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Grow your professional reputation & personal brand

Blogging
for business

 Blogging for Business course: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide & online

 

People expect more information from businesses than ever before. Blogging for business extends the sales conversations, enabling your website to work 24/7 in educating your prospects, addressing misunderstandings and preconceptions, overcoming objections, illustrating your expertise, highlighting your business values and unique point-of-difference, and helping you get found on Google.

Especially if you’re a small business or in a competitive industry, you need to be blogging for business.

Join me to learn all the most important parts about blogging for business – from getting inside the heads of our target market, to better understanding what they’re grappling with, what they’re interested in, and what they’re looking for.

Together, we’ll brainstorm topics, write can’t-help-but-click headlines and hooks, optimise your blog for search engines and, in the process, help educate, inform and inspire web browsers to convert them into new inquires and clients.

You, the media company

Regardless of the nature of what you do, you are a media company. Unless you’re advertising, marketing today is all about creating useful, valuable, relevant content designed to magnetise your ideal clients to you and compel them to buy.

We are privileged to live in an age where it’s never been easier to publish your thoughts online. And the plethora of crappy information? Means more opportunities for you and me to create something remarkable. If you want to build your brand as an expert, authority or leader in your field, blogging is essential.

Blogging helps you get found online

Every Google search is a person with a problem seeking a solution. Regular, strategic, search engine-friendly business blogging is fantastic at improving your website ranking.

Google preferences newer, more regularly updated content over older content, which means sites with blogs are privileged. To rank for relevant search terms, your website needs to have a high occurrence of these, in a natural, appealing manner (no old-fashioned keyword stuffing!). Blogging gives you a natural reason to keep using those keyword phrases you want to rank for.

Learn how to optimise each blog post with five-minute tweaks and good digital habits that will continue to bring you prospects for years to come (every year, my most popular blog posts are at least a couple of years old).

Blogging brings publicity & PR

Journalists Google too. I’ll be sharing behind-the-scenes stories of how I’ve been featured on major websites and in print magazines, with no pitch, no media release. An editor Googles, my website ranks, and publicity results. In one case, my blog was quoted extensively in a national magazine popular amongst my target market, with no pitch by me.

When journalists and other stakeholders are seeking further information on you and your business, your blog is the first place they’ll look to learn more about you and your business. From there, it’s a short step to your contact page. Learn how to use your business blog as a sounding board for story angles and ideas that are naturally appealing to relevant media.

Blogging answers your prospects’ questions

The nature of business has changed. The internet gives us access to so many more businesses – businesses that may look just like yours.

People expect more information than ever before and will check out your business before they decide whether to make contact. They want to know the ethos of the business they’re buying from and they want businesses to act like humans.

Blogging forges connections

Blogging enables you to connect with clients and prospects through long copy – allowing you to say far more, in a much more compelling and relational way, than you can otherwise share. Effective business blogging talks to prospects about their worries and wants, their problems, pains and inconveniences, while helping solve these.

Effective blogging for business explains and educates, addresses misconceptions and misunderstandings, and helps overcome barriers to purchase. Done well, blogging for business inspires and empowers existing clients to keep returning, and to more effectively refer other people to you.

Blogging illustrates your expertise

Writing helps you think. You don’t need to have “everything figured out”. Blogging is an ideal vehicle to draw on your unique experience, illustrate your expertise, share your thinking, and make notes of your professional development and studies. Blogging enables you to highlight your unique value, point of difference, opinion, methodology, and background story.

Blogging leads your marketing plan

I teach my clients to use their blog to lead their marketing plan, with long-form, in-depth, quality content that gives focus to each month. Your blog can lead your email marketing, promotions, and social media marketing.

This Blogging for Business course covers:

  • Determining the hot topics and burning questions that your prospects are searching for right now so that you can answer their questions and spark inquires.
  • How to ensure your website ranks for the most profitable key phrases that your prospects are using.
  • How to fuel your creativity to help make writing a joy, not a chore, so you can take this skill into other areas of your business, including emails and email newsletters, marketing copy and sales page writing.
  • Establishing your professional reputation through sharing your insights, approach and opinions in a way which is engaging, relevant, useful and meaningful to clients and prospects.
  • Using business blogging to sell by connecting the dots between where your prospective clients are in their journey towards purchasing, so that you can ask for the sale without coming across like a singer jumping out of a giant birthday cake (surprise!!!!).
  • The secret to creating anticipation, intrigue and desire, even when you’re feeling as inspired as cold toast.
  • Quick editing tips which anyone can use to turn ‘meh’ into ‘wow!’
  • Headlines and hooks that make clicking (or opening) inevitable.
  • An insider’s look at my actual writing process, step-by-step (no, I don’t have copious amounts of time in which to write! Far from it.)
  • Building your email list through your business blogging.
  • A live demonstration of publishing a blog post, including how to source stock photography you can use (without being sued and without paying a bomb).
  • How to expand your network and publicise your business, naturally and easily, through guest blogging, collaborations and public relations.
  • Social media scheduling checklist to ensure your blogs are promoted, quickly and effectively, without getting sucked into the social-media-space-time-vortex.

 

Learn, then write.

Like all our training courses and programs, Blogging for Business is not a passive course where I talk incessantly, you take notes, and then you return to work, putting your notes to one side, where they gather dust, and nothing changes.

You’ll leave the course with almost 12 months’ of blog topics, headlines and outlines to get stuck into.

Together, we’ll work through brainstorming, writing and editing exercises.

You won’t be required to share your writing if you don’t want to. But if you enjoy creative brainstorming with your peers, there’ll be ample opportunity to bounce creative ideas around and receive specific feedback from me and other participants.

We’ll examine blog case studies, looking at how and why they work, and where you might apply some bright ideas to your business blog. You’ll learn how to identify and embrace your particular approach and put personality into your blogging (your personality, not somebody else’s).

Most importantly, you’ll have the tools and techniques to keep blogging and to enjoy the creative process. Who knows? You may even find yourself a mafia of like-minded awesome folk to help widen your business network.

I felt like I knew Brook before I walked in the door – that’s how effective her writing and marketing is. This course gave me a head full of new and different ways to get my unique message out there. My first blog post after the course had my largest reach and response ever! I wish the day was longer.

Caroline Giles, Experience Yoga

Brook’s course on Blogging for Business was a really worthwhile investment of time and money. The day was practical, fast paced and delivered lots of ideas that I could apply immediately. I recommend it! 

Richard Woodward, Business Development That Works

Brook’s course gave me surprisingly more insight, confidence, tips, and ideas than I could’ve thought possible in one day, especially as this was a new world to me.

There was plenty discussed about business that went beyond blogging.
Anyone – new or experienced in small business – can learn this. Get in there!”

– Johanna Jarvis, ABC Radio

I gained an enormous understanding of how blogging can benefit my work. The pace moved quick enough so that we actually created a lot of work, but Brook generously supported us throughout so I didn’t feel overwhelmed. I would highly recommend this course, regardless of your level, to get the creative juices flowing!

– Naomi Terese, Fat and Skinny Catering

Common questions about Blogging for Business

“Who comes to these courses?”

Over the last five years that I’ve run this course, we’ve had lots of participants from the health and creative sectors, including yoga and Pilates teachers, psychologists and therapists, copy writers (yes, true) and graphic designers, trainers, speakers, coaches and consultants. We also get the occasional marketing professional who’s seeking inspiration and fresh ideas. Most course attendees are either sole traders or small business owners.

“I can’t write. Is there hope for me?”

Strike “I can’t write” from your brain. I share the quickest and most effective brainstorming and writing techniques around, with plenty of opportunity to work on these exercises and put metaphorical pen to paper (most people bring their laptops). And let’s remember, we’re blogging for business, we’re not writing War and Peace. There’s a tried-and-tested formula, which can be taught. Your ideas and business strategy are the most important things.

“Will you show me how to set up a business blog?”

No, we’re assuming you already have a website and blog set up and running. However, we will be talking about the different blogging platforms so if you don’t yet have a business blog, you’ll gain invaluable insights to get started. Plus, I’ll be giving a live demonstration, publishing an original blog post on this website, which is built on the WordPress platform, during the course. You’ll see just how quick and easy it can be to find an appropriate image, publish your post, and optimise it for Google.

“Can’t I just skip blogging and focus on social media instead?”

Facebook and other social media sites have been called ‘micro blogging’ sites but, unlike social media channels, your business blog is entirely owned by you and within your control. Doing only social media marketing without blogging is highly risky. Plus, blogging helps with your social media and will make this far more focused and strategic.

“Will this course improve my writing?”

Yes indeed. Everyone writes every day. As a business owner, you write emails, social media posts, instructions, mass emails for marketing, website copy, marketing copy and so much more. This course teaches the fundamentals of what makes writing provocative so that your ideal client is compelled to action.

“I don’t have a lot of time. Will you teach me how to write quickly?”

Yessir. In the last 15 years that I’ve been working in digital communications and the last twelve years of self-employment, I’ve learnt plenty of short-cuts for how to brainstorm and write quickly. Your business blog doesn’t take any more time than what you’re currently spending on social media or answering queries from potential clients and should significantly reduce your need to respond to customer service inquiries as well as prospect calls. All my clients are small business owners so I know you don’t have a lot of time, or a large team to delegate to.

“Will I be put on the spot, forced to share my writing at the front of the room?”

No way! This is not a real life nightmare hangover from school. Nobody will be reading from the front of the room except me. However, you’ll have ample opportunity to get feedback on your writing and editing but this isn’t mandatory.

“Will you teach me how to monetise my blog?”

No. This course assumes you already have a business, with services or goods for sale. I teach how to use business blogging as a marketing technique, to build your authority, inspire trust, enhance credibility, iprove your website ranking, increase your brand visibility and, ultimately, sell more effectively. There are plenty of courses out there teaching you how to monetise your blog. This is not one of them.

“Will blogging help my search engine ranking?”

You better believe it. Strategic and smart blogging for business is a great method to increase your search engine ranking, and I’ll show you how. Not only will we explore how to find out what your prospects are already searching for, but I’ll show you how to enhance your ranking after your post is published by making it irresistible to others who want to link to it.

“I attended this course because I was a terrible blogger. My blogs would always start off like a ‘dear diary’ with an apology for not having blogged. I could read Brook’s personality in her writing and got the feeling that she would deliver the information in a way that I could enjoy, relate to and really benefit from.  The day was fantastic. Brook’s teaching pace was perfect, class participation was encouraged but I never felt like I was put on the spot so there was no anxiety. Brook’s knowledge on the topics covered was amazing and up-to-date with current trends in online marketing.  Throughout the day, Brook was put on the spot with questions specific to different people’s businesses and she’d quickly come up with a new approach to use for each scenario.  The course made me realise that I do have interesting things to write about that will intrigue my audience. Blogging is essential for a small business like mine.  The course gave me the confidence to write again – learning how to start again when you’ve a bad case of writer’s block was invaluable. I still have so much more to implement from the course but even after the first few blogs I’ve written since, I’ve had many people contact me personally and tell me they really enjoyed reading them. It’s reignited my writing passion.” 

Emily Becher, Emily Becher Jewellery

I got so much more than I expected from this course!  Inspiration to write, to be daring, insight into exactly who I wanted to attract to my business, and contacts to help me beyond the course. This course blew my mind and has me excited about the future of my business.

Kelli Howard Yoga & Massage

About the presenter
Brook McCarthy

I’m Brook McCarthy. I’ve been blogging for clients, from large multi-nationals to small and micro businesses since 2005, and working for myself since 2008. My specialty is health and wellbeing, but I’ve also enjoyed a stint as editor of the Australian Builders’ Association magazine, and know far more about white goods than I care to admit. (See more about my writing here, or check out my business blogs here and here.)

Since 2012, I’ve run face-to-face courses on digital marketing for business owners around Australia, for those in the health and creative sectors. Course participants come away feeling inspired and empowered with the knowledge, tools and attitude to combine creativity with smart business strategy. Writing is a ripe opportunity that all businesses have, to differentiate themselves, to be creative and have fun, and use low- or no-cost tech tools such as blogging and social media, to compel inquiries, brand recognition, and sales.

Course outcomes:

  • Choose your blog categories.
  • 12 months worth of blog topics, sorted.
  • Understand what makes a great headline and leave with a swag of these, done.
  • Understand how to quickly and easily optimise your blog post for Google, with a take-home checklist.
  • Understand the key elements of how to put together a multi-part blogging strategy to sell something.
  • Learn how to quickly and easily structure a blog post and write a blog shell in five minutes.
  • Know exactly where to go to seek inspiration and ideas.
  • Get clear on your insights, approach and opinions to position yourself as an expert or leader.
  • Understand how to build your email list through your business blogging.
  • Our highly useful social media scheduling checklist will ensure your blogs can be promoted, quickly and effectively.
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Register your interest in this course

Register your interest below to be the first to know once a new course date is set. You’ll only be emailed about the specific course that you’ve indicated interest in, unless you opt into our email broadcast list, below.

Which course are you interested in?
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Where is this course?

This is a live online training course. 

How do I sign up?

I run my courses on the basis of each course interest list, so the best way to ensure that the course will run soon is to register your interest in the form on this page.

Who is this for?

This course is general to intermediate. If you’ve already got a website and blog set up that’s great, if not, you’ll gain valuble insights into where to get started. 

Why are you the right person to help me?

I’ve been self employed since 2008 and i’ve been working in Public relations for more than 16 years and always worked with small businesses. My courses are a result of years spent in the trenches, helping small business owners across all sectors and industries, to create compelling marketing and widen their reach.

What will I walk away with?

Once you complete this course you’ll have 12 months of blog topics ready to go. You’ll know how to optimise you post fro google, understand how to build you email list and know how to ensure your blog posts are seen on social media.

Will you teach me how to monetise my blog?

No. This course assumes you already have a business, with services or goods for sale. I teach how to use business blogging as a marketing technique, to build your authority, inspire trust, enhance credibility, iprove your website ranking, increase your brand visibility and, ultimately, sell more effectively. There are plenty of courses out there teaching you how to monetise your blog. This is not one of them.

What kinds of business owners is this for?

We specialise in values-based service businesses. Our clients are consultants, coaches, teachers, health professionals, therapists, creatives.

Most are online business owners, though some have staff and bricks-and-mortar businesses. All are keen on no-fluff, no-hype, highly practical and actionable education that doesn’t treat you like a fool.

How long will I have access to this course

You’ll have lifetime acces to the live recordings

What if I miss a session?

Don’t worry, I’ll upload the live session recording within 24 hours that you can keep forever. It is best to try and attend the live class if you can so that you get on-the-spot feedback from me.

I'm a bad writer. Can you still help me?

Strike “I can’t write” from your brain. I share the quickest and most effective brainstorming and writing techniques around, with plenty of opportunity to work on these exercises and put metaphorical pen to paper (most people bring their laptops). And let’s remember, we’re blogging for business, we’re not writing War and Peace. There’s a tried-and-tested formula, which can be taught. Your ideas and business strategy are the most important things.

Is there anything I should do before the course?

I like you already! Once you register and pay for your spot, you’ll get immediate access to the homework preparation exercise to ensure that you’re best placed to get the most out of the course.