Tag: blogging

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Getting together to build business

getting togetherAs some of you will already know, I run workshops and training to help business owners start writing their own blog.  Things don’t always go to plan but that’s OK.  Getting together with other business owners is generally a good thing in my book. I wanted to share a story (because that’s what I do) about how a workshop went a little bit wrong and still worked out brilliantly.

Making plans

Before the one that went wrong, I’d delivered two workshops that had gone pretty well.  They’d both been hosted by other people. One was a lovely lady called Clare Farthing that I’d met networking online.  She specialises in mentoring women and acting as an accountability partner to help them set goals and stretch themselves to get there.  (If you’d like to find out more about her Facebook group for women in business go here.)  The other workshop was arranged by one of my networking groups, who offer regular training to members.

Both workshops had been well received so I decided to strike out on my own.  I booked the room, set up an account on Eventbrite to start selling tickets and began sharing my event online.

Bookings

Before I chose my date I contacted some of the people who’d expressed an interest to see what dates would suit them.  I sent messages out to let them know about the event and kept on sharing it on social media.  The early signs were good.  I got a booking almost straight away.  Then it all went quiet.

A week before the workshop date I still only had one booking.  I considered cancelling. I knew the lady who’d booked had done it to invest in herself and I didn’t want to let her down.  So I adapted.  I cancelled the room and we met in a local restaurant instead.

Getting together

You know what? I went from feeling a bit despondent at my one person to having a fantastic time.  I woke up on the morning of the workshop feeling excited.  My morning was going to be spent talking to someone that I enjoyed spending time with.

We talked about blogging and I saw lightbulbs go off in her eyes.  Best of all, I was able to tailor everything I was talking about to suit her.  I realised that I didn’t need to talk to a room full of people. It’s enough to inspire one person.

What now?

I’ve realised that you can turn things around when they go a bit wrong, but I still found myself hesitating about booking more workshops.  What was stopping me? I took my question to the place I take all of my business questions – my coaching group.  I already knew what had gone wrong the first time. Ultimately, I’ve realised that I want to take a different approach.  I still want to talk to people about blogging and teach them, but I’m not really into putting the big events out there.

All of this means that I’m changing my approach.  I’m still going to put workshop groups together, just in a different way (sign up to my mailing list using the form below if you’d like to know more about that).  Other than that I’m going to go out and talk to more people about blogging.  That could be a talk at a networking group meeting or a workshop for your team.

If you’d like to invite me along to speak to your group or deliver training to your team, send me an email at info@kirstyfrancewrites.co.uk.

To find out about my workshop groups, complete the form below to sign up for my mailing list.  I promise it’s a spam free zone!

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Why my workshops don’t critique your writing

workshops critique writingAre you a business owner or a writer?  It’s completely possible to be both, especially if you have a writing or marketing based business.  However for most people it’s one or the other.  If you went into business to make a product or offer a service that’s nothing to do with writing, the idea of a workshop that focuses on writing blogs could seem like a complete nightmare.  A room full of people picking your writing to bits? No thanks!  Of course, there are services and workshops that are designed to provide critiques.  They’re mostly for writers.  Here’s why my workshops don’t.

My workshops aren’t for writers

There are lots of workshops out there that are designed for writers.  They’re for people who want to write for a living or get published. Go along to one of those and there’s a general assumption that you’re already quite good at writing but you want to get better.

Mine aren’t like that.  I work with business owners who may never have written a blog or a piece of marketing content in their lives. My workshops are designed to get you writing something so you can improve it over time.  Progress over perfection.

Your writing is your own

Well *duh* (slaps own forehead for such stupidity).  Of course.  Everyone’s writing is their own.  Professional writers use lots of different copywriting techniques, but you’re probably not interested in them.  If you were, you’d be writing for a living already.  When you create your own blog it’s your voice and your audience that matters.  If you work with a professional writer we’ll get to know you and your business first then apply our own techniques to producing content for you.

The beauty of writing your own blog is that it lets your customers hear your voice.  It might need some tweaks to make it more effective but a group workshop probably isn’t the place for that.  Even if all the other people in the room are in the same industry as you, they won’t have exactly the same message or audience.  What you need to communicate is unique to you.

The follow up

My workshops are designed to let you create a plan for your first blog.  You leave with a framework then write your blog later.  That’s the time for feedback.  Everyone who comes to my workshops can send me their finished blog and I’ll provide some feedback then.

The main reason I do this is because everyone who comes to my workshops arrives with a blank page.  Workshops that are designed to critique writing will usually ask you to come along with something you’ve already written.  Either that or it’s a weekend retreat where you can create something new and get feedback on the following day.  I’m only asking for half a day out of your life so I’ll email you some notes afterwards instead.

Would you like to come to a workshop that gets you writing a business blog without picking your work to bits?  You can find out more about my upcoming workshops by completing the form below to sign up to my mailing list.

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What to expect at a blogging workshop

what to expect blogging workshopTrying something new can be a bit scary.  You hear all these people who say ‘what have you got to lose?’ and ‘you get more confident when you try scary things’.  (Actually, I do that last one.)  Asking what you’ve got to lose is a complete minefield.  We all get those questions running through our heads.  What if I make a fool of myself? What if I’m not clever enough? If you’re thinking about coming to one of my blogging workshops but have some of those pesky questions running through your head (or even some of your own), I’m here to help.  Here’s my guide to what to expect at a blogging workshop.

Say hello and have a cup of tea

This sounds obvious, but workshops work better if you know a bit about the people you’re with.  Plus my brain doesn’t function without tea.  At my favourite workshop venue* you can get amazing chocolate brownies too.

Obviously, if it’s an online workshop you’ll need to supply your own refreshments, but we’ll still make the introductions.

Think of some topics

The first stumbling block a lot of people hit when they start writing a blog is knowing what to write about. Everything’s boring, or obvious, or the topic’s too big for one blog.  We start with some ideas and questions to get the creative juices flowing.

The main aim of my workshops is to help you create a plan that will enable you to leave the workshop and write your first blog.  So, you get a few minutes to make a list of some things that you could write about.

Make a plan

Planning your blog in advance helps you to avoid blank page syndrome.  (That may not be a medically recognised condition, but it’s definitely real.)  A well planned blog gives you happy readers and makes your life easier so the next bit of my workshops focus on that.  You get advice on the different ways that you can break your topic down and present it in an easy to read way.

Of course, you’ll also get some time to create your own plan based on one of your topics.

Talk about writing

This is another massive stumbling block for a lot of people.  You might be able to explain your subject really well when you talk to people, but writing it down is another matter.  We’ll discuss some ways to overcome that and you’ll also have the chance to talk about any challenges that you have.

In my face to face workshops we also break off to have a discussion in pairs that’s designed to help you get something written down. (Another blow for blank page syndrome!)

What next?

A blog can be a wonderful thing to read but there are a few more things to think about. If you write a blog, why not get it working harder for your business?  In the last part of the workshop I talk about the importance of a call to action (CTA) and some ways that you can reuse your blog.  Your CTA and the ways you reuse your blog will depend on your business goals so most people go away and think about what they want to do.  There’s time for questions at the end and then you can go home and get on with your day.

Finally, once the workshop’s finished, you can stay in touch.  You’ll get a pack of notes and my contact details so you can always ask questions if they come to you later.  Remember, there’s no such thing as a stupid question!

 

*Bawdon Lodge Farm – here’s the link if you’re looking for a brilliant meeting room in Leicestershire.

If you want to find out more about coming to a blogging workshop, you can sign up to my mailing list my completing the form below.

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How to develop your content strategy

content strategyYou know that you need a content strategy which aligns with your goals (and if you don’t read my last two blogs here and here). Actually coming up with one is a whole different kettle of fish.  If you haven’t got the faintest idea where to start, you’ve come to the right place.  Your content needs to take your goals and targets and flip them on their head so that you see them from your customers’ point of view.  Simple right? Here’s how you can develop your content strategy to make it work.

Start with your customer

I know, if you’re a regular reader you’ve heard this one before.  Identifying your target market should always include a bit of work to find their interests and media habits. Essentially, it allows you to put your content where it’s most likely to be seen.

It also allows you to concentrate on the types of content that your target audience will like. If they’re on Facebook you could post anything from text to images to video. You might assume video will always win, but some people find them annoying and prefer written content. Try a few different things and see what works.

Choose your focus

I talked about focusing on one service or product in my last blog and it can help you to get your content strategy organised. Having a focus helps you to decide what you’re going to post on any given day. You can break things down by looking at the different ways that your services benefit your customers.

For example, I write blogs for people for all sorts of different reasons. They might be too busy to do it themselves. Some are just better at talking than they are at writing. Others need a different perspective on their business.  Write a list of reasons why people might need to buy from you and you can write a blog post about each of them.

Diversify your content

The reason that I always recommend blogging is because it gives you a good chunk of content to be going on with.  Sometimes coming up with a content strategy is daunting because you think you need to come up with a huge variety of stuff.  You really don’t. If your content strategy includes a series of blog posts you can repurpose them.

You wouldn’t want to read out a whole blog post on video (I hope). However you could do a short video highlighting the key points or giving a demonstration. For example, if you sell skincare you might write a blog about protecting your skin in winter. Then you can do a video showcasing the moisturiser you talked about so people can see the benefits as well as reading about them. You can use quotes from your blog to share links and images on social media and even put them in your email marketing.

What do you want people to do next?

When you come up with a content strategy you’re basically encouraging people to engage with your business.  Every piece of content should have some kind of call to action.  That could be posting a link to your blog on Facebook because you want people to read it. When they click through, what then? You might include a link to let people contact you, but what if they’re not ready? Asking them to sign up to your mailing list could be a good intermediate step to let them find out more.

Whatever you create, ask yourself what you want your audience to do next.

Have you got your content strategy planned? If you need some help click here to find out more about my strategy planning sessions.

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Blogging: how to blog when you don’t know where to start

So you’ve decided your business needs a blog.  Or maybe you’re just thinking it might.  Congratulations!  Writing a blog is one of the best things you can do to connect with your customers.

Blogging allows you to talk to your audience in your own voice about the things that matter to them.  It’s almost sneaky when you think about it.  A blog isn’t an advert; it doesn’t use the same language.

As I write this blog I’m imagining having a conversation with someone who’s thinking about working with me.  It’s structured slightly differently, of course.  You don’t have the opportunity to ask me any questions for one thing.  Even so, I try to imagine what I’d say if you were sitting in front of me.  What do you need to know?  What’s going to help you the most?

What do I write about?

I know that a lot of people struggle to know what to write about at first.  It’s always a great idea to start with your customers.  What do they need?  What are their pain points?  For my clients it’s generally that they don’t know what to write about or they don’t have time to blog regularly.  Sometimes it’s simply that they know what they want to say but when they write it down it doesn’t sound right.

Think about what services you offer and how that helps your customers.  Your reader might not be able to afford to work with you yet but you can show them ways to improve things in the meantime. Do you take away the tasks they hate or give them more time to do the things they love?  Write about the time saving tools you use in your business.  Do you offer affordable childcare that gives them a few hours to work in peace?  Suggest ways to help the kids play unsupervised without turning on the TV.

It doesn’t just have to be about pain either.  You might offer something that will simply make them happy.  If you can help them find the perfect gift for someone they love give them five ideas to get them started (for example five gifts for someone who loves yoga/gardening/mountain climbing… you get the idea). Of course, you could also be helping them with their pain if they normally find shopping really stressful.

Show some personality

Writing a blog with a bit of personality helps your customers to see that you’re a human being who understands them.  Whilst you shouldn’t overshare, a general anecdote about something in your life is great.  The vast majority of my clients are women who juggle running their own business with family life.  We all understand about dealing with the school run and sometimes having to work when the kids are in bed.

Tell your story

If there’s an interesting story about how your business started, write about that.  Even the things you think of as commonplace could be fascinating for your customers.  How you choose fabric suppliers for your clothes for example, or how you go about making a teapot.  Actually, if any readers make teapots, please share that, I’d love to know!

What’s everyone else blogging about?

Think about what others in your industry are talking about.  What’s popping up on your social media feeds?  Have a look on BuzzSumo or Google Trends to see what’s trending and offer your own take on the subject.  The possibilities are endless.

The most important thing to remember is that it’s about your audience.  You don’t have to write a novel, in fact it’s better if you don’t.  No-one has time to read a lot, they just want something useful or entertaining (preferably both) and carry on with their day.

If you want to start writing a blog, but really don’t want to do it yourself, I can do it for you. Just get in touch and we can have a chat.