As a writer, I do much more than just write. No matter what I’m tasked to create, I start by asking questions. For instance, if it’s a website, I may ask:

• Why do you want to create a website?
• What is the goal of the site?
• Who’s your target market?
• What do you want people to do when they get there?
• How long is your sales cycle?
• What tone do you want the site to set?
• Do you want the copy to be “you” based or “client” based?

This is all before I start writing anything.

If clients don’t know the answers, we have to talk about them and determine what they are. Often, the pre-writing conversation includes a bit of coaching to determine the why, what, and who of the piece. I like to get a sense of what the client is going to do and all of the marketing components that either are, or need to be, in place to support the sales cycle. Without these questions and initial research, the words may not be very effective.

So, although you can write, can you write copy that engages, entertains, and educates your target market? Can you drive them to action? If you’re hesitant on these answers, you may want to consider hiring a copywriter.

Learn more about working with The Grammar Doctors by contacting us to discuss your project.

1. First, you’ll need to know what to write about—which may, in itself, be tripping you up. It’s honestly not that challenging. Look at your business and choose four broad topic areas. Those could be target audiences, products/services, or messages you want to share. Make sure they’re not too specific.

2. Dig deeper into your four categories to create three to four blog topics. For instance, if one of your broad topic areas is marketing, your blog titles could be: Getting the Most of Your Marketing Budget, What Is a Marketing Strategy and Why Do I Need One?, and Is PR a Necessary Component to Market My Business? Make the titles enticing enough that a reader will want to read them, and if possible, throw in some of your keywords. Go through this exercise with each of your broad areas.

3. Choose a regular day and time to blog. Ideally, you’ll want to be blogging at least once a week. Consistency is the key here, so if you schedule your time, you’re more apt to follow through. It should only take about 30 minutes to write a 300- to 500-word blog (if it takes longer, consider outsourcing). After choosing your blog titles, you should have three months of blogs if you write weekly.

4. Write your blog using a “business casual” voice. It should follow the three E’s of content marketing: engaging, entertaining, and educational. Use your personal knowledge and anecdotes or even link it to other blogs or current research to back up your points.

5. Post and share! It’s always best to have your blog live on your own URL (www.domain.com/blog), because then your company name gets the Google love; however, you may start on Blogger or another site, which is fine for now. Be sure to link your blog to your company’s social media accounts so it’s automatically sent to your readers. You can also link to it in your company’s monthly e-newsletter.

Need help developing or implementing a blogging strategy? The Grammar Doctors can help! Contact us to set up a FREE consultation.

Cruising through my Facebook wall the other day, I saw that a friend mentioned reading his 2011 letter to the universe, noting that he had received everything he had requested, albeit not always in the way he expected. That got me thinking: Why not write a New Year’s letter to yourself? It’s a great way to get in the right mindset to achieve excellence, and it will serve as a reminder of how far you’ve come when you reflect back on it next year.

Last year, I created a series of 3×5 cards with daily affirmations: I’m a great friend, I am loving, etc. This year, however, I’m going to follow my friend’s lead and create a letter to myself. Whether you believe in a higher power, the universal law, or just your ability to have a say in how your life progresses, there are some basic guidelines when writing out these kinds of things:

Write it in present tense.
This isn’t a planning exercise; this is an “I am” exercise. Write your letter as if what you are saying is happening now. There is much more power in “I weigh 120 pounds” than there is in “I will lose 15 pounds in 2012.”

Be specific.
I know a writer friend who believes in the Law of Attraction, and when looking to attract a man into her life, she wrote on her affirmation list: “I am dating a man who is rich.” She got him alright: a penniless, car-less, unemployed man with the NAME Rich. She got what she said she wanted because she wasn’t specific. Reread your list looking for loopholes. If there are any, clear up your language.

Write it in longhand.
This is a tough one for me because I type much faster than I write, but there’s something to be said for the power in putting pen to paper. Draft it up first, if you need to (especially to work out the kinks), but then copy it on a sheet of paper with your own hand. This is a similar exercise to writing down what you need at the grocery store on a scrap paper. You always tend to remember handwritten notes better than those you keep in your head.

Be thorough.
Just as you should be specific, you should look at your life as a whole. Is this the year in which you’ll kick up your business to the next echelon? Will you buy that second home you’ve been wanting? Will you complete a new degree or certification? Don’t silo your life into just work or just personal; look at the whole package. You are a complete person with different goals, and you never know how they’ll overlap.

Be open to the results.
By nature, I’m a positive cynic. I don’t believe in much mysticism, but I figure it can’t hurt either. My house has some feng shui components because it’s a better way to decorate and organize. I follow Law of Attraction because I would rather think positive thoughts than negative ones. And because of my willingness to receive, things appear. That’s the approach you should take as well.

There’s a story about a man who is in a flood and lets a number of saving devices pass him by, asserting that his god will save him. When he shockingly dies, he is upset with his god, but upon meeting him is reminded that many people and devices were sent to save him. Don’t mistake a golden opportunity because it doesn’t present itself exactly as you thought it might.

Be grateful.
No matter what you have or don’t have, be thankful for it. I don’t have an abundance in the bank, but I have what I need, including a wonderful son and supportive friends. Focus on the positive results and you’ll soon see that you probably already have everything you’ve ever wanted, so you’re just opening yourself to have more in 2012!

At each of the past four events I attended, I have generated at least one great contact: One bought a résumé the next day, one became a good friend, one became both a friend and a business collaborator, and at this last event, I met two potential clients through an existing client who talked me up. My time is well spent if I just get one wonderful client or connection; I don’t have to sell to everyone in the room. And that’s where many people seem to be missing the idea.

Although I certainly meet a number of people at these events, my goal is never to sell anything—at least not right then. Naturally, new connections will ask what I do, and I tell them: “I help small businesses get in front of—and stay in front of—their target markets through concise, effective content marketing.” If they ask more, I share a bit more. Sometimes, it’s good to be next to someone who knows what I do, because he or she will often elaborate on my short answer by giving me an instant testimonial. At the latest event, I was with a current client, who shared,” Amanda does all of our marketing, including social media, blogs, and writing awards. Without any SEO, we come up first when you type in anything about our industry, and we are consistently at the top of Ranking Arizona.”

What a great testimonial! If I heard that about someone, I would want to learn more for sure. It’s a great idea to approach any event with a buddy, preferably a client. In this case, I know so much about that client, that I could give a reciprocal testimonial, which perked up the ears of new folks.

So, when it’s time to head to your next large networking event, remember that you just need to meet one good person. Introduce yourself to a bunch, but hone in on one or two that look like they could be potentials. Have good conversations and, for goodness sake, don’t try to sell anything. In the end, you’ll likely find that you’ll make a lot more than just some quick cash.

One of the most important components about social media status updates that many people forget is that they are social. The goal is to engage your audience in conversation and get them excited about what you’re saying. If you’re only saying something about what you’re doing—and in third person, no less—you won’t have much engagement.

Social media, whether Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Google+, should spark a conversation. Try a picture, a link, or a question. Tap into what’s happening in the news. If you think of social media updates as part of your complete marketing and media relations campaign, you may find that you’re more likely to think about them in a broader sense. You wouldn’t just put out a press release to say that you showed up for work on time; instead, you’d share something that would capture an editor’s eye. Take the same approach with your social media.

Of course, sometimes it is good to show that you’re human and let people know what you’re doing. You may find some commonalities with the fact that you share the same favorite restaurant or are at the same event. Just don’t let that be your driving message.

The danger at an event like this is that too many people walk in with dollar signs in their eyes. Thank goodness for Dave Sherman, who has been on the local speaking circuit for years training networkers on the proper etiquette needed to maneuver a mixer. He launched the Signature Event with his trademark Networking 101, imploring attendees to strike up conversations and begin to build relationships rather than walk up to people card extended, hoping to receive a payment on the spot. Still, there will always be a few who miss the message altogether.

The best example of what not to do came courtesy of a pet-sitting professional. In the midst of a three-way conversation, this woman busted in and started her spiel. I’ll admit I don’t listen much once someone starts trying to sell me something, but she was talking about how she cares for pets in their own homes and managed to hand a card to the other two folks in the group (I kept my mouth shut, although I do have a cat and dog). As she walked away, one of my colleagues said, “I forgot how rude people can be.”

I’m thinking that the next time this happens to me, I need to completely turn the tables. “Sure, I have pets, but do you know a better way to get your message out? I can write your brochures, website content, and even articles to position you as the industry expert.” I have heard friends who’ve successfully done this on the phone when being cold-called, so maybe it will work in person as well. Get out those checkbooks, you bad networkers! I’m coming for you!

If you have an unlimited budget and just want to spend money like it’s water, you can stop reading now. However, if you’re like most of us and you need to watch every penny you spend and track ROI, read on.

Strategy should drive everything you do. While there will inevitably be some things you’ll hope will work and you’ll try them to see, be sure you have some kind of strategy before you move forward. That should start with knowing your target market. So many times, I speak with clients who have no idea who their target market is—and then they can’t understand why they don’t get a return on their efforts. Once you know your target, figure out where they are. If you’re looking for office fronts in a small town, social media won’t reach them. However, if you want to reach small-business owners, blogs and Twitter can be great outlets.

Then figure out what you’ll do first, second, third, and so on. How many “touches” do your clients need? What kind of drip system will you build? Will you only use social media or will you incorporate phone calls, mailings, and newsletters as well? What’s your budget for this endeavor? What is your ultimate goal? As you can see, there are many questions you need to ask yourself before you build your plan…and you need a plan before you start your efforts.

If you’re not quite sure how to create your own marketing-communications plan, we can help. Contact us to set up a strategy session. You don’t know what you don’t know—and without that strategy, you might only end up with a bowl of pasta.

I saw this recently with a prospective client who had a decent idea but no traction or strategy to it. He just got an idea and decided to create a business around it. He then considered using social media and perhaps some SEO to promote it, but he didn’t have the idea fleshed out yet. When I asked him what the mission was and who he was targeting, he couldn’t answer. The fundamentals of business success were missing.

That’s not to say that a great idea can’t become a great business. It happens all the time. And you don’t have to wait years to cement your business and marketing plan before you can let it go. But you do need to have something in place. A building is rarely successfully completed without a plan, and you should look at your success in the same way.

Some ways to test if your business idea is viable:

• Be prepared to tell people in 15-30 seconds how you can help them. If you can’t sum it up that quickly, you probably aren’t quite sure what you do.
• Know your target market. Without a goal of whom you need to reach, how will you know if/when you’ve succeeded?
• How will you monetize it, both now and in the long term? Some really great ideas remain ethereal because there’s no way to make money with them.

For more on the nuts and bolts of business viability, you may want to look at these six points to consider.

Whether you are just considering starting something or you’ve been in business for years, it’s always a good idea to review your business in terms of the current market. Remember, it’s a living entity, so keep it fed with new energy.

For Facebook and Twitter, go to your Facebook account and look up NetworkedBlogs. Click the button to register your blog and then just follow the steps. You either need to install a bit of code on your site or have a handful of  friends verify your blog to make sure it’s from you, so content won’t feed right away. However, once you’re verified, this will automatically pull your blog over to Facebook. It can take anywhere from one to five hours for it to populate, but it will. When you’re linking to NetworkedBlogs, look for the link to post it on Twitter as well. This one app actually posts to two outlets.

Then head over to LinkedIn, and in the edit profile mode, add the application for WordPress. Instantly, your blog posts will populate on your profile.

Within 15 minutes, you can make it so your WordPress blog will show up in your feeds on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. It’s as easy as that! If you get a little stuck, let me know; I can set this up for you quickly and easily.

The idea of dating your spouse can easily be applied to dating your clients (no, not in the unethical way). It seems that we often spend so much time getting clients that we forget to stay in touch with them or nurture that relationship once they’ve signed the contract. The thing is, it’s much easier to keep a client than to secure a new one. It follows, then, that we should be spending time wooing those people already in our database.

By the way, this isn’t just for the business owners. When I used to work in college admissions, we developed a number of programs to help students once they started school, instead of just in the application process. The idea of maintaining communications can apply to any industry, whether you’re in charge or not.

So how do we court our clients? In my world, it’s called drip marketing. Send a regular newsletter, interact through social media, drop a direct email, or mail a cute card. I met one business owner who sent smiley-face stickers to random clients just to brighten their days. If that works for you, I’m pretty sure the people on the receiving end would be appreciative.

I encourage you to schedule time into your week to reach out to your current customers and say hello. It certainly can’t hurt and it may turn into some wonderful benefits.