Everyone has their own opinion on producing content. Ask an SEO and they’ll talk about keywords, ask a copywriter and they’ll bang on about grammar and ask Dan Kelsall and he’ll talk about… actually, go follow Dan and see for yourself.
Anyway, my views are relatively simple and tie-in with the philosophies of the book ‘They Ask, You Answer’ which is to consider what your target audience will want to know and give them the answers, truthfully and transparently.
Whatever your views on what to write, you are likely to face the same roadblocks that my clients always mention when I ask them about blogging; it’s long and it’s hard.
So, based on all of the above, I’ve written this dynamite plan for how you (yes, even you, Lucy) can produce great content that your target audience will want to read and is written in your own ‘authentic voice’.
Oh, and you can achieve all of this in under 10 minutes…
TL;DR (Too long; didn’t read)
- Ask your sales team/person/yourself the top 5 sales questions they are always asked
- Each question is the title of a blog post
- During car journeys, put your phone on record and answer the question
- Get your audio transcribed for $1/min
- Proof-read the transcription and then voila! You have a blog post
What Do You Blog About?
Probably where most attempts at blogging fall-down, is coming up with what to write about.
Ever got home from 12 hours of working your nuts/tits/both off, listening to the MD demand more leads for less budget and tried opening your laptop to write some smart blog title?
Ain’t happening.
But if you ask me, this is the easiest part.
Anyone that is considering spending on your product/service will have questions, doubts and concerns and your sales team will have had these conversations over and over again.
Just ask any of your team ‘what do prospects always ask you’ and watch their eyes roll into the back of their heads as they reel off a list of the most annoying/frustrating things they always say.
Bang! You’ve got some blog titles!
You see, the best content is that which positions you as an expert and the best way to do that is by simply answering the questions that are in your reader’s mind, like some kind of …er mind-reader.
Repeat this process for each of your team and you will soon have a list of blog titles longer than the list of marketing strategies you’re expected to master.
How Do You Write Great Blog Posts?
Great, you’ve got some titles so now you just write out the answers to the questions, right?
No, that’s way too much hard work and you’ll never get it done – when was the last time you thought ‘hmm, I really feel like writing a blog post’?!
Alright, Ryan, you’ve titled this section ‘how do you write great blog posts’ but I’m not going to write anything?
Correct, misleading headings are a bitch, eh?!
So, instead of staring at a blank screen, trying to come up with Shakespearian words that will end up sounding like a toddler’s homework, you’re going to deliver something far better without writing a single letter.
Sound good?
Welcome to the futuristic world of sound recording!
Every time you have a car journey by yourself that will last at least 15 minutes, simply get your phone out and hit record.
Top Tip!
Don’t forget to turn down the Spice Girls’ Greatest Hits so your voice can be clearly recorded.
All you have to do is answer one of the questions on your list as if someone is sitting in the passenger seat and they’ve just asked you that exact question. Talk naturally, forget you’re being recorded and don’t worry about any ‘umms’ ‘errs’ or ‘f*cks’ – if that’s how you talk, then leave it in.
This is what’s known as being ‘authentic’. Although the word ‘authentic’ these days, means someone is typically trying to be something they’re not which is …err, not ‘authentic’.
If you answer the question in plenty of detail, you should have a recording of around 5-10 minutes which is perfect.
Smart People Pay Others To Do Boring Work
Next, simply send your audio file off to the wonderful folk at rev.com who will transcribe it into text for $1/minute (at time of writing) and they’ll typically do this for you in under 24 hours and with 99% accuracy.
Once you get your text file back, give it a quick read to make sure there are no mistakes and any slang/abbreviations you have used have been transcribed correctly. If you find any errors, you can quickly and easily correct them.
That’s it! You now have yourself one mighty-fine, authentic, original, expert blog post which your target market will want to read!
Of course, you can jazz your post up with images/video/gifs etc. but the hard work is done.
Simply repeat this process every time you’re in the car and you will be a content-producing legend in no-time.