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How to Find Ten Blog Post ideas in One Hour That Will Make You Feel Relaxed

February 20, 2020 By Carol Stephen 6 Comments

Do you struggle to find good content for your blog? There are so many ideas out there, and yet…not so much. Maybe you are feeling less creative and have run out. Here are some hints for you so that you can continue writing. And you can create them in one hour (maybe less!).

The Most Asked Question

What do people ask you over and over again? Don’t you get a little tired of answering that question? They might also ask the question in different ways. Why not create a blog post about that? You could call it The Most Frequently Asked Question about….

Photo by michael-day

What You Wish People Would Ask

Is there something people never ask you but you wish they would? For example, Why should I hire you? Or What differentiates you? might be good questions to answer. You can surely write a full blog post about that.

Behind the Scenes

Maybe you rescue dogs in your off hours. Maybe you do needlepoint. If you have a hobby, or if your staff members all go to baseball games together, why not write about that? You might be surprised at what triggers people to do business with you. If you do share, try not to overshare. Here’s why: What Happens to Your Audience When You Overshare.

Best of Post

What was your favorite post? Did it get a lot of attention? Did it not garner any attention? Why not write about what you think happened…or didn’t happen? You might do one per month or even one per week if you post a lot.

Something That Made You Think

Was there some article pertaining to your business that really made you think? You could use that as a jumping-off point. What did it make you think about? Did you agree with what they said? Disagree? Sometimes using an opposite viewpoint is valuable for your audience.

Something That Made You Laugh

Maybe your business is a serious one. Maybe not. But we all need to laugh anyway. So long as what you write is not completely off-brand, why not write a humorous post? For instance, you could write a whole series about clowns. Oh, wait, that’s me!

Compilation Post

You might compile a few posts, especially if you write about the same thing over and over. You might like How to Effectively Stand out in a Noisy World.

Write about the Competition

Of course, you probably don’t want to name the competition. This goes hand-in-hand with what differentiates you. Are they sloppy workers? Write about how meticulous you are. Are they bad listeners? Talk about your keen listening skills. And so on.

A Series about What You Do

Do people understand what you do? Even plumbers have some services that people might not know about, or understand. You could write about what you offer that’s beyond what others offer. For instance, many plumbers also work on sprinkler systems.

What You Don’t Do

This could be a humorous post. Maybe your customers always ask you to do something that you find distasteful. That could make a good post. Friend Randy Clark wrote about How NOT to train, for instance.

Is That Better?

Do you feel more relaxed now? Having a bunch of topics to write about can make you more relaxed. Plus, you’ll have time to do something else now!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: compilation post, content creation, content marketing, FAQs

Content Creation and the Rule of Three: What You Need to Know

February 13, 2020 By Carol Stephen 2 Comments

Would you like to create content that’s more satisfying, interesting, and engaging? Then you need to know about the rule of three! (Do you see what I did there?) The rule of three works not only in writing, but also in art. If you’ve ever seen three objects together, you realize that they seem more balanced than two or four. In the world of art, you might also see artists dividing the canvas into thirds and making sure there’s something of interest in each third.

The Science Behind the Rule of Three

You don’t actually need a scientist to understand why three is a good number. It’s a lot easier to remember three things than four or more things. And if you’re telling someone ten things? They’re likely to forget seven things, so why not keep it simple and stick with three? Carmine Gallo in his article on Forbes: Thomas Jefferson, Steve Jobs, and the Rule of Three says “If your listener will only remember about three things from your conversation, presentation, or email, why overwhelm them with twenty-two key messages?”

Who Uses the Rule of Three?

Writers, artists, and even marine corps instructors use the rule of three. Many people use the rule of three without even realizing. In the childhood classic Goldilocks and the Three Bears, for instance, the rule of three is used extensively. And who doesn’t relate to Goldilock’s choice? Papa Bear’s bed is too big, Mama Bear’s bed is too soft, but Baby Bear’s bed is just right. There’s something about being given three choices that is just right, too. The porridge and the chair in the Goldilocks tale is similar, with three choices for each. The history behind Goldilocks is fascinating, too. Then there’s life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (also three!). And photographers who use foreground, middle ground, and background as a rule.

How Can You Use the Rule of Three?

In marketing, you can give your potential clients three choices. In the olden days, those choices might have been Gold, Silver, and Platinum. These days, maybe you could offer Baby Boomer, Gen X, and Millennial. Or something humorous could work, too. For instance if you run a circus, your tickets could be labeled as the Emmett Kelly, the Ronald MacDonald, and the Bozo the Clown packages. By the way, did you realize that I once wrote a whole series focused on clowns? Yup! Here’s one: Secrets of the Social Media Circus, from 2013.

How Do You Use the Rule of Three?

Will you employ the rule of three in your writing? In your artwork? It’s a simple way to create focus.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Goldilocks and the three bears, the rule of three

How to Speak Your Client’s Language: Three Simple Ways

February 6, 2020 By Carol Stephen Leave a Comment

If you’re a social media manager, it’s critical that you speak your client’s language. If you’ve ever seen someone who doesn’t speak their client’s language, then you know how jarring it can be to their audience. It’s confusing, to say the least. Speaking your client’s language also helps so they really feel like you hear what they say. That might include slowing down or speeding up the rate at which you speak.

By the way, you might like this article about social media platforms and language (from the Wayback Machine!): Different Platform, Different Language.

One: Listen Carefully

What words does your client use? What words and phrases do they avoid? You probably want to mirror what you’re hearing. They might use a lot of small words, or maybe they pepper their language with the occasional indubitably or obviously. If you’re in doubt, ask, suggests C.J. Hayden in her newsletter about Speaking Your Clients’ Language. Another thing to listen to is your client’s body language. Do they slouch or fold their arms? What are they telling you with their expressions? Do they look worried or happy? The little expressions you see every day can mean a lot.

Two: Use the Lingo

Say your client sells cars. You need to be using the same language they use. There could be some three-letter acronyms (TLAs) that are frequently used in the business, too. You might want to use the same acronyms (but explain them occasionally for your audience). Even though your client uses the lingo, that doesn’t mean that everyone in their audience knows all of it. You can always link back to a Wikipedia article explaining any complex lingo, or to your client’s website for that matter. In marketing, there are tons of acronyms, too, such as SMM (social media marketing) and SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Jeff Bullas has an article about all the marketing lingo you need to know. There will probably be many other acronyms in your line of work.

Three: Be a Conduit

If you’re posting on behalf of a client, make sure you have their best interests in mind. For instance, when I’m out and about on social media, I have to stifle my own political leanings. Since I’m a Democrat, I can’t talk about that on social media. Not only would it possibly conflict with my clients’ interests, but it could ostracize their audience. (Although if you’re working on a political campaign, that’s a whole different story!) And, as mentioned above, if you’re using acronyms make sure to spell them for your readers. Although you’re speaking your client’s language, you also need to ensure that your audience can understand what your client says! If you missed it, here’s one you might enjoy: Target Audience and Social Media.

What Other Ways Do You Speak Your Client’s Language?

I’m all ears (it’s an ugly sight!). Let me know in the comments. And thank you.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: marketing lingo, speak your client's language

The Imperfect Science of the Perfect Post

January 30, 2020 By Carol Stephen 2 Comments

Lately I’ve been reconsidering the way I post. That is, I’m taking a deeper dive into what I post, reading more, and having more opinions. On Twitter, my tweets have taken on a different look, instead of the usual RT @BlabbityBlahBlah, link and hashtag. Now more tweets have a quote in them. In real-time, those tweets are retweets with comments. If they’re scheduled, they start off with a quote, usually, then who said it, the link and maybe a hashtag. On other platforms, such as Facebook, posts are similarly formatted. Twitter itself has advice on what to tweet, which you might like: What to Tweet.

So What?

This format with the quote has resulted in a lot more conversations, I’ve found. Also, people seem to retweet these posts more often. People seem to appreciate the format with quotes more, and the engagement has been different, and more fun. By the way, if you’re struggling with engagement, you might want to look at For Better Social Media Results, Focus on Engagement. Since social is the whole point of social media, getting more engagement is a true win.

Photo by camerazn

SEO or Just More Engagement?

Search Engine Optimization has been getting trickier and trickier. Often posts that are written for the Google bots don’t sound like they’re written by humans at all. Keyword stuffing is rampant, and many of the posts seem like they’re written using Artificial Intelligence. They may have been written by someone whose first language isn’t English or translated using a translation program. Either way, many articles seem stilted and strangely written.

The Human Element

What about the human reading your posts? Don’t they deserve an article written by a real, live, breathing human? I think so. Many of the articles I’ve read recently, even those by big companies such as Forbes, seem to be filled with errors. Are good articles going the way of the dodo, the phone booth, and cursive writing? Let’s hope not! Although I can’t influence everyone all at once, if I could vote for a more human touch in articles and blog posts, I would. And if there are people reading your posts anywhere online, from Facebook to Twitter, why not add your own opinion rather than just being a reposting machine? Even if it’s old-school, I’d like to see that happen. If you’re old school, you might like Yes–Why Not Call Your Friends on the Telephone?

Our Attention Spans are Shortening

We seem to have less time to read these days. Or, as this article from the the New Yorker explains in Why We Don’t Read, Revisited, “…between 2003 and 2016, the amount of time that the average American devoted to reading for personal interest on a daily basis dropped from 0.36 hours to 0.29 hours.” At the same time, people spent more time watching t.v. and possibly watching videos.

What Science Can You Apply to Your Posts?

Is there some science that you can apply to the posts you write yourself or curate? Let me know if you use science or analytics in your posts! And thank you for reading.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: perfect post, perfect tweet, reading, science of posts

Simple Systems For Social Media Marketing

January 23, 2020 By Carol Stephen 2 Comments

Social Media Marketing has come a long way in the past ten years. In the beginning, almost anyone could get shares, likes, and comments on their posts since there weren’t that many people online. But now? Everybody and their grandma, her kids, her kids’ kids and their dogs are on social media. What’s a small business to do? Create systems, of course! Since I’m a big fan of simple, here are some simple ideas. And if you want to gain traction on Instagram, here’s an article from Social Media Examiner: 10 Ways to Grow an Organic Instagram Presence.

Use a Scheduler

Yes, some frown upon schedulers. Use one anyway. You can’t be online plus run your business plus have a life without a scheduler. I use HootSuite because I’ve used HootSuite since the dawn of time. But there are others you might like more. I’m not an affiliate, by the way. You might like this article about scheduling: What Makes Social Media Automation So Popular? Some other popular ones include Sendible, SproutSocial, and Buffer.

Get Online…But

The “but” here is to watch how much time you spend. How long do you have? You can definitely spend an hour online if you’re organized and don’t get sidetracked by cat videos (oops! That would be me). How many different platforms are you on? Don’t spend all your time on one unless you’ve determined you get 100% of your business from there, like my brother did with his Yelp account. More info about Yelp for businesses here: How to Use Yelp That Will Help Your Business Gain Social Proof.

Use a Timer

I like Noko timer, but it’s a little spendy. You need something that reminds you to get back to reality. Back in the day, I used an egg timer. Yes, really. Its steady ticking reminded me that time was passing by. Plus! You can get one for a dollar the Dollar Tree. Whatever gadget or app you use, it needs to remind you to get back to your other life. You know, the one with people and cars and food in it. For more information about time management, might I recommend: Time Management for the Tired and Frazzled?

Engage, Engage, Engage

Talk to people. If you retweet or report on others’ articles, say something about them. Don’t simply throw things out there because you’ll look like a robot. So have an opinion and curate what you say. Make sure it matches what your audience wants to hear, and please don’t overshare. If people comment on your posts, say thank you at the very least. If you need more help, I have a book you can read in an hour or two to help: 21 Ways to Total Social Media Engagement. It’s in paperback or available as an eBook.

Simple Enough?

Between a scheduler, a timer, and some engagement, you should have it covered. Is that too complicated? Is there something else you’d like to hear about? Let me know in the comments! And thank you.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: quick and easy social media, simple social media marketing

What Happens to Your Audience When You Overshare

January 16, 2020 By Carol Stephen 2 Comments

A friend of mine, Mitch Mitchell, was talking about oversharing on his video, which got me to thinking. He mentions someone he knows on social media, who was going through a trying time in their marriage. She overshared and criticized her husband (watch the video for the details). This person then got back together with her husband, but never mentioned the drama ever again. Long story short, he has been uncomfortable ever since. Here’s the video:

Oversharing is Confusing

Now you might know someone like this. I certainly do. The person gets back together as though nothing ever happened and you’re left maybe wondering what happened. At the very least, it’s confusing. If you’re on social media and you overshare, where does that leave your audience? If you don’t explain what happened in the meantime, people are left high and dry. It’s different if you’re a marriage and family counselor using your own experiences as fodder (with everyone’s permission). But if you represent a business, your friends and potential clients can be both confused and upset.

Oversharing Can Be Dangerous

If you’re sharing details about something you’re going through like a divorce, where emotions run high, you could end up putting yourself or your family in danger. And if you discuss your own children, that could also put them in danger. For instance, some people talk about problems they’re having with day care, or specific times they pick up their kids. Do you really want to put your kids in danger? Or tell people when your house is empty? It’s easier and easier to see who’s going where, even without oversharing. But to hand someone information so easily could put your family and friends in danger.

Sharing Privately Might Be Better

If you’re in a personal dilemma, and let’s face it–everyone goes through big life changes sooner or later, why not share privately? Direct messages, text messages, or a phone call could be a lot better and less confusing to everyone concerned. Plus, you can direct the messages at just those who really need to know. For instance, immediate family and close friends. Not everyone needs to know all the intimate details. Even better would be to meet your friend for a face-to-face meeting. I’m sure not everyone has time, but a quick meeting to catch up could be very appreciated. By the way, you might like this article: Yes–Why Not Call Your Friends on the Telephone?

Think of Your Audience

If you have too much drama in your life, your potential clients might look for someone who doesn’t have so much drama. After all, they wouldn’t want that drama to affect your work for them, right? So even if there is drama, it could be better not to dote on the drama. Also, doesn’t it seem that those who dwell on drama get more of it? Or is that just me? And you might like How to Use Gratitude Marketing to Empower Your Social Media.

What do you think? Is it better to share more or less? Let me know in the comments! Thank you.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: audience, oversharing on social media

How Natural Disasters Can Make Us More Grateful

January 9, 2020 By Carol Stephen Leave a Comment

The Kincade fire was in the national news for awhile now, and there have been many other fires in California and other countries since then. My area in the Santa Cruz Mountains lost power for five days in October. Although I’d never wish a power outage or the fear and anxiety that goes along with a fire on anyone, I’m very grateful for what I do have. Maybe you are, too.

Fires, Earthquakes, and Power Outages

With so much going on all around us, water, electricity, and a place to live are so appreciated. We take so much for granted. When the basics are taken away from us, it’s different. Right now, we’re all watching Australia’s fires and seeing how much people and animals there are suffering. Evacuations have become more commonplace because of climate change. The days are hotter, and the weather is more unreliable.

By the way, you might like How to Use Gratitude to Empower Your Social Media Campaign.

Let’s Not Get Used to it

I’m not saying we ought to get used to natural disasters–not at all. But so little separates us from people who’ve gone through natural disasters. We can reach out to others, as well as have empathy, and take steps to avoid some parts of climate change. By “some parts,” I mean that it’s not all our personal responsibility. Some of it does belong to governments and corporations, which we can influence. Some of the changes I’ve been seeing have been astonishing. Jane Fonda has been getting arrested, along with other celebrities, for her civil disobedience on climate change. Seeing celebrities doing the right thing is inspirational.

Gratitude for What We Can Do

We all have personal power, and we can use that power to influence others. Not everyone has the same influence (Jane Fonda is already famous, for instance), but everyone can do something. For my part, I can become a steward of the land that surrounds me. I can also donate to those who have gone through climate emergencies.

Some of my favorite organizations are:

Photo by tedeytan

Gratitude for Those Who Inspire

There are also individuals who inspire us along the way. Of course, the incomparable Greta Thunberg has inspired people of all generations, not just teenagers. There are so many heroes in our every day lives that don’t make the news. People who run the land trusts, nonprofits who care for sick and injured animals, and firefighters are all inspiring.

Photo by string_bass_dave

Little Changes Add up

Like the plot of the movie Moneyball, small changes in strategy can add up to big changes. You might not focus on getting home runs, but on getting on base every time like they did in Moneyball. Little things you do or I do every day can also add up to big changes in our feelings of gratitude. What are you grateful for?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: climate change, gratitude, natural disasters

How to Make Stretch Goals That Make You Stretch

January 2, 2020 By Carol Stephen 2 Comments

The idea of stretch goals used to make my teeth hurt. My best friend and I were talking about stretch goals the other day (as I’ve been working on my own goals for 2020). And we both agreed how pointless and stupid they are. Every manager we’ve ever had would want us to create those idiotic stretch goals. I would rather accomplish my goals and hit that ball way out of the ballpark than have goals that make me feel inadequate. But as I thought about stretch goals more, I realized there are some different ways to think about and use stretch goals.

Literal Stretch Goals

The first way I thought of stretch goals differently was to have goals for yoga. For this year, I’d like to be bendier. And to do that, I thought why not include goals that are fun as well as actual stretch goals? So I’d like to be able to do a good shoulder stand by the end of the year, as well as do a Crow stance. According to Women’s Health Magazine, these 3 moves will help you finally master crow. The three moves didn’t help so much as this one sentence near the end of the article:”Modify or ease your way into the pose by placing your hands on blocks.” Yes, blocks and also maybe a roomful of pillows. I’m kidding, sort of. Maybe you also have a literal stretch goal.

What If Goals

The next thing I did to change my goals this year was to make exciting goals. And I think that’s where the gold nuggets really were. Since I’ve taken up knitting, I’m really enjoying both the knitting itself and the community I’ve found. So, to make knitting more exciting and challenging, I asked myself what if I made all my own clothes? And that made me think about what I’d need to do to get there. First, I’d have to really want to do it. Second, I’d need to learn some more sewing and knitting techniques. Sure, I can sew a cover for the blender or make a scarf. But I’ve never done zippers or buttons. And I’ve never knitted a sweater. I can start with YouTube videos, but probably an in-person class would supercharge my learning there. By the way, you might like 100 Best Questions that Will Guide Your Social Media Resolutions.

Learn from Others

As I was tooling around the interwebs, I found an article about micro-resolutions: Year-long resolutions don’t work. Here’s how to make 12 ‘micro-resolutions’ instead. Then I thought what if I took the best of those resolutions, and “borrowed” them? For instance, his July goal of fresh fruit and water was very successful. I think I could do that one! The second one that resonated with me was November’s micro-resolution of thankfulness. Another successful one. As you read someone else’s resolutions you, too, might think “that’ll never work!” Or you might think “I could do that!”

Now that is interesting!

Reframe Goals

Thinking about what I’d need to do to get to a more ambitious goal has made the creation of goals so much more exciting. Maybe that’s what people really mean by stretch goals. And if your goals don’t excite you, why bother?

Print the Goals

We’re so used to having everything online these days. The printer gets barely any action at all. So the next new thing I’m going to do is print my goals and put them in one of those plastic sleeves so I can look at it every day. That way, the stretch goals can become more a living document, and less something that gets created and forgotten by February. What do you think of stretch goals? Yay or nay? Leave me a comment. And thank you!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: literal stretch goals, New Year's Resolutions, stretch goals

What Are Your Social Media Dead Zones?

December 28, 2019 By Carol Stephen Leave a Comment

Some social media dead zones are off limits to everyone. If there’s an emergency in your immediate area, for instance, you might not want to post at all. And we’ve all heard about the best times to post on social media, but what about the worst times to post? And what about dead zones that are specific to your brand?

Between Christmas and New Years Day

For many, the time between Christmas and New Years Day is very quiet. Some people take this time off and stop posting altogether, putting up a “Happy Holidays” post and leaving it at that. However, for those who are engaged and/or introverted, this can be a blissful time. Since it’s quiet, they may be able to truly connect with people. It’s similar to the gym right before New Year’s–it’s the calm before the storm and my favorite time to be there.

Week of the Fourth of July

This is another very quiet time online. Many leave town for a week long vacation. Again, it depends on your brand and how you want to handle this time. There are plenty of things to talk about online, but you might need to be a little creative. For example, you may want to post recipes or stories that showcase your brand’s traits.

Each Platform Has Optimal Times

You might like this article: What Are the Best Times to Post on Social Media in 2019? For instance, in it, the author talks about the best times to post on Facebook being between noon and 4:00 p.m. But testing and looking at your own analytics are the way to go. In the construction industry, posting at earlier times is often when people are online.

Worst Times of the Day

For each social media platform, there’s a worst (that is, slowest) time of the day. For most, the time between midnight and 6 a.m. is a time people don’t post much. But for some people, it can be the best time. Think about clubs, bars, musicians, and others who are up in the middle of the night. And here’s a good article about The Science of Social Timing you might like.

Slowest Day of the Week

For many, Fridays are the time when nothing much happens. People leave work early for the weekend, and even if they’re online, they don’t stay long. You might like to read: Why Friday is the Worst Time to Publish a Blog Post. But again, it depends upon your goals online. If you’re an introvert like I am, you might like the quiet time because you can engage in a deeper way.

Test, Test, Test

Whichever day or or time you choose to post, be sure to test. And you’ll probably want to retest, too, before too much time goes by. Maybe run a yearly test, since things change, and people change, too. Do you have a time that you avoid? And do you time your vacations to coincide with certain dead zones? Leave me a comment and thank you.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: slowest time of the week, social media dead zone

When You Should Be Serious About Social Media Automation

December 19, 2019 By Carol Stephen 4 Comments

Some people get really riled about those who automate their social media. People seem to either love or hate automation, with no gray area at all. So the question is should you automate? And if you do, how much should you automate? Also, who and when and…the list of questions goes on and on. Here are some times and people who should be serious about social media automation. By the way, you might enjoy this article: How to automate your social media without looking like a jack*.

If You Have a Small Business

Small business owners can’t be online 24/7. They have a business to run, after all. While checking in doesn’t take very long, it can disrupt your attention for that five minutes you’re checking Twitter. And often, you forget why you’re there and off you go down the rabbit hole. An hour later, you’ve lost three customers and forgotten about a conference call you were supposed to attend. It’s important to be there, but also important not to get distracted.

If You Want Your Business to Grow

As outlined in The Complete Guide to Social Media for Small Business, “the number of social users willing to buy from you skyrockets if you use social media not just for publishing, but for actually engaging with your social media audience.” 57.5% of people are more likely to buy from a brand they follow on social media. That’s a huge number. Gone are the days when businesses could get away with not being on social media.

If You Have Any Kind of Business

Everyone is busy, and everyone has multiple things to check off their to-do list. Larger companies need automation, too. There are some larger companies that can afford to have someone manning their social media all day long, but chances are even they have other duties. When I talk to people at medium-sized companies, their duties often include many non-social media responsibilities, too.

If Your Time Is Valuable

Some people enjoy hanging out on social media all day long. Are you one of them, though? If not, you may want to consider automating and outsourcing your social media. Most of us have other things to do. Although if you don’t want to be on social media at all, you might consider hiring someone. Speaking of which, here’s an article for you: For Better Social Media Results, Focus on Engagement.

Which Camp Do You Fall Into?

Are you someone who is against automation? Where do you stand? For myself, I think a combination of automation and engagement is really important. Use automation to post when you can’t be online, but don’t forget to also engage with your audience.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: automation, Social Media, social media engagement