Posted By Amanda Collins on July 2, 2010

Sometimes we forget that not everyone knows the same things we do – or maybe that’s just me. Recently, while sitting down for a one-on-one with a web designer, we were talking about the benefits of great content in boosting SEO. I was telling him about how he should be blogging on a regular basis to add more content to his site, and that he should follow up with notices on social media about his blogs.

“Can I just lift blogs from other people if I give them credit?”

It’s a good question—with an easy answer. Ideally, you should contact the writer and ask for permission. Short of that, giving full credit to the author on your blog, along with a link to the original post, is sufficient.

However, the question about cross-posting brought up another topic of SEO: commenting on others’ blogs. If you run a Google alert on certain keywords significant to your business (résumé, job search, etc.), you will learn of all kinds of blogs from colleagues. What a great way to make connections and drive traffic to your site by adding supportive, thought-provoking comments to those blogs!

Determine who the industry and thought leaders are in your profession. Follow them. Comment on what they have to say. Readers will link back to your site if you offer noteworthy comments that capture their attention and provide information. It’s a simple, effective trick to improve your SEO and continue to position yourself as an expert in your field.

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Tags: building relationships, business development

Posted By Amanda Collins on June 23, 2009

Yesterday I started a fan page on Facebook. My overview on there is similar to the overview on this Web site: “The Grammar Doctors provides strategic marketing copywriting and copyediting to differentiate clients through well-chosen words.” After posting it up, both @failtracker and @mousetrap pointed out the noun and verb don’t agree (okay, they said number agreement, so maybe that’s saying something in itself). I heartily disagree.

Think about grocery stores, which are typically named after the founder’s last name and are almost always plural: Wegmans, Tops, Albertsons, and Walgreens come to mind. When I say there’s a special to be had at Wegmans, I say, “Wegmans has a great deal on bananas!” I would never say, “Wegmans have a great deal on bananas.” That’s just silly. Well, The Grammar Doctors is the name of this company, and while it is comprised of multiple people, the company is just one entity, meaning the title is singular.

So, to those who choose to disagree, please remember that I started the company because of my close attention to detail. I’m not saying I don’t make mistakes (I’ve made some doozies!), but on this one, I beg to differ with the “number agreement” comment.

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Tags: noun verb agreement, proofreading

Posted By Amanda Collins on June 2, 2009

I’m going to go out on a thin branch of a limb here and assume that you know the value inherent in blogging for your business. It should be an integral component of your networking / business-building strategy. If it’s not, you might have bigger fish to fry!

Unfortunately – but not surprisingly – too many business owners are intimidated at the prospect of blogging for their business. “I’m not a good writer,” they say. Or, worse, “I’m not sure what to write.” Since blogs are a bit more informal, it’s okay to not be an excellent writer. Instead, a blog is a way to share information and tell a little bit about you; although, as The Grammar Doctor, I want your writing to be good, it doesn’t have to be “A” caliber; “C” works just as well in this arena.

For those who aren’t sure on what to write, I suggest grabbing your calendar. Okay, now that you’re looking at a few months in advance … well, breathe first … it’s not that bad! I promise, this strategy will give you some great tools to get blogging! First, think about your business. I’m guessing you can break it down into four distinct components. Perhaps you’re an image consultant. Your four components might be clothes, shoes, coloring, and accessories. A network marketer for a skincare line might use skincare, makeup, household items, and a new product. As luck would have it, there are four weeks in most months! Like magic, you now have a category to write about each week.

Now, drill down deeper. If you’re thinking about clothes, shoes, coloring, and accessories, what can you talk about each month? Perhaps there’s a new style or cut that’s hitting the runways, a color palette creeping up for the next season, or a controversy about real gold vs. plated. Whatever those things are, jot down about three ideas for each initial category. Okay, look at your paper. You’ve just noted the subject of your weekly blogs for the next three months!!

Okay, so that was easy, but what about actually writing the blogs? This is almost as easy, believe me! Write from your heart. Write what you know. Share parts of yourself. A decent blog only needs to be about three paragraphs, so there’s not a lot to write. In fact, most readers will veer away if they’re not engaged pretty much immediately – and no one wants to read pages of text. So get to the point. And, remember, NEVER blatantly sell. People like information, but no one wants to be sold. Remember that as you write your blog. Share information, anecdotes, links, and how to reach you; don’t sell your product.

Need help with your blogging strategy or editing what you write? The Grammar Doctors can help! Contact us to set up a FREE consultation.

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Tags: blogging, business owner, entrepreneur, marketing, writing

Posted By Amanda Collins on April 21, 2009

I’m currently reading Dan Kennedy’s book “No B.S. Sales Success.” I don’t read a lot, but it’s a great way to spend my time on the treadmill, elliptical machine, or other available cardio machine at the gym five days a week. Somehow reading keeps my mind off the not-so-exciting exercise – and engages it in other things while my body is working away. But I digress….

The section I read today was about really using testimonials in your business. I’ve been saying I should incorporate my LinkedIn testimonials into my Web site since they started accruing there, but saying and doing are two distinctly different things. However, after reading Kennedy’s advice, I got my act together. He suggests that, no matter what a business owner says about her business, a client’s word is worth significantly more. In effect, clients with great things to say act as walking advertisements, a true marketing and sales team that listens for people who need your service and consistently feeds referrals.

Of course, as a former BNI member and advocate of Givers’ Gain, I fully understand this principle, but it’s sometimes hard to do the things we know we need to do. In fact, Kennedy addresses that point in the book as well, saying that “trade secrets” of selling can be openly shared because 95% of people won’t bother to use them anyway. I guess what it comes down to is that I don’t now – nor did I ever – want to be a part of the majority. So, after I got off the treadmill and finished my work for the day, I sprinkled testimonials all over my Web site.

I’m thankful for my clients for allowing me the opportunity to continue to improve as a writer and a business owner, so it’s almost rude to not showcase their appreciation for me on my site and in my marketing collateral. Besides, as an entrepreneur on the verge of expansion, it’s always great to have a wonderful sales staff in place.

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Tags: bni, dan kennedy, givers gain, linkedin, marketing, no b.s. sales strategies, testimonials

Posted By Amanda Collins on April 16, 2009

If you’ve seen “Legally Blonde,” you remember when the main character was applying for positions using pink, rose-scented paper for her resumes. Certainly, that made her stand out – but was it in a good way? How do you stand out among hundreds of resumes in a fiercely competitive market? I’m going to go out on a limb here and say, as much as I love pink and roses, scented and colored paper won’t do it.

Most employers use a scanning system to track their resumes, so you need to make your resume come up in keyword searches. As noted in Candice Arnold’s latest blog on CollegeRecruiter.com, keywords play a huge part in making your resume stand out (in a good way). Of course, the most obvious place to add keywords is in the keyword section, often referred to as “Core Competencies” or “Areas of Expertise,” this is a small section at the end of the summary that clearly illustrates your transferable skills. When I’m writing a resume, I write the experience section first, then seek trends across positions, summarizing them in the keywords area. Another great way to populate this section is to look at job postings. Employers usually are rather blatant about what they want from applicants, so use that to your advantage! As I tell clients, the resume information below “Professional Experience” will remain static, but the “Summary” area is dynamic. Reread it for each new position, making sure you have the right words and answer the questions posed in the job posting.

Get more keywords in your experience section by thinking about buzzwords in the industry. Some of these may include: training, business development, penetrating accounts, client / vendor / employee relations, mentoring, global, international, or companywide. Your keywords will be different from someone else in a different industry, so be aware of your industry. If you’re working with a resume writer unfamiliar with your industry, tell her what the keywords are (a good writer who knows her limitations will ask).

By adding in some great keywords on your resume – and cover letter – you’ll boost your chances of coming up on searches, which will increase your interview opportunities!

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