Think about this for a second…..As you are reading this, your potential customers are researching blogs on your products. They are thinking about making a purchase and are seeking expert advice before they buy. We know everyone researches online before they buy, the main question is whose blogs are they reading?
Now imagine this….what if it was your expert blogs your ideal customer was reading before they made a purchase? After all who knows more about your products and the problems they solve then you, right? When a potential customer reads an expert blog, value and trust is created. The writer is no longer seen as a business owner trying to make a sale but a valuable consultant the reader can turn to for advice. This is the direction marketing is heading.
It may seem complicated to write an expert blog, but it is actually easier than you think and will not take a lot of time. Below we provide 6 easy steps on how to write an effective expert blog that will connect with customers, build trust, and position you as the expert in your field.
Just remember to keep blogs 5-10 paragraphs. Readers have a short attention span, you have very limited time to keep them engaged. Keep your blogs short and to the point. This means less work for you and more engagement with the reader.
1. Define your Blog: Before you begin writing, it is important to lay the foundation. Put yourself in your target market’s shoes: what influences them, what is their motivation, what are they passionate about? Write specifically to this demographic. Answer the following questions to guide you:
- Who exactly is the target audience you want to read this blog?
- What is the one problem they are experiencing that you can help them solve? Only focus on one problem per blog.
- When they research on the search engines to solve this problem, what keywords and terms will they be searching?
- Using these answers, what is a captivating heading for your blog that will draw people in?
Write these answers on a piece of paper and keep it next to you as you are writing your blog. Use the keywords as often as possible throughout the blog, especially in the title. This will help optimize your blog making it easier for the search engines to find it.
2. Empathize with the “pains” of this problem: Sincerity is the first step in building trust and creating an emotional attachment with the reader.
- Put yourself in your customers’ shoes, what are the main “pains” this problem creates? How are these pains effecting them?
- How can you empathize with these pains to display to your customers you understand what they are going through?
- In some cases, your customer may have a problem they are unaware of. How was this problem created and why does it exist?
The answer to these questions will form your opening paragraph. You can see how it gets right to the point, describes the problem the reader is facing, why this problem exists, and that you understand their pain. Remember to keep it to only one paragraph.
3. Provide Hope: After you have become a complete downer exposing the main problem your reader has, it is time to provide hope that this problem can be solved. What you want to do it paint the ideal picture of the results your target market wants.
Here is the key, you are going to focus on the benefits customers can enjoy when this problem is solved, however you are not going to mention your product. Remember we are providing hope that a solution exists, but we are not selling them a product at this time. This can be tricky, so to help you with this ask the following questions:
- How will this customer feel when this problem is solved, what emotions will they experience?
- What results will customers see when they when this problem is solved, how will these results affect them?
- What is the goal they are striving for, and reaffirm God has given them the talent to achieve it.
- You could provide short testimonials; talk about customers who have faced a similar problem who are now experiencing the benefits you have mentioned.
- Please note, in this section you should not mention your products, its features, or your business.
Use these answers to create your second paragraph.
4. Guide them through the solution. You have educated the reader how there is a better alternative to the problems they face, now it is time to show them how they can obtain that ideal solution. God has given you talent to help serve others; in the next section of the article, use your expert advice to provide valuable information that helps customers overcome this problem.
- Create 5 simple steps for the reader to take to overcome their problem.
- Each step should have a brief headline in bold with 2-4 sentences describing how to accomplish each step.
- Make sure the information is simple to follow and valuable to the reader, but do not trying to sell your products. Make sure you advise, not sell.
- Provide just enough information to offer value and give you credibility. “Wow” the reader but do not give them the bank.
5. Use images to tell your story: An image is worth a thousand words, and they are powerful in telling your story. In your article, upload images of people enjoying the benefits of the advice you have provided.
6. Create a Hook: The goal of creating a blog is to provide just enough value to help the customer, but to intrigue them to the point where they want more information. If you do this properly, you will have readers looking to contact you, so you have to help them out.
A hook is a 1 sentence follow-up that opens the door inviting the reader to interact with you. Here are some examples of a hook:
- If you would like more information on this subject, click here for a free ebook.
- Losing customers to larger firms is very difficult for a small business; if there is anything we can do to help your business, feel free to call me and I will be happy to give you a consultation.
- Digital Marketing is confusing. If you need someone to guide you through these steps, give us a call and we will be happy to help.
- After you follow the steps in this article, contact us and share the results you are getting.
As you can see, a hook is not a hard close, but softly opening the door and inviting the reader in. A hook can be giving away a free ebook, providing a consultation, or simply asking for feedback after they have followed your advice. The key is to make it simple, short and to the point.
Now that you have 6 easy steps to become an expert blog writer, it’s time to have some fun! Writing an Expert Article can be challenging at first, but it becomes easy very soon if you stay with it. Of course expert blogs can have many different formats, this is just one, simple, easy format to get you going.
The important thing in writing Expert Articles is this: God has given you a special gift to solve a particular problem for a group of people, and all you are doing is sharing this knowledge with them.
If you have any issues, feel free to contact us at Jerry@MainStRock.com (yes this is our hook line….but it is also a sincere offer if you need it)!
Once your article is created, it is time to publish it. Here is an article that shows you how Main St Rock Magazine can help you publish your expert blogs.
How to Publish and Promote your Expert Articles
I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for. Jer 29:11