My long answer to these questions: (more…)
Daily Blog Post Ideas for May
Most successful business bloggers talk about the people around the office and the inter-workings of the organization. It’s the job of a blogger (or bloggers if you have several people managing your company blog) to connect with the reader, and you’re not going to do that with dry, impersonal blog posts. So…
…let’s get creative! Check out these 31 daily blog post ideas for May.
1 – May 1 is May Day and National Law Day. If you don’t feel like giving your readers a basket of candy and flowers, why not tell them about the laws that dictate your industry or business? Never ever give legal advice, but touch on the laws that matter.
2 - Donate the money you would’ve spent on a week’s worth of lattes to a creative project. Visit Kickstarter.com to find a project you can get behind. Don’t forget to write about it.
BONUS PRO BLOGGING TIP!
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3 – Study a writing genre outside of what you typically read and write. Why not try your hand at poetry or humor writing? Pick a book that includes writing exercises and use a few of those exercises to inspire blog posts.
4 – Join a blog carnival like the WordCount Blogathon. Announce your participation today!
5 – May 5 is Cinco de Mayo. How will you celebrate? (more…)
The Makings of a Stand-Out Coaching Website
The world is full of coaches. You know, career coaches, life coaches, business coaches, and so on. But even with hundreds to choose from, it can be difficult to pick a coach based on a web search alone. Many coaches’ websites don’t reflect their abilities. The sites look cheap. The content sounds like everyone else’s content.
But there are a few stand-out sites. I recently worked with a career coach to create a site for her business, and during the competitive research phase I found some great examples. Check out these professional websites complete with attributes to mimic. (more…)
30 Blog Post Ideas Perfect for April
The blog post ideas I’m sending out each month may be geared toward businesses that blog, but other types of bloggers are taking advantage, too. Check out the Urban Moo Cow’s Wordle and the Time-Lapse Blog’s Jargon Dictionary to see what I mean.
And, hey, if you decide to use one of these ideas on your blog, tell me about it. I’ll link to you in an upcoming blog post.
Enough of the chit chat. Let’s get to it! Here are your 30 blog post ideas for April.
1 – April 1 is April Fool’s Day. You know what to do.
2 – Remember that infographic you made earlier in February? Summarize how you created the infographic and how you promoted it. Think of it like a marketing case study.
BONUS TIP FROM CATHY STUCKER!“Do you ever make a giant batch of your favorite casserole to freeze for future meals? I do the same thing with blog posts! When I get in the “writing zone” I turn out several posts very quickly and save them as drafts. Those saved posts are a wonderful resource for the times when I struggle to come up with a great post idea or I don’t have time to write. Just open one up, review it to make sure there are no updates or corrections needed, and publish. It is as easy as grabbing a pre-made dish out of the freezer for a quick meal!” –Cathy Stucker, The Idea Lady |
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Try This: Apply Comedy Writing Techniques to Your Web Content
In John Vorhaus’ The Comic Toolbox: How to Be Funny Even if You’re Not you’re schooled on how to be funny and how to write funny. I don’t care if you want to do stand up or if you want to dominate the web, there are tips in this book that will help you write better.
Here are seven things Mr. Vorhaus taught me (or reminded me) about web content writing.
Humor is truth and pain.
Most of us can get a laugh from friends, but that’s by accident. To produce a reaction from people you don’t know (a/k/a your website visitors), find out what hurts them and then talk about it honestly. (more…)