I’ve been working with a very well-established firm of executive coaches in London; leadership development experts who are uncannily good at what they do. They’re not horse whisperers but people whisperers, called in by crippled corporates to challenge and inspire employees so that they seize their potential and transform their organisation.
The copywriting brief for this job includes a website, email messaging and blogs. The fun of it comes in the fact that this firm wants to be different. I’m thankfully free of the need to use tired, cliché-ridden corporate speak and have been given free rein to create blog content as inventive and engaging as possible.
Thus blog topics have ranged from Putin, a Maserati and Better Behaviour at Work (a look at workplace aggression), Tell the Truth (on the value of outside advice) and Go Away, I’m Not Listening (the perils of ignoring feedback.)
Blog content that works
The point is that it’s far easier to get readers interested in topical, relevant, brightly written blogs than in a dull rehearsal of what you do and how good it is. By choosing celebrity sportspeople as a way to tackle the subject of leadership, or using human case studies to discuss performance, blogs have better resonance and are more likely to be shared, spreading your message further afield.
So, tip one: when writing a blog, make sure it is an interesting read. This might sound obvious, but some companies do overlook it.
As long as your keywords and phrases appear half a dozen times in a blog of 400 to 500 words, they should keep Google happy whilst your readers keep reading.
Tip two: those keywords aren’t the meat of your blog, they’re sprinkled through the blog content for search-engine purposes.
My enlightened clients have let me write about Alastair Cook’s captaincy of England, why it didn’t matter that Mark Spitz’s coach couldn’t swim, and who Usain Bolt has in his support network. (My clients like sport, as you can tell.) I’ve also written about hiring (with a lesson from Barack Obama), firing (sometimes it’s inevitable) and how to identify high potential (using the example of a senior politician.)
Tip three: human stories capture the imagination, so use them, whether they are about famous people or your own experiences.
My clients have been able to provide me with a stream of case studies to feature. Some of these have been brief verbal anecdotes, so don’t be daunted if you don’t have much prepared in written form. Just jot down some notes on practical examples of your previous customers, what their problems were and how you solved them. Look for typical cases that will appeal to many of your prospects, or unusual cases that show how you rise to a challenge.
Tip four: case studies are brilliant blog material, because your target customers can start to see how you will solve their problem.
The success of these blogs for my executive coaching clients, as well as their email messaging and website words, lies in the enthusiasm they get across. My clients love their work, they have exciting new ideas, they’re transforming lives … and it shows.
Tip five: be upbeat, lively and bright. Show that you care!
If you’d like to know more about writing blogs that work, or you’d like Editing Edge to run your blog account for you, drop me a line or give me a call today.
