Stuck for ideas? 10 tips to Generating a Powerful Blog Post

One of the most effective ways to establish your expertise and help your ideal clients know you are a “fit” for them is to strategically share your expertise in articles or blog posts.

Writing and sending a bi-monthly newsletter that includes valuable information for your niche market will help you create a solid relationship with prospects who aren’t ready now to hire you, but will be in the future.

Are you ready to begin using this powerful marketing strategy, but not sure how to begin? I’ve been writing articles for years, and I’ve put together the top 10 strategies I use to write and leverage “killer” articles that establish relationship and ultimately, get clients! Here they are:

1. Schedule a dedicated time and day to write and send your article. If you don’t make an appointment with yourself to do your ezine, it probably won’t get done.
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2. Find something that excites you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been less than enthused about writing my newsletter. Seriously. If you allow it, that every other week task can become a grind or a chore. But the minute I come up with an idea I like, everything changes. I’m enthused and excited, I know exactly what I’m going to write about, and my resistance just melts away.
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3. Listen to your clients and prospects. The best way to keep your finger on the pulse of your market is to pay attention to the challenges and difficulties they share with you. Most of them will make for a fantastic article, and if it’s a problem for one, it’s likely a problem for many. For instance, this article was inspired by one of my platinum clients preparing to write his first newsletter. I coached him on how to do it, and voila! An article was born.
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4. Do a mind map. Another great way to get article ideas is to create a mind map of what you do to help your clients. To learn how, google “How to create a mind map,” or click here: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Mind-Map Look at the smaller branches of your map, the ones that section off of larger branches, for article ideas.
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5. Write a commentary or review of a book you’ve read or a speech you’ve heard. You can offer both strengths and weaknesses as you see them, but don’t be afraid to voice a strong opinion. Strong opinions are more interesting than tepid, safe middle of the road observations.
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6. Create and maintain an “ideas for articles” list. Ideas come at odd times. Don’t rely on your memory to pull those ideas up when you’re ready to write. Jot them down and then check the list when it’s time.
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7. Do or give an interview and then write about it. Or, you can even simply publish a cleaned-up transcript of the interview, with an introduction and a conclusion. This idea is great for those of you who struggle with writing.
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8. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. A common mistake for “newbies” is to take on a bigger topic than you can write in one article or post. This creates stress and writing difficulties, makes your article too long and too laborious to write, and ultimately, gives away the farm. You want to leave your readers hungry for more, so they hire you! To prevent this, look at sub-topics that branch off from your idea and choose one of those.
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9. Don’t overload your reader. Most readers are looking for a quick “pick-me-up” that’s inspiring and informative, without taking too long to read or assimilate. Write posts that are no less than 450 words and no more than 800 words, 500-600 is perfect.
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10. Avoid pressuring yourself. The worst thing you can do is sit down at your computer without having thought about it and tell yourself you have to think of, and write, an article right then. Instead, begin thinking about what you will write several days before, while you’re driving, doing dishes, or waking up in the morning. Check your mind map, think of the challenges your clients have been struggling with lately. Don’t sit down to write until you know what you’re going to write about.

Bonus Tip: Now that you’ve put the effort into an informative article you’re excited about, be sure and leverage your writing. Post that article (with a link to your website) on facebook, linked-in and twitter, add it to article databases on-line, and of course, send it to your email list of ideal prospects!