phoneBlogging is definitely convenient & addictive – but as my recent blog article points out – it’s not literally “off the cuff.” While it need not take much preparation or research, blogging should take a minute – a whole 1 (or 2) minutes – of thought. As you know, we put your articles on a Publishing Schedule; you can ask to see it any time. The power of your “Pub Sched” is unleashed when you have a bank of approved articles. We have a variety of tricks to help you add to your bank:
1) Get a jumpstart on your bank by phoneBlogging during your Setup month.
2) Long articles can be split into multiple parts (see my link in the 1st sentence).
3) You can record multiple articles in a “long” recording session (10 – 15 minutes).
4) If you’re a pB Pro, you can Provide multiple articles at once for us to Proof & Promote [note the “Pro” alliteration].
You can be strategic with your articles, beyond your Publishing Schedule (aka, your Editorial or Content Calendar). It’s even more powerful to take a step back & think about for whom you are blogging. You are writing articles for 2 inter-related audiences:
1) Potential clients,
2) Referral relationships.
Your articles should be written in the language your clients would understand; in the style of how you speak with them. However, your articles should be directed to those who are in the best position to recommend you. In other words,
- “What frustrations, issues, concerns, or scenarios do my referral relationships encounter?
- What topics (Q&A) would help them meet the needs & goals of their clients or practice?
- Thus, what would they forward to their clients & colleagues?”
This need not be – and should not be – done in the abstraction. Rather, choose 1 referral relationship; who recommended you a client in 2014? Keep that person in mind, and ask them the questions above. This will help us brainstorm the best articles to inspire more referrals, not only from this relationship, but from others.
Hopefully, you have written out your Personal Referral Circle: Open & label a new worksheet tab in your Master Checklist (the Google Spreadsheet we started you with), and answer these 2 questions:
- Who has RECOMMENDED YOU clients?
- Who have you RECOMMENDED TO clients?
As I’m helping pB clients with their episode of the “Best Practices” Youtube podcast, this is the 1st & necessary exercise that I’m doing. It’s easiest to do it together over the phone. It takes only a few minutes for you to go through your Client List & answer those 2 questions above. This reveals the VIP colleagues with whom you can create “cross-promotional” Shared Content (like our Youtube show, but also Article Swaps, Co-Authored, etc.). In all these ways, this helps your blogging become more strategic & fruitful.
Have you done other marketing efforts with those in your Referral Circle? Strategic blogging & cross-promo content are 2 new inter-related projects that I’m leading to bring greater value to you. To schedule a time to write out your Personal Referral Circle & brainstorm your cross-marketing opportunities, please email me.
In April, I gave a 10-minute presenatation, re: Why & how does Internet word-of-mouth work?; click to listen.
Vikram Rajan
Telephone: (516) 642-4100
Email: Vik@phoneBlogger.net
Website: phoneBlogger.net
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