How to Perform a Blog Post Brainstorm and Why
It often happens to many business owners after meeting with an online/content marketing strategist – the deer in headlights look – when they are presented with their strategy, part of which states that they should implement “2,000 new words on their website a month” or “write a new blog post each week.” The immediate response for many is paralysis, or “what the heck am I going to talk about” or “there’s no way I have that much interesting stuff to say.”
Because I’m one of those nice strategists who usually prescribes the above mentioned strategy, I created this “How To” blog that will give you a process for a) coming up with relevant topics and b) implementing them.
First step, take a deep breath.
Second, know you can do this.
Step by Step, baby steps.
1. Get to know your target audience. Need help doing this part? Read my Target Market blog post here.
2. Visualize your avatar (your ideal client.)
3. Get out an old-fashioned notebook and pen, or open a new document on your computer
3. Begin creating lists for the following items
- Frequently Asked Questions – yes, there are millions of them. You know, the things that every prospect asks you when they are inquiring about your services/products. And the questions that every client asks along the way. Yes, those.
- What were they feeling before they hired you? What were the problems they were running away from? What were they calling out for help with?
- What are the top pleasures they are running toward? What are the goals they are trying to achieve by using your service?
- As for your past clients, what did they love most about your process? When they sang/sing your praises, what do they say about you? What are the biggest results they achieved in working with you, both tangibly and emotionally?
- What do they care most about in life, in general?
- What do they fear most in life, in general?
- What are the things I love to talk about most? What are my interests both with regard to my profession and in my life?
Now that you’ve taken your time and answered these questions, you should have a good list sitting right there in front of you. Sweet! You’ve got a great beginning.
4. Look at these topics and begin to create a new category called “magnetizing blog post titles.”
At this point, I would recommend using the Google Keyword Planner Tool to see which items get more searches and put them in order. But that’s a bit more advanced, and a topic for a different blog post.
In order to create blog post titles, you want to take into consideration the keywords that achieve high search results, AND, most importantly, you want to create “magnetizing titles” (titles that are interesting, informative, and magnetizing for your ideal client.)
Here’s an example. You are a career coach and you have determined that your target audience is goal-driven professional women in the medical and financial industries (optometrists, health practitioners, dentists, financial advisors, bankers.) Here are a few of your brainstormed topics from above:
Topics:
Self-Confidence
Time Management
“Magnetizing Titles”
Self-Confidence – Stop Self-Sabotaging and Start Living Vibrantly
Honoring YOU; 5 Simple Changes to your Work Life to Give you More YOU Time
5, Now that you’ve got your “Magnetizing Titles,” put some bullet points beneath each topic so that you can remember when it comes time to write the post, what you were talking about 
You could now run these topics past your marketing strategist for their expert feedback.
Then, if you are a systematic person, you could put these titles into an editorial calendar. Or, if you are less systematic, then schedule a time each week or once a month where you can sit down and pull topics from your fabulous list and begin writing!
Your new list should provide you with quality content for at least a year. Don’t be afraid to add more topics to your list as you get asked more questions by your clients and prospects. There are truly endless amounts of content right in front of us, sometimes we just need to be reminded!
Adventures in Transformation
The first day of my trip this February, I was walking along the flagstone path, toward the beach, the sun was bathing me in glorious rays and the air was big and sweet as it is only in Hawaii. My higher self said, “you will be going through some huge transitions in the near future, buckle up, hold tight and keep listening. I adventured for seven days with my cousin in a place that I can only describe as “feeling like home” in every way possible. Every day was sun-kissed; from waking up with the birds early in the morning to watching the sun go down at night.
Kona sunset
Kona Sunrise
Hawaii feels like pure love. I was talking about the air in Hawaii with a friend recently and we concluded that it is just so welcoming and loving, like it hugs you in its arms. It’s not overly muggy and suffocating; it is present ant loving. Hawaii embodies many of my values: Fun, Adventure, Unconditional Love, Growth & Expansion, Awareness, Abundance, and Health. When a place embodies your values, it’s easy to fall in love. Very easy.
Some of the highlights of our trip:
- A dolphin swim along the Kona coast, snorkeling with two beautiful pods of 200+ spinner dolphins, followed by humpback whale watching
- Hiking over lava fields to through valleys to secluded beaches to do more snorkeling
- Climbing Banyan trees, crossing rivers, swimming under majestic waterfalls and cliff jumping
- Tasty meals with new-found friends
- Relaxing days by the pool, enjoying life to its fullest
Most importantly, for seven days, I did not work. Not one bit. I am so grateful that my cousin Danielle chose me to travel with her to Hawaii to celebrate her 30th birthday! Enjoy the visual vacation below:
A special thanks to our “local hosts” who showed us off-the-beaten-path Hawaii, and our awesome Aussie friend. We will meet again!
Returning or as I called it “reintegration,” was tough for both Danielle and me. It can be difficult to describe getting bit by the “travel bug,” which was definitely the case for both of us. But it was more than that. There was a point in the middle of our trip where we both looked at each other and without hesitation we both said, “this feels like home. True home. It’s going to be really tough to leave, isn’t it?!”
Since coming home, both Danielle and I have gone through some tough transition, although I don’t like labeling it as ‘tough’ because change is change and change is good. I know more about what I am creating in life and what it takes to get me there. By no means do I feel like this transitional period is over. I continue to listen to my higher self and take one. step. at. a. time. Trusting that I am fully supported.
Some of the places we visited on our stay and definitely recommend!
Hilton Waikoloa
Pololu Valley
Sunlight on Water
Rainbow Falls
Kealakekua Bay
Da Poke Shack
Roy’s
Full Moon Cafe
No, You May Not Pick My Brain!
I get this request often. And from what I can tell, other consultants and coaches who charge a fee for their knowledge and information do too.
My living is based on the expertise that I have developed for the last 10+ years. Well, built over the last 30+ years actually. (Now that I’ve dated myself!) I invest a lot of time and money in continuing education, reading, memberships, and conferences to stay on top of what’s important in my industry. When someone that’s not my friend or family member asks, “Can I pick your brain?” it’s akin to this situation:
Person goes to the doctor and says, “Hey, could you take a look at my throat and tell me what’s wrong? I don’t even have to come into an exam room, you could just do it here in the waiting room. Here, ahhhhhh.”
Think doc would pull out his tongue depressor?
One of my favorite stories along these lines was when a financial advisor asked me if he could pick my brain over lunch. I wanted to say, “Sure, if you’re cool with putting a couple hundred dollars in an annuity for me and calling it good.”
I charge paying clients money for my strategies, which save them thousands of hours and countless dollars. Does a lunch at the local deli equate to that value? Nope, sorry. Besides, if you want the answers to your problems that tends to take more than an hour of my time. What kind of an expert would I be if I could give you all the answers in one sandwich-sit-down?
When someone is a subject matter expert and a coach/consultant, they get paid to give their clients their knowledge. Instead of asking to pick their brain, try one or more of these strategies instead.
Read their blog. Look back through the archives of the consultant’s blog, Facebook profile, LinkedIn feed, etc. Ask them to share a recording of a previous free webinar or free call. Ask if they already have material on the subject you’re inquiring about. Who knows, they might have answered your questions before and turned it into an article like I did with this one: http://bit.ly/HowToCreateAFacebookPage.
GTS. This is my favorite self-made acronym. Google That S***! If your questions can really be picked out of an expert’s brain “real quick,” then chances are Google has the answer.
Ask about fees and how they operate. You might find they give you the answers you’re looking for in a thirty- to sixty-minute initial consultation that they offer for free anyway.
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Some other notes:
1. I’m not talking about close friends or family; chances are, when they ask for brain-picking, we give it to them, because they give back to us in many ways.
2. When people asked me this question 5 years ago (new in my business) I would jump at the chance to answer them, thinking if I helped them with this, they would hire me. What I found a vast majority of the time was this – if they wanted it for free in the first place, they aren’t willing to pay for it.
3. If your business model isn’t a coaching/consulting model, this rant probably doesn’t speak to you as much; that’s cool!
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I wanted to see what my colleagues (other subject matter experts and consultants) had to say about this topic. Looks like I’m not alone!
“I usually tell them to go on one of my free webinars that I run monthly; or listen to my podcast. I tell them that chances are they will get the answer to their question and more, all for free. If I did a coffee date or answered every email question from people that I received, I would never have enough time for paying clients.” –podcasting coach and lifestyle entrepreneur expert
“Mixed feelings. Usually I feel like it’s a typical “free loader” who wants your expertise to give them your services (or contacts) for free. And then there are times I feel like it could be a possible new connection.” –career coach
“Hate it. Of course. I encourage people to ask a more specific question and NOT to ask for a coffee. Anyone whose time is valuable hates that question.” –business coach
“That question usually makes me think they want me to work for free. I think I’m flattered and annoyed at the same time. If it’s someone I know or who truly expresses interest in my services, I’m happy to help cause who knows where that conversation may lead.” –content writer
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What do you think? What are some alternatives to asking the can-I-pick-your-brain question?
Peg Calvario Gets Clear On One Thing: How to Attract Ideal Clients
For 25 years Peg Calvario (PegCalvario.com) worked with her husband to run their family-owned business in the fitness industry. After selling that business five years ago she decided to move on to a new venture—coaching for professionals—but was surprised when her marketing didn’t come as easy as before.
“I had a lot of experience in social media and writing blogs from my former business, but this time around I couldn’t seem to find my voice,” Peg said. 
Then Something Pivotal Happened – Identifying a Tribe
Meghann Conter’s coaching clients almost always go through a vigorous tribe-identifying process. Peg was no different. While we did work together on messaging, social media profiles, and zeroing in on potential clients with email capture forms and teleclass development, each of those pieces hinged on identifying her new tribe: GOAL-DRIVEN PROFESSIONALS.
“Now I can articulate a crystal clear message to my tribe, especially as it relates to my process. And, as a result, my content marketing comes so much easier and faster,” Peg explained.
Social Media Marketing Is Only What You Can See. What About What You Can’t See?
I may be the Mistress of Social Media® and believe strongly in the power of social media, but I also believe that success does not lie in social media alone. That’s only the piece your clients can see.
The pieces they can’t see are what drive your business. I’m talking about a marketing foundation (messaging, voice, packaging, pricing, promotion methods and processes) you can stand on and a marketing plan you can execute easily. Once you have these two items in place, the magnetic content—and the financial results—will come…just like it did for Peg.
Peg said she now feels better about her marketing and being able to implement it with greater ease, but it’s more than that. The results speak volumes.
Her SEO has improved thanks to targeted blog posts. In fact, she recently got a call from the US Naval Safety Center, an outstanding opportunity, after they found her website. On top of that, she has acquired clients from both Facebook and LinkedIn since sprucing up her profiles with content that attracts her ideal clients.
“Meghann over delivers,” Peg said. “She consistently provided value, even sending me notes from our meetings, and connecting me with valuable resources, and was never someone who focused on cost. She really did a great job.”
2013; A Reflection in Photos
I was wondering why it felt so difficult to write this blog post. Or to send Christmas cards. I mean, all that’s required is that I give people a little bit of insight into what 2013 brought for me. Then I remembered, I have transformed so much this year and time is pretty relative for me. I live in the presence so much that reflecting on the past or projecting in to the future brings me out of bliss.
“If you are depressed you are living in the past.
If you are anxious you are living in the future.
If you are at peace you are living in the present.” Laozi
I have ultimate gratitude for the incredible individuals who contributed to my professional, personal and spiritual growth this year and celebrate everything we all accomplished together. I truly have the most phenomenal professional community, friends, and family who love me for exactly who I am. Thanks to the spiritual journey I have taken, I no longer feel the need to change or the need to be any different because I have beautiful, unconditional self-love.
If you are still reading, thank you for being my friend and my supporter. The following is a photo collage of some of my fun adventures this year.
I LOVE my friends and continuously adventure with them!
I had numerous fun speaking engagements throughout 2013
Family Christmas 2013
- My parents and me, Christmas 2013
I work out at Blunt Force Training with some of Denver’s best trainers
Me, Joe Pulizzi and Alexandra Briggs at Social Media Marketing World 2013
My sweetie and I went to Chicago to visit his family
I host events for Certus Professional Network and serve the President of the FRICAH 3to5 Club
I facilitated the first Denver Social Media Marketing Mastermind – the most amazing group of women
I adventured in Puerto Vallarta with some friends
Nate and I adopted the world’s cutest puppy, Layla, a retriever- terrier mix
Target Market: Why Do I Need One? How Do I Get One?
If you follow my blog (and you should :-)), you know that I talk about your tribe* often. Your tribe* is the group of people you influence. They are your brand champions, your friends, your fans, your clients, and your prospects. Without your tribe, you don’t have a business.
The narrower you get when describing and then marketing to your target audience, the easier, more effective, and less costly your marketing will be. If you try the “spray and pray” method, you will waste your two most precious resources – time and money. Unless, of course, you have a marketing budget the size of Starbucks’. (Didn’t think so.)
The natural next questions are
- how do I know who my target market is?
- what do I need to know about them?
Determining a target market for an existing business
This process is a bit easier, in my honest opinion (IMHO), if you have been in business for more than a year and a half-ish because you can look at past client demographics and data and narrow down from there. Looking at this data is much easier if you have a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system that tracks important information about your clients.
Hint: if you are just starting out in business now, get a CRM system (which can be as simple as an Excel spreadsheet) and keep track of important client data. Here’s a list of data to track, but add to this list as it makes sense to your business.
Age
Sex
Income level
Education level
Are they local/national/international?
What industry do they work in?
What is their position there?
What is their family situation (you are looking for common threads here like divorced, moms, dads, etc.)?
Where do you get this information? Some of it will be guess work, and some you can obtain from LinkedIn. I would also consider making note of who your ideal clients were and using their data over those who weren’t.
Next, what are the psychographic pieces of information? For this part, I recommend you bring up the top five clients you’ve worked with in your business over the last year or so. Then answer these questions based on them.
What were they feeling before they hired you? What were the problems they were running away from? What are the top pleasures they are running toward? What were they calling out for help with?
What did they love most about your process? When they sang/sing your praises, what do they say about you?
What are the biggest results they achieved in working with you, both tangibly and emotionally?
What do they care most about in life, in general?
What do they fear most in life, in general?
There are many more questions that can be taken into account at this point in the process, depending on your business, your industry, whether you are B2B or B2C, and more. After you have given much thought to this information, and written it down, you can now draw the parallels and see the commonalities between the people you love to serve.
What you should come up with on the other side looks something like what I’ve done here to describe my client Mallory, who is a reflexologist and healer:
Denver-based single women, 35-55 years old, educated and professional (career women), who is overwhelmed, swamped, and seeking instant relief from daily stress; typical industries her clients fall within: marketing, authors, speakers, those who travel a lot for work.
Determining your target market for a new business
If you are new in your business, your process is going to look a lot different. Google will be your best friend, as will other people who are experienced in your industry with your products or services. You may also be doing a bit more testing than determining, initially.
My client Sara is an author and her genre of writing is somewhere between Paranormal Romance and Sci-Fi. She began doing research and found a gold mine of statistics here. http://www.rwa.org/p/cm/ld/fid=582 This kind of data is invaluable, and you can likely find some of your own.
She also started reaching out to other writers with books and styles similar to hers and asked to do “informational interviews” with them. She asked questions about the kinds of people who come to their book signings and who write to them as raving fans of their work. Some of these people were not receptive to talking with her, but plenty of others were willing help!
In the end
Looking at, tweaking, and refining your target market is a continuous process. Your tribe will shift and change as your business evolves.
* Target market = tribe = target audience
The No No’s and the Ya Ya’s of Starting a Facebook Business Page
Lately, I’ve seen a growing epidemic … people launching Facebook business pages like they’re going out of style… with no apparent strategy or plan of action for WHY they are starting them or WHAT they are going to do with them. And resulting in the millions of untouched Facebook pages, so sad ;-(
Recently, I saw a friend start 4 new pages ALL in one day, all for herself, with different names and the same message across the different pages. When I asked her why and discussed it with her, she quickly understood that keeping up with four separate pages would basically consume her life and wouldn’t yield anything more than one. We came up with a strategy for a unified approach that made sense for her goals. 
Your social media marketing should be done intentionally. Having a strategy for what you are going to do, when you’re going to do it, who’s going to keep it going, WHY you’re doing it, and how you’ll keep up is PARAMOUNT to your success in social media. What is success in social media? Return On Investment, of course! So, why am I choosing to stand on my soap box with this subject? More importantly, what should be done instead?
The “No No’s” of starting a Facebook page and the YES list to check off when you decide to do it:
1. Know WHY you are starting a FB business page (from the perspective of your target audience). What are you going to provide your new fans that they can’t get anywhere else? This should require some thought. No No: “like our page cause we’re going to give you great tips, coupons, ‘n stuff.” With that type of a strategy,you’ll be joining EVERYONE else already using the identical call to action. Ya Ya: What makes you and your brand unique and what value are you going to provide your specific target audience that will BENEFIT them. How is your Facebook page going to stand out from the millions of others? “Love daily inspiration, a community of like-minded conscious friends and FUN content, contests and prizes that you won’t get from us anywhere else? Like our page today and get involved!”
2. Know WHO will be updating the page, HOW often, and WHEN you will be updating it. No No: Put up a page and let it hang in outer space, posting on it once in a blue moon. This won’t help move you toward your goals and objectives. This is like getting married; you don’t just go to the alter and then the next day say “peace out” to your new spouse and go MIA for months. Ya Ya: Choose the right person to be in charge of your social media maintenance – someone who knows contemporary marketing well. Someone who knows how to provide value to your audience and how to engage them regularly. Create a calendar. Test and analyze the best times of day and frequencies to post to garner the most attention and interaction from your specified target audience.
3. Figure out what your target market wants. No No: Use the “spray and pray” marketing method, where you just post and hope that someone somewhere sees it and engages with it. Ya Ya: Answer these questions and devise a plan based on them: Does your ideal client enjoy reading detailed posts and clicking links to read more? Are they more likely to pay attention to, like, comment and share visual posts emphasizing your expertise? Do they like short, impactful videos? What is your content strategy and how will you continue to provide valuable, entertaining, engaging content to your Facebook fans? Learning the optimal ‘post mix’ for your target audience will make or break your engagement on Facebook.
4. How does this page fit in with the rest of your marketing? What are your objectives beyond your Facebook page? No No: Working to increase fans and up engagement levels isn’t enough. That rarely converts to business done. (And by the way, Facebook is not the place to promote, promote, promote. That will turn your potential clients away faster than a knife fight in a phone booth!) Ya Ya: Where will you provide them more information about your area of expertise? On your website through blog posts or value-based video posts (vlogs)? How will you track that website traffic? How will you get them on your email list so that they enter in to your sales funnel? These are all questions to answer before launching your page.
5. How will you monitor your Facebook page performance as they relate to your overall business goals? No No: Set no goals as they relate to your business, and run your Facebook marketing devoid of its contribution to your business overall. Ya Ya: Know what your main business objectives are quarterly, bi-annually, and annually. Understand which goals your Facebook page will directly help you achieve. Example Goal: To increase attendance at quarterly live events by 20% each quarter. Facebook’s role – to increase fans by 20% each quarter and increase engagement 30 % each quarter. Create engaging campaigns directly related to the topics and teachings of your live events and use a mix of posts, promoted posts, and ads to drive new users in your target audience to the events.
There are, of course, other objectives that should be discussed when it comes to your Facebook page strategy, but meeting these is a great start! Do you have any other words of inspiration for setting up a strategy before launching your Facebook business page ship?
Also, share your Facebook page URL here as a comment so that we may all take a look, like and comment, if we so choose!
Case Study: How To Refresh A 70-Year-Old Brand
Englewood, Colorado based Garvin’s Sewer Service got its start in 1940. After 70 years this family-run business is going strong and still serving many of the same customers after decades. However, reaching new customers in the crowded online space has been challenging for Garvin’s for a few reasons.
- The company name doesn’t make what they do totally obvious. (It’s not clear that they offer plumbing services.)
- Who wants to follow a plumbing company on social media?
- Finding the time for social media marketing wasn’t easy. Company General Manager Kris Jordan had a hard time getting it done each month.
Plumbing Girl flanked by her creators.
The Seeds of an Idea
While I’d love to say that dreamed up the solution to Garvin’s social media challenges on my own, this creative plumbing company did a lot of the work on their own. I have been the catalyst to help them get content in place, create new and fun branding ideas, and track progress to prove it is working.
“I met Meghann at a networking event awhile back,” Kris explained. “At networking events I would introduce myself as ‘Kris Plumbing Girl Jordan’ so that I’d be more memorable. When we hired Meghann to do a marketing assessment she saw the Plumber Girl as an opportunity.”
Opportunity indeed.
Since those early days at networking events, Plumber Girl has come a long way. Now this seemingly “boring” plumbing company has a character straight out of the 1940s to share blog and social media content in a fun, interesting way for customers, for those interested in plumbing, and even for those who have an interest in a Rose-the-Riveter inspired, sexy yet family-friendly Plumbing Girl.
Implementing the Solution
Each month I visit with Kris to evaluate contemporary marketing performance against their goals and objectives, and then we go into FUN content production mode using Kris’ expertise in plumbing.
Some specific things we’ve done besides launch the Plumber Girl persona:
- Evaluate company goals and use social media to assist in achieving them.
- Create a new Facebook page and Pinterest account where social media engagement has tripled.
- Developed exciting campaigns to engage their target audience, which we call “the ladies of the house.”
- Finally, of course, we evaluate our performance over and over again.
“What I love about working with Meghann is that we time block and get it all done,” Kris said. “I’m an organized person, but I break appointments with myself. I don’t break appointments with her. She keeps things fun.”
