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What are you looking forward to?

What are you looking forward to?
Photo by Sebastian Voortman from Pexels

In the midst of all the lockdowns there’s a theme that I keep seeing. The one thing that everyone seems to have struggled with at some point is not having anything to look forward to. There’s been a huge emphasis on learning to live in the moment because that’s all we can do. It’s a great idea – if you’re constantly looking back or planning for the future are you really living? At the same time, studies have shown that anticipation can be even more pleasurable than reward. I think it’s why I love crime fiction so much. I know there’s going to be a resolution and can spend a whole book looking forward to it. My main frustration at the moment is not knowing when change is going to happen. All I can do right now is to think about the things I’m looking forward to getting back to. Lots of us are thinking about the lockdown changes that are worth keeping. I’ve started thinking about the things I can’t wait to add back in. Here’s my list of things I’m looking forward to. What’s on yours?

Hugs

Yep, I’m a hugger. Even socially distanced meet ups were hard because I just wanted to run over and hug people. I know I’m lucky because I live with people I love and my kids are huggers too. Thing is, I’m looking forward to having a bit of variety again. There are some absolutely amazing people in my life that I haven’t hugged in nearly a year. I’m really looking forward to having that again. Just an advance warning – it might get awkward. Sorry about that.

Rugby

I’m a massive rugby fan and Leicester Tigers season ticket holder. Watching them with my friends has been a massive part of my life for the last 20 years. I my rugby family, some of whom I met on the terrace. We’ve bonded over drinking, cake and trips to matches from Twickenham to Rome. There’s nothing quite like the atmosphere at a live game. That said, when England won the World Cup in 2003 I was in the bar at the Tigers ground, standing on a chair and cheering my head off. I’m looking forward to having that back.

New entertainment

TV box sets and new films on Netflix has kept a lot of us sane through lockdown. We’ve had virtual tours of museums and galleries. Truth is, I’m missing the sense of occasion that comes with a proper outing. I’m looking forward to heading to the cinema, getting my popcorn and settling in as the house lights go down. My kids will probably want to see the new Spiderman movie (who am I kidding, I can’t wait either). Plus, they’ve got to release the new Bond eventually – haven’t they?!

Pottering about

If you’d told me the rules of lockdown a year ago, I’d have made a few solid predictions about things I’d miss. Simply pottering wouldn’t have been one of them. Pre-lockdown I had pockets of time when everyone was out and I could do whatever I felt like. Even if I chose to do something mundane, like folding laundry, I could always accompany it with the TV show that no-one else likes. I used to have solo trips to London where I’d decide what to do when I got there. I’m looking forward to the day I can get on a train and just head out.

What’s on your list? Let me know in the comments.

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How you can add value to your customers with a blog

Add value with your blog
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Firstly, forgive me. I know that you’ve probably had people telling you to ‘add value’ left, right and sideways. If you’ve escaped this so far, well done. Over on my social media pages I highlight a business buzzword every month. I ask people whether they love or hate it or whether it’s just overused. This nearly made it onto the list so I’m a bit surprised to be talking about ways to add value here.

The truth is, I couldn’t think of a better phrase to sum it up. Adding value isn’t just a buzzword. It’s incredibly important, not just in attracting new customers but in looking after the ones you have. Writing a blog can be the perfect way to add value. Here’s why I love it and how you can do it for yourself.

Enrich the experience for existing customers

We put loads of effort into attracting new followers, but your existing customers have already been won over. Putting some time and thought into looking after them will encourage them to come back. One way to do this is by writing a blog that helps them to enjoy the thing they already bought. For example, if they’ve booked a holiday with you, share the top 5 must see sights wherever they’re going. It shows you care about them having a good time, not just about the cash.

Solve a problem

I’ve seen plenty of advice saying that you shouldn’t share too much of the ‘how’ in your content. After all, why should someone become a customer if they can do it themselves? I take the view that if you can help someone to solve a problem quickly they’re more likely to trust you. Help your audience with an easy way to solve a problem. Then when they have less time or need better results, they’ll remember that you gave them a quick win when they needed it.

Provide a reference guide

You don’t have to offer a quick win to add value. You could provide a longer, step by step guide to something more complex. You’ve probably seen the type of thing I mean. A guide to creating your first website or 50 ways to come up with new content ideas. Your customers could read it all at once, but they’re more likely to return to it when they need something new. It means you’re helpful long term and they’ll remember your name every time they refer back.

Talk about something current

Most of the suggestions I’ve made so far are evergreen content. It’s information that will stay broadly the same for years on end and that you’ll only have to tweak to reflect small changes. Sometimes you can add value by responding to something current and time sensitive. At the moment that could be 5 things to help stressed parents and children cope with home school. You might be sharing techniques that will support people’s mental health at other times. By offering help in a crisis you’ll build trust.

Add value by being a signpost

Adding value often means giving your audience something useful without any expectation of reward. They could take your solution and use it without you even knowing. If you’ve ever written a blog with questions to ask a professional they’re thinking of hiring, you may have helped them to choose someone else. A great way of acting as a signpost is by sharing your favourite third party resources. It sounds counterintuitive but by sharing the things you value, you’re helping your audience to get great results themselves.

Do you need to create a blog that adds value? Book your no obligation discovery call to find out how I can help you or sign up for monthly hints and tips straight to your inbox using the form below.

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What can creating a blog do for your business?

The benefits of writing a business blog

When it comes to business marketing there’s always a lot of chat about blogging. Some people will tell you that writing a blog is pointless because no-one reads them anymore and others will tell you it’s essential. It won’t surprise you to hear that I recommend blogging to most people. (There are a few exceptions.) Writing a blog is only pointless if the customers you’re trying to talk to won’t read one. I’d be hard pushed to find an audience that would never read a blog. But when you’re a busy business owner who’s short on time, there might be better methods depending on who you’re trying to reach. There are lots of reasons why blogging is an effective marketing tool. Here are just a few of them.

It can bring you more website traffic

You might do most of your marketing on social media, but ultimately you want to attract people to your website. A link to your blog post is a great way to do that, mostly because it’s offering useful information and not just trying to sell something. When visitors arrive on your website you can engage their attention with more information about the ways you can help them. Social media is full of posts from their friends and other businesses which will all make them wander off and get distracted. That won’t happen on your website.

It helps you turn traffic into leads

Building a following can be incredibly difficult. Social media algorithms make it easy for your posts to disappear from followers’ newsfeeds if they don’t engage frequently. When you write a blog you can use it to encourage readers to stay in touch with you. That could be by including something as simple as a sign up form for your mailing list so you can email them. I know you still run the risk of vanishing into an overstuffed inbox but it’s still an improvement. If you talk about specific products or services you can also direct visitors to your shop or a contact form if they’re ready to talk.

Your blog can be evergreen

Unless you have followers who are in the habit of scrolling through all of your page content, social media posts have a fairly short shelf life. Of course, the advantage of this is that you can reuse old posts as long as they’re still relevant. The downside is that those posts aren’t going to show up when someone asks Google a question. With good SEO a blog on a topic that’s relevant to your audience could still be found in a search years from now. If there are key questions that your audience always ask, write a blog and it could keep bringing you a new audience in the future.

You can recycle your blog

I’ve talked about reusing your blog before but you can go beyond recycling it for social media. You can use it as a lead magnet (also known as a freebie) to encourage people to sign up for your mailing list. That could be a tips post that helps them achieve something, or even a list of your favourite resources. If you’ve got a series of posts that you can put together to make something more substantial, you could even turn it into a paid product. When you’ve put time and effort into creating a blog it’s worth considering what else you could use it for.

If you’re ready to start a business blog but would rather hand it over, I’m here to help. Click here to find out more about my blogging packages. If you’d rather just have a chat, you can book your no obligation discovery call here. Or, you could just sign up for writing and marketing tips straight to your inbox every month, using the form below.