A year ago I wrote a post linking to an article by Pantone on the new colors for 2018. Pantone used an image on their blog that I copied and and pasted into my post. I could have easily paid ten dollars for a stock photo that would have been just as good. See recommendations below. Six months later, I was contacted by a company representing the photographer whose copyrighted image was tacked inside the image. (The photo was of a bulletin board and this fashion image was on the board.)

There are companies whose sole purpose is to scan the internet for photos made by their clients. The client photographers pay them for this service and possibly a percent of the collection. When there is a result, a letter is sent out demanding a large payment with the threat of a lawsuit. The amount seems punitive, especially given the resources of a small company. But the law does not specify what is fair. Up to tens of thousands of dollars can be demanded legally.

Recently a client asked me what to do amount a scam he encountered. He writes posts twice a month and sometimes looks for free photos on the internet. A site offering free downloads fined him for not logging in and filling out a form first. A company in California is asking for $3000! He is in the process of working out a deal. These scheming companies “fish” which seems fraudulent to me.  Lawmakers need to address this “out of control” situation as soon as possible.

I admit to wrong doing. It is a bad practice to try to use free photos without permission. Artists deserve to be paid for their good work. The result of my mistake? I negotiated the amount down to something affordable, but by no means cheap. (I found that help from a copyright lawyer was just as high or higher than the fine). Lesson learned… and I was glad to leave the whole experience behind me.

Some fair free photo companies we recommend are Unsplash.com, Pixabay.com and Pexels.com. Stock Photos for reasonable fees are iStock.com and Big Stock.com.

Recently, a client in the whole health and beauty business who provides Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture added massage therapy to her services. She wants to write a new page for her website to introduce this service. There are two options I recommend. 1. Write a blog post introducing the new service and categorize it as “news” and/or “new services.” Any blog category or post can be added to the menu like a page. Or, 2. If you want it to be a page then do both. Use the content from the blog post and insert it into the page. You can link the post and page to each other. Finding new information in more than one place on a website is a good thing!

I can’t emphasize enough how important blog posts are and should be a regular practice. Here are the reasons why:

1. Posts immediately get sent to anyone subscribed to your blog and encourage people to sign up
2. Posting enlivens your website and makes it more attractive to people seeking information
3. Posts get sent out over the internet apart from your website, pulling in new prospects
4. Posting enhances your search engine optimization and should be a part of any SEO plan
5. Posts can be added to your social networking and newsletter as part of your overall marketing strategy

So, When you think about new activity on your website, don’t forget the blog is waiting to work for you more than just a web page can. Need some training? Give me a shout!

1. GET FOUND

Publishing a website is not a “magic bullet.” New customers don’t find us simply because we have a domain name. We want more business. But many website owners are frustrated because they have a website that is not generating new work. Keep in mind that thousands of new websites come online every day; right now, there are over one billion active websites in the world. Whether you are competing in a national or international market, that’s quite a lot of competition.

If someone already knows your name and is aware of your services, they should be able to find you with a Google search. But what if they are looking to hire for the first time? They want to find the best business or person for their needs. If you aren’t sending out leads, you are out of luck.

WordPress is Blogging

You have the power to improve your odds, because you chose WordPress for your website content management system. You can take advantage of its most valuable feature — blogging and easily publish a weekly blog post just writing about WHAT YOU KNOW! Educate your readers on a relevant topic, or bring an industry update to your readers’ attention. After solving a particular website problem that I think would be interesting to others, I write a blog post. Each one of those posts goes out on the internet with a direct link back to me.

Here’s an example: I wrote about malware, because once I clicked on a link that got me into trouble. Months later, I got a call from a local business person who found my post by searching the web and it linked to my website. He called me because he wanted to find out more about what I knew on the subject. I automatically became his local expert on malware! And he said he was sorry he hadn’t found me earlier, having  hired someone else to develop his website.

Blogging directly impacts your success

A client recently told me her company was not bringing in leads. It’s a well-designed site with lots of content so I suspected she was not using the full marketing capability of WordPress. I asked if she was blogging and she said she wasn’t. Another client also said she wasn’t blogging because she could not think of what to write about. Since her company has a weekly meeting, I suggested she ask for topics to write about. Someone may come up with just the right story or idea.

It’s very important to write on a regular basis. There are many posting features, such as scheduling your blog posts to run on a calendar. Write several posts for later and they will publish at just the right day and time. Consistent blogging has a compounding effect so that posts which are many months old can bring in the most traffic. Search for anything on the internet and you will find articles still hanging around that are two or three years old!

What to write about

Here are more ideas for what you can write about in your blog. Don’t forget to set up categories and tags and use them to create an index of your topics. Try to come up with a consistent voice and write about what you know. Remember, you are the expert!

1. News and events: Is your company hosting an event or attending one? Did you just hire a new employee or did someone in your company receive recognition for a job well done?
2. Client Education: Your customers are looking for advice and guidance. If they purchased your product, perhaps there is more information you can give them about it.
   c. Case Studies: Write about a product or business success story. Start with an issue or problem the client brought to you and how you resolved it. There are potential customers looking at your site who may relate. It also establishes trust in your company.
3. Invite guest writers: A great way to attract readers is by inviting someone who already has a following to write a guest post… especially if their service is complementary to yours. You’d be surprised how many people will accept your invitation. It’s a win-win for both parties.

Check out this CoSchedule.com article that outlines how to write successful blog posts. It covers the gamut from writing good headlines to building content that drives traffic.

9 Types Of Blog Posts That Are Proven To Boost Traffic

2. EXPAND YOUR AUDIENCE

You are writing about what you know… but how can you get that out to as many people as possible? Social media is one great way to expand your audience. Most themes have a place for adding your social media links and you can upload a share plug-in (which invites readers of your blog to share on their socials, such as Facebook, Linked In and Twitter.) Two that I have used are AddtoAny and MashShare.

Another nifty tool that can save you time is a Cross Posting Plug-in such as WordPress to Buffer and CoSchedule. Write your post and within an hour it publishes on your social networks, such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. It’s an efficient way to get a lot of mileage with one post. Some writers recommend tailoring the article for different social networks and audiences, known as “Cross Promoting”.

3. CONVERT YOUR VISITORS TO CUSTOMERS

Once you begin to blog, you are only half the way there. Now you have to interest your visitors long enough to make them stay more than eight seconds, the average length of a visit. But how do you achieve this? It’s all about the content and where you place it.

My aha! moment came with an article I read about Purposeful User Flow. It is a content layout system that instructs and informs your potential customers about how you help them, and leads them to a page that describes your services. By adding sections of case studies and testimonials to the mix you can convince them to get in touch. It is also makes for great UX – User experience — because you are giving the reader what he or she needs to know to make an informed decision and takes them on a path that makes sense.

With this structure in place, you can create marketing campaigns that link to Landing Pages within your site. The visitor will inevitably go to your home page, where the User Flow starts the flow of information they are seeking. At the bottom of every page add a Call to Action. The Call to Action is a usually a row with headline text and a button link, making it easier for the reader to get in touch with you. What makes Purposeful User Flow so appealing is it is used by large agencies as well. I love to tell the story that my husband came home one day from working as an editor of publications at a large research hospital. He attended a meeting about their new, very large website. The agency’s representative talked about Purposeful User Flow. For me, that sealed the deal. It is an industry-wide standard.

4. RETAIN CUSTOMERS

Keeping in touch can be difficult in this fast-paced world. If the posts aren’t getting much of a reaction, use these additional methods of getting a response.

For instance, you can add a newsletter service to your WordPress website. Some are free and can be written right in the WordPress dashboard, such as MailPoet. I like to combine several of my blog posts and send them out in one newsletter. My clients are more likely read them and I feel confident that I am keeping them informed. Email opt-ins can be easily set up using JetPack on a web page as a pop-up or embedded in the footer or side bar. With it, you can start collecting new subscribers for your publications.

Another way to add value to your WordPress website is to set up surveys from forms to find out how you are doing. This will give you valuable information to improve your methods as well as collect testimonials. There are many ways to get a response with a form: How about special offers or coupons for filling out the form? Don’t forget you can also collect information on your Facebook page.

5. KEEP YOUR TOOLS SHARP

WordPress makes it easy to update your site to ensure security and better functionality. The good folks at Automattic work hard to improve the components of the software and respond to any bugs or potential threats to the community. All you have to do is review the dashboard after you log in to write your new post and see what needs to be done. You will also update any plugins and your theme if needed. If you manage more than one website check out ManageWP. With ManageWP you can update all the software at the same time. Updating is super important because if you are using your website as your main marketing tool, as you should be, you’ll want it to keep up with the ever-changing and wonderful internet.