How to tell a professional ‘blogger’ from a fake
It’s a common enough scenario: the blog page on your business website has been sitting dormant for some time. Or it’s littered with one paragraph pieces of fluff that aren’t quite hitting the mark.
It’s not that you can’t do it yourself; it’s just that you may not want to. I mean, not right now, at least. You’ve put it off. You were going to read that tutorial, do that masterclass. Weeks and even months pass…
You should bite the bullet and get a professional blogger, right?
But, what do bloggers actually do? What’s the real ROI on hiring someone to write your content? How do you know who to trust to provide you with quality copy?
Here are some stats to back up the power and potential of digital content marketing:
- 67k searches are performed on Google every second but nearly 80% of users ignore paid ads in search results
- According to 72% of marketers, content creation is the most effective SEO tactic
- ‘Improved’ posts can increase blog traffic by up to 2,000%
Naturally, you want to take advantage of all this. But admittedly some content writing services might be about as genuine as any slimy politician’s pre-election campaign pledge.
If you’re using a content production mill that pays your writer 0.003 cents per word, it comes with no real suprise that you end up with useless dribble from someone who lives in Timbuktu.
Of course, it’s about getting what you pay for. But it also equates to the realisation that there is a substantial difference between targeted sales copy and the generic ‘blah-ness’ that some random cranks out for you on their lunch break.
When you really break it down, it’s also the terminology that defines the issue — at least in part. You require the services of a digital content writing/copywriting professional NOT a blogger per se. You also shouldn’t confuse this with influencer marketing (although there could be some crossover services).
I get it, it’s a bit confusing! Which is why I am trying to straighten it all out for you. Blogging is such a broad term. Traditionally, it refers to people who have their own blogs. Some monetise their blog (to generate income) and others merely do it as a hobby. All the more power to them.
However, a blogger may write their content themselves or they may hire a ghostwriter or guest blogger to write it for them — all the while getting the credit. This is where it can get deceptive and in these cases, you have to wonder about their skill and authenticity.
Sifting through these somewhat muddy waters, we can ascertain one truth:
A blogger’s objectives are usually very different from what a professional content writer or copywriter sets out to achieve when they write a blog — or, indeed, any other form of content — for a business, company or brand.
As a business owner, you require relevant content that’s SEO driven to boost customer conversions, generate measurable engagement/reach and build your brand voice and reputation. You want to tell your brand story. And you want to do it well and consistently. That’s what great digital content writing and planning can achieve. But this requires communication, cognition, craft and strategy — just to start with!
Before you place the responsibility for your brand’s reputation in just anybody’s hands, here are some guidelines as to what you can and should expect during the entire process of content creation.
Your digital content writer should:
- Interview you about your brand/process your provided brief and subject matter. Plus, refer to competitor analysis and a buyer persona, if applicable. This includes gauging the level of research required for the desired word limit (standard blog length 500–750 words for ‘scannability’).
- Perform in-depth research. This may involve disseminating information from experts/authorities. For more technical/scholarly topics, this may include accessing journal articles/scientific studies for statistics and evidence-based material.
- Complete the SEO component of content creation, using web-based tools to generate appropriate keywords with a mixture of short and long-tail keywords to target what a visitor is most likely to search for.
- Craft your copy to include a blend of facts, personality, subheadings, keywords, listicles (if required) and, of course, CTAs (call-to-actions). Your writer should use language which is easy to read and understand (for a grade 7 reader).
- Revise adequately, responding to your suggestions and working alongside you to pinpoint your most important message according to your customer pain points (and other factors), always advising on the best creative direction to profit your brand.
- Proof with precision, coming back to scan content for spelling, grammar and syntax errors. Ensure the highest standard for publication.
- NOTE: sometimes a selection of images may be sourced from a stock image site to fit written content. If you supply images, your writer should be able to match the tone of their subject matter to the visuals.
There are so many benefits that come from creating a rich and diverse content library/channel for your brand. So it’s important not to miss out or be mislead before you even get started in developing a blog page on your website, or fleshing out any other form of digital content.
I hope this insight allows you to identify a professional in the digital sphere from someone who merely dabbles in content creation — in what is still quite a grey-area as an industry, at least from an outsider’s perspective.
