Hi everyone – this is Jen Miller and I am so excited to be talking to you on Be Seen Blogging once again after the holiday break. I hope you, like me, enjoyed time with loved ones and had a chance to recharge and prepare for the new year! Thanks you for taking the time to tune in to learn ways to ramp up your blog and website content, all in under 10 minutes.
I know we talked about featuring lists as blog posts in episode 12 but since a major gift holiday is on the horizon, I figured it was an ideal topic to revisit, with a twist. Valentine’s Day will be here before you know it and NOW is the time to gather the ideas for your Top Ten Gifts posts — for him, for her, for kids, for pets, you name it! You can position your list by topic or budget, for example shoestring ideas to warm the heart or glamorous gifts to take her breath away and really have fun as you consider the possibilities in your post. Since location is a priority in most of the content we write, a series featuring local getaways, treats or boutique finds makes for perfect posts!
If you own a business that offers products or services that could be included in the gift list, consider adding a gift certificate option to your post.
Catchy headlines and beautiful photos are needed to create content that will be shared and your featured items should not be run of the mill, either. Seek out the unique. Ask shop owners about their gifting favorites and best and worst sellers. Have some fun with it. An interview or two with local shop owners of someone who runs a favorite restaurant or bed and breakfast in your area can add life and length to your post! Plus you may find that as you reach you develop more fans who will link to your site and send you customers. Make friends as you research!
If you don’t have time to shop local and have a feeling your readers might be pressed for time, you could create posts featuring ideas from online and quick shipping options, such as online florists, fruit bouquets and chocolate shops (my favorite is Dan’s Chocolates, by the way) to Amazon’s Prime NOW service which I can attest delivers in under and hour. A few minutes making phone calls may also help you to discover nearby pizza places that specializes in saving the day with heart shaped pizza delivery. I know there’s one in my town!
Anyway, regardless of what you choose to feature, this is the type of post you’ll want to publish on your social media profiles. With the right featured image, these posts pull in clicks as sponsored ads, too, since good ideas beg to be shared. You’ll definitely want to feature your post in your newsletter and ask friends and family to share it. Afterall, who doesn’t like great gift ideas?
Sharing a story of young love, seasoned romance or love that has been tested is always a great addition to any gift post, as well. Here are some ways to weave that into your copy.
- In real estate? Write about a client who fell in love with a home and/or each other through the home buying experience.
- Are you an insurance salesman? Explain how your policies protect and provide security to couples through generations and share how you’ve witnessed this comfort clients and their families.
- If you’re an artist or developer, share what inspires you to create objects and websites that change lives. Share the vision beyond the creation, looking past the details and headaches, to the idea that made you excited about the project in the first place.
Every profession has an element of passion — a love that can be explored — and in most cases sharing that story can be very powerful. When attached to an actionable gift list, even one that only includes tech tools, you produce a post that has the ability to go viral. So go and do and send me a link. I’d love to feature your lists (and links to your blogs) when I write my post on gift giving later this month. Email your links to jenmiller@needsomeonetoblog.com to be included in the list. You can also find me on Twitter @jenblogs4u or through my NeedSomeoneToBlog website. I look forward to hearing from you. Talk to you next week!
Jen Miller has been writing since she was a child and spent her early career years soaking up all the information she could discover as a journalist of newspapers and magazines. Getting out the message and spreading truth has always been a high priority for Jen. Jen began writing website content for clients in 1996 and started blogging in 2008 for Today.com. That experience created a love for the blog and she has been an avid blogger ever since. Today she writes for her clients on a variety of topics as a ghostwriter/ghostblogger and connects their messages with personality through social media to deliver the most impact possible.
