Conscious Strategies LLC

Category: SOCIAL/SEO

  • Blogging Basics: lounge out loud

    Today I am lounging out loud and telling it straight from reality which is a staple of blogging. I thought I would write one with you today in case you are thinking of starting a blog or hiring me to manage your blog.

    What is a blog and how does it work?

    A good blog is conversational while also be either informative (well researched) or pure opinion. It should also convey who you are and be clear about what you’re selling. I’m not selling Koda but am a writer for hire. Koda is being my muse today, as you can tell by her classical lounge pose.

    Lounging out loud

    You may not know it, but the word blog is the child of “weblog”. The first weblogs were just that: web logs. Logs meaning you could use it the way you might a diary – only hardly private.

    You can use a blog for marketing purposes or to make money. Making money from a blog often means running Ads on it or directly linking to a product you sell. Today I’m using mine to teach and basically, lounge out loud which is basically, blogging with a purpose.

    Why Blogging is Important

    Blogging has at least 3 things going for it. The first is that it can be very engaging. You’ll have content to share on social media that people can interact with and give them a reason to visit your site.

    Second, you can update a blog on a regular basis. This helps keep a website fresh for SEO, and along with it, stronger. Each new blog allows you to curate linking experiences for the reader to keep their interest.

    Shaggy dog story
    Use your blog to express your voice but not to tell a shaggy dog story

    Third, a blog can help an audience learn about you or your business. You know now, for instance, that I enjoy lounging with my puppy. I can also tell you I typically blog on my laptop but prefer to write for clients from my desktop.

    How do I start writing a blog?

    If you decide to write your own blog, set up a platform with an easy interface. I use WordPress. I’ve written for clients who use other platforms such as SquareSpace.

    Once you have the platform up and running, strategize on what kinds of posts you want to share. I’ve narrowed down my categories over time to include work stuff (writing), puppy stuff (reflections) and local stuff (interactions).

    I hope this gives you a basic idea of how to start writing your own blog. If you find it overly time consuming, I can help you write a blog that speaks to your audience. Feel free to contact me.

  • SEO or Streaming ~ what is your writing style?

    I recently attended the ICC where one of the best sessions I attended was about writing for SEO. This is what I do for my job so I admit, I have been less than diligent about posting on my own blog. So what is my motivation? I am reading a new book called “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing”. I’m not that far into it, but the theme can be applied to writing style as much as to organizing a closet. So the topic for today is: Are you writing for SEO or Streaming of Consciousness? How to stay relevant to search without getting messy or too wordy and how to tidy up your act.

    Are you #writing for #SEO or stream of consciousness? #tips to stay relevant #content
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    Intelligent Content : Writing for SEO
    Intelligent Content : Writing for SEO

    SEO or Streaming ~ What is Your Writing Style?

    If you are writing for SEO, you want to make use of search phrases. However, you don’t want to just stuff the same key words into one paragraph. That is akin to putting all your clothes in a bundle on your floor.

    The act of tidying is a series of simple actions in which objects are moved from one place to another. It involves putting things away where they belong ~ Marie Kondo

    I found, ironically, that the few first paragraphs of this book are cluttered. Repetitious. I’m not disparaging it. For a novel, stream of consciousness writing is acceptable. If you don’t like the author’s style, you don’t have to read the book. Arguably, if you are writing for a website, your goal is two fold: write for the audience, and write for the spiders. Some repetition is necessary although keeping it spaced out is a better option. Akin to hanging your white blouses on separate hangers.

    Cleaning up your act: Writing with style and SEO in Mind

    Writing for content generation is a layering process. 

    #writing for #SEO is a layering process
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    You have the visible layer that you readers see, and the text that is woven through to ensure that your brilliant penmanship is not buried on google like the proverbial heap of clothing on your floor.

    SEO and the art of layered writing
    SEO and the art of layered writing

    Cleaning up your act may involve:

    • Determining your search phrase
    • Organizing your thoughts: having a beginning, a middle and an end
    • Categorizing your posts/pages so they are easier to access in search
    • Expressing  your key words in a variety of ways (don’t be too repetitious)

    If you use stream of consciousness you have to balance that with the art of tidying up.

  • Functional Writing: Interviewing @Josepf

    Functional Writing: An Interview With @Josepf

    Functional writing is a phrase I am using to describe the intersection between content generation and purposeful presence online.

    functional writing: an interview with @Josepf about #SocialSEO & #contentmarketing
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     I believe as writers, we need to have integrity in what we express; this comes across in our writing style or voice. The other component is the idea of practical and functional expression, if what we are doing is to be relevant in digital marketing.

    Functional Writing for SEO and SOCIAL
    Brainstorming: functional writing/SEO/SOCIAL with @Josepf @Emmalish @Yoginiqueen

    Interviewing Josepf Haslam

    This is an interview with @Josepf, well known for SocialSEO, strategy and his Udemy courses among other things.

    ME: I was teaching a workshop the other day, and one of the participants mentioned that he had been advised not to write for keywords. As an SEO expert, I thought I would ask you what you thought of this.

    J: It’s more accurate to say ‘search phrases’. If you’re not writing to be found then you can completely ignore key words and search phrases, but if you do want to be found for either a key word or a search phrase, you damn well better write for it.

    ME: I understand you are presenting at the Intelligent Content Conference (ICC) in March. I look forward to hearing you speak. Would you give us a snippet of what your seminar will be about?

    Looking forward to your 10 #tips for #SEO @Josepf at ICC in March ~ @CMIContent
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    J: My approach is that most people have learned how to use toilet paper and clean up after themselves. I’m giving away 10 expanded pro tips on how to optimize your content for SEO and Social before you publish. Each of these tips is as easy and necessary as using toilet paper. If you’ve mastered the first part, I’m sure you can master these tips. 

    ME: What is the number one misconception about SEO out there?

    J: Unfortunately SEO has been likened to a snake oil salesman and there is a lot of truth to that stereotype. The best way to think about SEO is that you are actually writing for 2 audiences; the search engine spiders and people. You need to understand how to write for the spiders of you’re never going to be found by the people.

    ME: What do you feel makes a good blog stand out?

    J: A good blog is one that understands the 4 “S’s” of content marketing 

    what makes a good #blog? 4 #tips to make your #content stand out
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    1. Segmented: who is the micro-segmented audience you are writing for?
    2. Searchable: people are actually looking for the content and you know how to make the engines find it
    3. Snackable: Like a great snack, people are always reaching for it; you want your audience to consume your content
    4. Shareable: the #1 KPI for content is “was it shared”

    ME: How did the nickname Godfather of Social Media come about?

    Functional Writing : an Interview with Josepf Haslam
    “The GodFather of Social Media”

    A twitter friend of mine @optioneerJM interviewed me about the future of digital marketing and she coined the phrase in that interview 

    what is the future of #digitalmarketing? @optioneerJM @Josepf
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    ME: What is your favorite social media platform and why?

    J: My favorite platforms have changed over time, and each serves a different purpose. Today my top 3 are Instagram, Linkedin and WeChat, all for different reasons.

  • Keeping the Social in Social Media

    Keeping the Social in Social Media

    No doubt you have at least one social media profile, whether it be Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, or Twitter. We have become a society who probably picks up the phone less than past generations, relying on texting and IM chats. We document our travels, food preferences, shout out birthday greetings, and curate coats on a variety of different platforms.  This can be a way to have online (social) relationships with people we know but live far from. Personal social media is pretty social. We engage.

    Business Use of Social Media

    So many awesome people working in digital marketing to inspire new campaigns. The most successful ones are cultivating a purposeful presence online by building engagement and getting people to be excited about their products. While you may think that getting likes gets you noticed, getting your content shared, and sharing your own content, has marketing potential.

    Once you’ve chosen the right social media technology and created a great participant experience around a compelling purpose, only one question remains. Will they come? Maybe not. ~ Anthony J Bradley/Mark P McDonald.

    My friend Ty made me into a meme:

    social media for online presence
    Sharing on social media trumps likes

    Here are a couple of reasons I like to use social media channels:

    a couple of reasons to use #socialmedia for #contentmarketing
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    • To get my blog out there
    • To create conversations around something I might be doing, such as writing a new post, or advertising an event
    • To build engagement with audiences. Maybe we can share each other’s wisdom, or learn new things
    • To network. You can meet interesting people who share your interests, or want to hire you.
    • Good for organic SEO.

    Social listening

    Often overlooked, some pages get a lot of comments but don’t seem home. It’s like not answering your phone. I try to answer questions, or at least thank people for their comments. I would recommend, if you are trying to build a faithful network, or audience, that you check your page and at least “like” the fact that someone left a remark. Think long term fan base. Think engagement.

    My personal preference is to keep my posts short and sweet, use a link to drive traffic to my site or a particular blog post. Long winded commentaries do not necessarily feel like conscious content.

    If you are looking for a few tips to make your Facebook business page more fantastic check out this paid piece I wrote here. You can also contact me for social media management!