Raise Your Hand If You Read Blogs

Passing a bulletin board in a hallway at Ivy Tech, I noticed that, while the board was literally covered with flyers and notices of all sorts, only the flyer pictured here caught my attention. Since, as a freelance SEO copywriter, I’m in the business of attention-capturing by offering business blogging help, I analyzed the flyer to find out what there was about it that drew my eye.

The look
The picture of all the different hands being raised is only part of the answer, I think. In corporate blogging  training sessions, I  emphasize the importace of graphics in blog posts, including font, bolding, and visuals (videos, charts, and photos). The first impression a reader gets once having clicked on to your blog – counts.

The headline
The first words the reader (and the search engine) sees are in the title of each blog post. In the case of the Ivy Tech student flyer, the first words involve the reader – raise your hand if you…:  Making business blog content about them (your potential customers) rather than about you and what you have to offer is simply smart business blog content writing. 

Targeting the audience
The flyer was “targeting” students from different countries and students interested in international culture. Each of the bullet points was geared towards someone that fell into one of those categories, but rather than saying “If you’re from a foreign country…”, the text is geared towards arousing curiosity and relating to students of different origins.  Wear lederhosen? Eat pain perdu? Call soccer football? Everything about this flyer shouts, “You’ve come to the right place” (meaning the International Students Association).

In corporate blogging training, that is precisely the message blog content writers want to convey to online searchers who have found the blog.  You’ve come to exactly the right place for the information, products, and services you’re seeking.  You’re home!

Calls to action
Even in the calls to action, the creators of the student association flyer followed best practices of business blog writing, I thought, offering not just one, but two ways to do something about it if you liked what you’d been reading:  Readers are invited to join the Int’l Students Association at their next Wednesday meeting, but if they can’t make it, they’re told how to email the organization to find out more.

Glancing over the flyer one final time, I realized that, in a way, blog posts have a big advantage over flyers. Remember, online readers “self-select” by typing search terms on their computers or digital devices. When they’re directed towards your SEO marketing blog, it’s because they already have an immediate need or interest in your type of product or service.  The proverbial iron’s already hot – all you need to do is have engaging, informative content ready for visitors to find!