LJ Sedgwick

Content Writer for Coaches and Course Creators

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Why do you need to think about starting a blog in 2017?

Starting a blog probably isn’t that high on your list of priorities this year.

But you probably read a lot of blogs yourself. Even Medium is essentially a blogging platform.

Wouldn’t you like to create one about your own products or services?

After all, the blog has come a long way from its ‘online journal’ origins. Most bloggers don’t share their daily troubles and family photos any more.

So is it still worth starting a blog in 2017?

With the discussion around 'content shock' you might think there's no point starting a blog in 2017. This post explains exactly why you should anyway.
Definitely something to plan for.

Blogging is an easy way for your customers to get to know you.

While many have been predicted the death of blogging for some time, it still remains one of the best ways of connecting with clients and customers.

Blogging is, at its heart, another form of content marketing. And it’s an amazing way to build a community, and establish trust and credibility. It also gives customers a reason to keep coming back to your site.

Remember that a massive 68% of consumers are likely to spend time reading content from a brand they are interested in. The more they spend time around your output, the more likely they are to buy from you.

So starting a blog is an easy way to keep producing fresh content. That gives customers more opportunities to come to your site.

After all, the marketing rule of 7 says that you need to engage with a customer 7 times before they’ll finally buy. Having a blog gives you another touchpoint.

Blogs give you a simple way to connect with customers who have problems.

You’ve probably got a list of common helpdesk questions. Maybe you get regular questions on Twitter about how to use a particular feature.

You can use all of these to create a regular ‘column’ on your blog to address the problems that customers commonly have.

That could mean problems they have with your specific software. Those customers are already aware of you – and they’ll come to you first. You can turn your blog into a huge knowledge base.

That’s what Literature & Latte, the company behind Scrivener, have done. Each post is a short ‘how-to’ of simple functions, designed to help you get the most out of their powerful writing software.

But you don’t have to just provide ‘how-to’ guides. You could also address common problems in your niche that lead customers to your software. Starting a blog gives you somewhere to explain potential solutions.

Give visitors an easy win and they’ll feel a lot more positive about you.

Companies that blog have 97% more inbound links. Put simply, more links can help boost your ranking in Google.

You can also direct existing followers to your blog.

And if you have a social media following, then you already have an engaged group of people you can turn to. Ask them questions. Answer those questions in the form of blog posts.

Even Steve Jobs attested to the power of asking, explaining “I’ve never found anybody who didn’t want to help me when I’ve asked them for help.”

So ask what issues your followers need help with. What are they struggling with? What would they want you to solve if they only had one wish?

Provide that exact content. Build solutions into each post so your clients can feel they achieved an easy win. And let them know that you’ve posted it.

Few things will build a relationship faster than being relentlessly helpful. Better relationships mean your blog is far more likely to be read in future.

Blogging becomes your manifesto of purpose.

I know what you’re thinking. “If there’s so much content already out there, why should I add my voice to it? Won’t I just get drowned out?”

It’s a valid worry. Mark Schaefer even coined the term “content shock” in 2014 to explain how people felt about the deluge of content already available.

But blogs aren’t just a place to house information. They can have a far more powerful place in your marketing strategy.

Simon Sinek points out that people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. In his example, he explains that Apple customers are so passionate because they buy into why Apple operate the way they do. They don’t buy the features, or the slick design, because those are by-products of the why.

Don’t just tell people what you do and who you serve. Use blogging to tell people why you do it.

If what you say aligns with a personal beliefs of your prospective customer, they’re more likely to read the rest of your blog. And they’re more likely to buy your products.

So, you might explain where your company got its name. Perhaps you have a hilarious story about your logo. Has your product ever averted disaster? Maybe you’re involved with charity work that you can tie into your blogging.

Posts don’t have to be War and Peace.But stories help to humanise you and your brand. Give customers an easy way to relate to you.

I even wrote my own manifesto since I believe in the point so strongly. Find out why I do what I do – and why I want to help you.

You can also demonstrate your authority.

Why do you think TripAdvisor is so popular? And why do poor fiction authors spend so long trying to net reviews of their work so Amazon will feature them?

Social proof. Humans just love basing their decisions on the opinions of others.

Hell, that’s why I always read the 1* reviews first!

But testimonials will only take you so far. At some point, you want to prove to your customers that you’re the best at what you do. Mostly because you know a lot about it.

In-depth posts about your industry demonstrate that you understand what you’re doing. You know exactly why you’re making the changes you’re making. You’re a thought leader.

And remember that humans love shiny new things. There’s even a part of your brain that’s activated by new images you haven’t seen before. So show your customers something new and they’re more likely to keep reading.

So how might you do that?

Stay on top of the news. And not just industry news, add current affairs too. How do trending news topics relate to your product?

Remember, if a news topic is important to your industry, then it’s important to your customer.

Use social media to ‘listen’ to what people are actually talking about. Find out what they’re interested in. What are they incensed by?

All of this is super useful when you’re writing a blog post if you want it to resonate with your customers.

So ask your subscribers what they need help with, and help them. Reformat your how-to guides into easy to read blog posts. Add graphics to make them simple to share on social media. Support your posts with new and exciting images your clients haven’t seen before.

And ‘wow’ them with your content.

Over to you! Will you be starting a blog in 2017?

If you enjoyed this post, consider sharing it with a colleague. And if you want help in starting a blog, book a discovery call with me and we’ll get you up and running!

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How to improve your content using It’s A Wonderful Life

As the great song says, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.

And speaking of wonderful, it’s that time of the year when we all gather around the TV. We’re going to watch a festive classic and bask in its glow for a time.

We’re bound for Bedford Falls, see. And we’re going to root for George Bailey when his frustration outweighs his satisfaction with his life.

If you want to get creative about your content, you need to study the storytelling of the classics. Improve your content using It's A Wonderful Life!

But let’s get creative for a moment. Copywriters (or writers in general) can find learning opportunities at every turn.

Instead of just sitting back and enjoying the movie, you can glean ways to apply its storytelling principles to your copy.

So how can you improve your content using It’s A Wonderful Life?

If you want to get creative about your content, you need to study the storytelling of the classics. Improve your content using It's A Wonderful Life!
By National Telefilm Associates (Screenshot of the movie) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
You’d be surprised. So come with me and let’s take a stroll back to 1946.

And put your thinking caps on. (If you want to use a Santa hat, that’s cool with me)

Ready?

If you want to appeal to George, you have to think like an angel

George Bailey is deeply dissatisfied with his life. Unable to leave Bedford Falls, he watches life pass him by. Opportunities go to everyone around him while he holds the fort, waiting for his turn.

When his idiotic uncle misplaces $8000, bankruptcy and scandal loom large. Unsurprisingly, George snaps.

But no one in Heaven wants George to take drastic action. Instead, Clarence wants him to appreciate what he has.

I’m not saying that you don’t want your customer to take action. But you do know what their life could be like, if only they were using your solution.

After all, you want your solution to effect a change for your buyer, customer or client.

So you’re Clarence in our little roleplay. 

But, like George, your customers can’t see what that life would be like.

Yet.

You need to improve your content to show them what their life could be like if they used your product.

Sell project management software? Show them the time saved that can be spent on creative pursuits. Or show them the glowing reviews they’ll get when their productivity increases.

But you don’t need to stay on the good side. You can also show them what their life could be like if they don’t use your product.

Take them to Pottersville.

So let them see those tasks that get forgotten and lead to customer complaints. Or the late nights catching up on things that could’ve been done by someone else in their team.

The benefits of your solution will speak for themselves.

Appeal to the better side of your customer

Clarence has a relatively easy job. After all, George is pretty saintly. It’s hard to argue with an angel when your existence led to the rescue of your little brother. Especially when that little brother went on to save an entire transport of soldiers.

And the future of Mr Gower depends on George being there to intervene when grief makes him put the wrong ingredients into diphtheria medicine.

But at his heart, George is a good person. He’s not malicious, he’s reliable, and he sticks up for the little guy.

Appeal to the George Bailey in your customers. Show them how your product not only improves their lives or business. But also show them how it improves the lives of their customers.

Think of the speech George makes to the board when Potter threatens to close the Building & Loan.

You know how long it takes a workin’ man to save five thousand dollars? Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you’re talking about, they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community.

Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn’t think so. People were human beings to him, but to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they’re cattle.

He puts the concept of the business into understandable human terms. The Building & Loan gives the people of Bedford Falls the chance at a dignified existence. And it also builds community.

This speech persuades the board to appoint George as his father’s successor.

How can you inject that same sort of passion and improve your content? How can you make your solution more human?

Use testimonials to prove your worth

How often do you look up a product on Amazon and check out its reviews?

Do you discount the 50 5* reviews because there’s a single 1* review?

When you book a hotel, do you scour the TripAdvisor feedback before you choose?

We all do it. It’s just an online version of word-of-mouth – the most powerful marketing of all.

So you’ll hear terms like ‘social proof’ bandied about by marketers. And it’s nothing new. All it means is you’ve provided a good enough service that a customer is willing to tie their reputation to yours by recommending you.

In It’s A Wonderful Life, these testimonials come in the form of prayers. All around Bedford Falls, people put aside their own needs and wants because George Bailey is in trouble.

Instead of using their prayers for themselves, they pray that George will get the help he needs.

Clarence answers these prayers in his own unique way. And George comes to realise that there were plenty of reasons to stay in Bedford Falls after all.

(Though I do think it’s a scandal the poor fellow never gets to even go on holiday!)

Heaven might have still intervened without the prayers. But it’s made clear in the film that the testimonials prove George’s worth in the eyes of the town.

You need to prove your worth to your buyers. Often, an easy way to improve your content is to look to the testimonials of your customers.

If you’re a startup, look at the feedback from your beta testers.

What questions do people ask? Or what do they always mention?

Create content to answer those questions. Or highlight the features your customers praise most often.

But most of all, use those testimonials. People respond to language they recognise. What better than the language of their peers? Include snippets from reviews or feedback in your content and use it verbatim.

Let your prospects know that you didn’t write it. An actual person, just like them, wrote those words of praise. They might not trust you – but they’ll trust a fellow customer.

People don’t always respond to data. They’re not always necessarily swayed by features and facts.

But they do respond to stories. It’s how humans have always communicated, from cave paintings to Star Wars.

So if you want to improve your content, start thinking sideways. Ask yourself what stories appeal to people. How can you use similar stories in your own content?

How can you be Clarence to your George Bailey customers?

If you’d like help to improve your content by applying these storytelling principles, drop me an email. Let’s make your content wonderful!

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5 awesome predictions for better digital marketing in 2017

Digital marketing has come a long way already.

But with new technology becoming more available, it’s predicted to alter its focus in 2017.

There are already hundreds of predictions posts online, so I’ve distilled them down into the top 5 common themes.

And if you’d like me to write posts like this for your business, then drop me a line!

With new technology becoming more accessible, digital marketing is predicted to change its focus in 2017. How can you get onto the trends and improve yours?
5 Awesome Predictions for Better Digital Marketing in 2017

With new technology becoming more accessible, digital marketing is predicted to change its focus in 2017. How can you get onto the trends and improve yours?

1) Virtual and augmented reality aren’t going away

You can’t fail to have noticed Pokemon Go in 2016. Even back in August, it still had 21 million daily active users. Nearly $3millon was spent every day on in-app purchases.

Augmented reality relies on the blurring of the line between reality and the digital space. Fortune.com predicts that gallery visitors will expect to see information about the artworks displayed alongside them. Shoppers may even be able to virtually ‘try on’ clothes instead of the old-fashioned method of using a changing room.

Virtual reality differs in its use of an entirely digital space. Yet marketers have already grasped its potential. In May 2016, Amnesty International began showing a VR film about a Syrian refugee to British people in the street. Sign ups for direct debit donations increased by 16%.

Immersing potential customers or clients in a virtual world stimulates better engagement and interaction. And with the industry predicted to be worth $120 billion by 2020, companies are only going to keep investing in the technology.

So how can you apply this to your own content marketing?

It’ll be pretty difficult, considering the cost of developing virtual and augmented reality spaces.

But you can stay true to the basic theme – immersive experiences. You can’t fail to have noticed the sudden boom in posts and courses about the power of storytelling. Well now’s your chance to perfect it.

Tell stories that bring your readers or clients inside your world. Let them experience your solutions. Show them your expertise. And help them.

If anything, today’s election result proves that people need to be a little kinder to one another.

2) Mobile devices will continue to be popular

The popularity of Facebook 360 and its reliance on a smartphone gyroscope indicates the potential of mobile technology. And now Google have announced the release of their Pixel smartphone – which has crossover with their Daydream VR headset.

Make no mistake, mobile devices are still your main source of traffic. 70% of internet use now comes via a mobile device. Back in 2014, Google prioritised websites in their search results that were mobile friendly.

Now, having a website that is mobile responsive is the cost of entry. Especially since Google announced that in future, the mobile index would actually be more up-to-date than their desktop index.

So how can you apply this to your own content marketing?

Banish popups! From January, Google will be penalising websites that feature “intrusive interstitials”.

So if users have to click past a welcome mat, or some kind of popup that appears the moment they land on your page, Google will knock you down the rankings.

You simply cannot expect visitors to click through a popup before they can even access your content.

You can still use them on desktop websites, but they’re a total no-no on mobile devices.

3) Video is absolutely the way to go

The rise of video marketing parallels the wider availability of public wi-fi, and the higher amounts of data offered in mobile contracts. And video helps you to create much better connections with other people.

Think about it. Your potential clients and customers can see and hear you. They can tune in to your body language. Tone of voice goes a long way to forming a good impression.

And video isn’t restricted to pre-recorded content any more. Live streaming will bring your message to people in the here-and-now.

So how can you apply this to your own content marketing?

Take the time to get comfortable using video. Get used to being on camera. People seem to have forgotten that marketing is essentially about forming connections with people. Not leads, not clients, not sales. People.

Video offers an amazing way to connect with people.

Plan out what you’d like to share, but be open to live videos to respond to things as and when they happen. Live stream events and bring people inside your world.

The immediacy will create connections that blog posts just can’t.

4) Focus on better content, not more

Commentators have been discussing the sheer volume of information online for some time now. Back in 2014, Mark Schaefer coined the term “content shock”.

Not only that, but continual changes to social media algorithms make it more difficult for your content to be seen in the first place. In February this year, Twitter brought in the option for users to see the ‘best’ tweets first, instead of in chronological order. Instagram brought in a similar change in May.

Earlier this year, Pinterest altered its algorithm so content related to topics you’d previously pinned was displayed more prominently than pins created in real time.

And Facebook changes its algorithm as often as the weather.

Rather than pumping out more and more content in the hope it sticks, companies will focus on spending more time creating specific pieces. It’ll more important to track the effectiveness of those pieces.

So how can you apply this to your own content marketing?

Focus on creating excellent content! Is it valuable? Then post it. (Note: even if something is just entertaining, that’s still valuable) Is it just for link-building? Maybe give it a miss.

Learn how the different platforms work. There’s no point throwing lots of content onto Instagram without realising how people will (or won’t) find it.

And remember that a lot of other people are also trying to do the same thing. According to Content Marketing Institute, 88% of B2B marketers rely on content marketing. But only 48% have a documented strategy.

So make sure you know what your strategy is and you’re instantly off to a winner.

5) Don’t underestimate the Internet of Things

‘Omnichannel marketing’ means that no matter the time, place or device, the user experience is the same.

But the Internet of Things means we’ll also see everyday devices being connected to the web. Brands will be able to understand actual moments from their consumers’ day through the data transmitted by the devices.

Think smart kettles. Smart meters.

Intel even predicted there could be 200 billion of these devices by 2010. That’s an awful lot of data about user habits being sent back to the brand hub.

Scary, too.

So how can you apply this to your own content marketing?

You can’t really do a great deal at the moment. Until the data becomes accessible, it’s meaningless for those outside the brands using the technology.

But what you can take away from it is a need to have a seamless experience. Whether a user lands on your Facebook page, blog, Twitter feed or website, they should know that you’re behind it. Consistency will absolutely be king.

Over to you! What digital marketing trends are you interested in for 2017?

If you enjoyed this post, consider sharing it with a colleague! You may also enjoy;
4 things to learn from the DDoS attack to protect your blog
Are you making these 5 mistakes with your email marketing?
How will the new changes affect your use of Twitter?

If you’d like me to write posts like this for your business, then drop me a line and we can have a chat!

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How To Promote Your Security Plugin for WordPress

You know that now, more than ever, businesses need to build security into their blog plan.

After all, in 2012, 170,000 WordPress sites were hacked. That number is easily higher by now.

But security is a difficult thing to sell unless you’re trying to fear-monger. And fear doesn’t actually sell that well.

So exactly how can you promote your WordPress security plugin without resorting to scare tactics?

As the internet matures, website security becomes increasingly important. But how do you sell a plugin to users who may not think they need one?
How To Promote Your Security Plugin for WordPress

Focus on the benefits, not the features

Sure, your plugin allows users to rename the wp-login.php to something totally different. Hide your login page so hackers can’t find it as easily!

And it’s amazing that your plugin blocks IPs when they’ve tried – and failed – to access a site 3 times in a row. It’ll certainly cut down on brute force attacks.

You totally need to tell people that your plugin also scans for malware. It’s a useful feature.

Some people will genuinely get a kick out of knowing all of that.

But people also want to know what’s in it for them.

Ultimately, you’re selling security to people

It doesn’t matter whether your target audience is other tech geeks or newbie bloggers just starting out.

They’re all still people.

They want to believe that your product will bring them peace of mind.

It’s called security for a reason.

So don’t just focus on the cool whizzbang features your plugin has (although sure, they’re still important).

Focus on the hours you’ll save them when your plugin stops an attack, and the blogger doesn’t need to reinstall a backup of their site.

Sure, you can focus on the loss of traffic to their site if they get hacked. But what does that really mean to them?

It’s not lost traffic. It’s lost time and effort. Possibly even lost sales. But it’s definitely lost visitors who won’t come back.

Remind them that your plugin works tirelessly in the background. It’s the Wyatt Earp of their website, patrolling the Wild West of the internet to keep out the Cowboys.

Let them know why you, and not someone else

Whether they’re a tech geek who wants to know the specifications, or a blogger who only has 6 regular visitors, they need to know the ‘why’ of your plugin.

Why do they need it? After all, if they’re not the same size as Buzzfeed, they might not think a hacker would ever attack them.

They need to know the risks they’ll avoid. But show them the benefits of avoiding them in a positive way. So less time spent tinkering with broken code, and more time creating awesome content. Fewer complaints about redirections to dodgy sites, and more insightful comments on their articles.

But specifically let them know why do they need yours above the others available?

Yours might do the exact same thing as the next plugin. But your interface is more user-friendly.

Maybe it’s a one-click set up.

Perhaps it has a better raft of features in the free plan.

Hell, maybe it’s cheaper.

You want to sell them on the need for your security plugin. So show them what that need looks like. Make it super easy for them to get your plugin. And get them secure and safe as quickly as you can.

After all, peace of mind is priceless.

If you have a security plugin that you need help in promoting, then get in touch! I’d love to help you reach your new fans.

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4 things to learn from the DDoS attack to protect your blog

You may not consider the internet to be a fragile thing.

But today’s massive DDoS attack on Dyn just proved that we’ve been taking the internet a little bit too much for granted.

If you’re not sure what happened, then a whole host of extremely popular websites were unavailable not once, but twice.

A DDoS attack, or distributed denial of service, just means that useless data is directed at a DNS server. If you’re not sure, the DNS server is the thing that translates www.twitter.com into an IP address that it can understand.

The server can’t cope with the influx of junk requests, so it overloads. It denies genuine requests and no one can access the websites.

So Twitter, Amazon, Etsy, Spotify, Soundcloud and many others were essentially down between 7:10am and 9:36am ET, and again between 12:06pm and 2:52pm ET.

While some say it only really affected the US, Business Insider UK noted that the second wave did affect Europe as well.

The internet experienced a massive outage. So what lessons can you learn from the DDoS attack to secure your blog and protect your online business?
4 things to learn from the DDoS attack to protect your blog

What lessons can you and your business learn?

It means that you can’t rely on the internet! While attacks like this have so far been rare, Gizmodo predict that we’ll see a lot more of them in future.

You can’t hold back a DDoS attack, and as an end user you’re pretty much at the mercy of the attackers.

But here are 4 things you CAN do to mitigate the impact in future.

1) Keep a local back up of your files

It can be tempting to keep all of your data ‘in the cloud’, especially as accessibility improves. After all, cloud storage allows you to access your files from anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection.

But if any of those services become unavailable, for whatever reason, then so does your data.

The loss of power to a data center owned by Delta led to the cancellation of over 740 flights. That’s a huge cloud-based problem!

Keep files on your machine, if you can, and keep an external hard drive close by. It doesn’t need to be connected all the time, but make sure regular back ups are a part of your routine.

If one of the cloud services does have an outage, then you’ll still have access to your files.

I use a WD Elements 1TB External Desktop Hard Drive (aff link) and it does the job spectacularly!

2) Make regular back ups of your blog

There are plenty of plugins to help you back up the content of your blog.

It’s best practice anyway, since just updating a WordPress theme is easily enough to ‘break’ your blog.

If that happens, you don’t want to realise that everything you’ve poured your heart and soul into has disappeared.

So install a plugin like UpdraftPlus or BackUpWordpress and get yourself a little peace of mind. Both of these will perform regular, automated backups. The pro versions will let you backup to specified locations. Just make sure you download a local version of your backup too!

But if you do nothing else, then go to Tools and then Export in your sidebar. Download the .xml file that contains all of your posts, comments, and other data, and keep it on your external hard drive.

3) Check the security of your blog or site

I use the Wordfence plugin for WordPress and my web hosting comes with Cloudflare.

If you’ve never heard of Cloudflare, then it’s a service that explicitly offers protection from a DDoS attack for your site.

Sounds great, but Cloudflare were one of the sites affected by today’s attack!

So if you don’t have one already, install the Wordfence plugin (as a minimum) to help secure your WordPress site. A good alternative is iTheme Security, which gives a raft of settings you can change to bring you that extra peace of mind.

Even better – don’t use your default admin account to log in. Hackers will be able to guess ‘admin’ as a username, and it won’t take long for them to crack your password.

So set yourself up as a new user and use that to post your content instead. If you do want to use your admin account, give it a weird name that no one can guess when you set it up.

There are some awesome advanced tips here that you can try too.

4) Remember there’s a world beyond the internet

It can be really hard in the internet age to remember that business was conducted for centuries without email.

I know the internet makes things a lot easier. Heck, it’s how I’m talking to you right now.

But it’s okay to unplug and do things in the ‘real world’ from time to time.

Pick up the phone and call someone. Browse a local trade directory and make a list of potential leads. Brainstorm topics for your blog posts or email campaigns. Just work on paper for a while.

I didn’t even notice the outage because I was with my students. What were you doing?

Over to you! Do you think you do too much online, or did you completely miss the DDoS attack too?

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