Blogging: 3 Dangerous Mistakes to Avoid

Craig -
Blogging for sales leads can feel overwhelming. Do this, do that—and do it every day. We're bombarded with “must do's.” Where to start?  Blogging for sales leads can feel effortless and produce leads for you. But only if you ignore the bad advice we're being given and try something different. 
 
As it turns out, many content marketing “experts” were wrong. Some of the best practices are preventing success. So here are 3 mistakes to absolutely avoid:
 
  1. Blogging as often as possible—to increase chances of getting found in Google
     
  2. Writing “epic content” (publishing only your very best)
     
  3. Overlooking or not appreciating Google Authorship
 
Let's start with busting a popular myth: Blogging for sales leads demands LOTS of time and content. 
 

Blogging Mistake #1: Blog Frequently (At the Expense of Content Quality)

 
OK — We do need to blog frequently. However, the pressure to crank-out a tons of blog posts causes problems. 
 
In the rush to “just do it” we often forget effective blogging fundamentals. We forget to:
 
  • Start with customers pains, goals, fears, ambitions or cravings
     
  • Structure blog posts to teach, guide or answer in ways that …
     
  • Create hunger for more of what we have to offer (a lead generation offer).
 
We forget to do what works.
 
Beware: investing too much time in writing frequently can torpedo you. Tired of the stress of wondering, “am I blogging enough?” Give up the habit!  Focus on following the structure outlined above. Form the habit. Start putting this process to work for you. 
 

Blogging Mistake #2: Invest Too Much Time Creating "Epic Content"

 
For a long time I invested time writing blogs that convert leads really well. Because I was told to by “experts!” Every single post I made counted. However, Google did not always rank them on page 1.  This wasted my time. I was literally writing great articles that nobody would ever read. Ouch. Even more frustrating, sometimes Google does rank our articles—yet nobody clicks. Ugh!

Here's The Fix

Invest time in getting ranked on page 1 or 2 first. THEN, monitor for visitor traffic … and THEN tweak to optimize lead generation from your post.
 
Take the pressure off. Write well—but write, first, for search engine ranking. Use an effective blog post writing template (that generates leads) but don’t over-invest your precious time.
 
Here’s how to get into the habit. For example, let’s assume you:
 
  • Completed keyword research—you know what customer pain, fear or goal you’ll address in your post
     
  • Understand and practice the 3 step system summarized in #1 above
     
  • Know how to make an effective call to action and are ready to earn leads
 
You can earn attention with magnetic headlines, get prospects to read and act on your post. You’re armed and dangerous. 
 
This blogging system is quality-intensive. But it can be a trap!  It’s very easy to over-invest time in a post that nobody will ever read. So write to get found in search engines first. Be diligent about structure (for search engine and human discovery). However, don’t over-do it. Wait.
 
Protect your time investment. First, write to be discovered. Don’t neglect proper form but don’t over-invest in polishing … optimizing it for peak lead generation performance.  
 

Blogging Mistake #3: Losing Visibility by Forgetting Google Authorship

 
In its effort to clean-up the Web, Google launched Google Authorship. The essence of becoming a recognized Author with Google is all about two things:
  • Giving authors of high quality blog articles (you) more exposure, faster and 
     
  • Aligning with the Google brand as “Google endorsed.”  

Google gives maximum attention to registered Authors by including a photo next to ALL blog posts appearing in its index. This grabs eyes. This beats-out competing writers who aren’t Authors. Here's how your atticle will show up in a Google Search:

 
This drives more leads to your page!
 
Bottom line: You’re losing visibility if you’re not aligned with Google via Authorship. There are other benefits to Authorship, of course, too.
 
Blogging to build and develop your audience (and future customer prospects) can feel overwhelming. Don't let it be that way for you. Blogging for sales leads can feel effortless and produce leads for you. But only if you ignore the bad advice we're being given and try something different. Now you know what that different approach is. Go get 'em!
 
PHOTO CREDIT: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremybrooks