Sometimes I like to use real questions from my clients and colleagues as a basis for a blog post. Today is one of those times. This morning I received a question from a “part time client” of mine. I use the term “part time” because this particular client, an internet marketer, has used my services sporadically over the past two years. To clarify, I have my regular client base that consists of individuals and businesses who have me create compelling, intelligent SEO web content for them on a regular, ongoing basis. These clients have enjoyed a steady climb in Google rankings, increased traffic, and a nice addition to their bottom line (and have been immune to the numerous Google algorithm changes).

Then, I have my part-timers. These individuals pop up and purchase a set of 5 or 10 articles every few months, disappear for a good long while, and then reappear again. Now, that’s just fine with me. I will take assignments any way you want to give them to me….but, the question that was asked made me realize that a “here and there” article marketing campaign may not be as beneficial as what my steady clients are enjoying. Ok, so here is the question:

I really LOVE your writing.  I think you have a ton of talent, but your prices are becoming unaffordable for me. I still need a ton more articles written, therefore do you know of any other inexpensive options out there?

Before responding to the email I stopped and thought about it for a while. None of my steady clients ever talk about prices or the cost factor. In fact, one of my real estate clients told me just last year that he thought I should charge more for my work (thanks David!). Another online entrepreneur who I greatly admire suggested the same. Finally, and almost reluctantly, I raised my prices just a smidge. Five dollars per post to be exact. None of my clients said a word, and I didn’t lose any of them. In fact, my workload has done nothing but increase.

Thank You Google, for the Constant Algorithm Changes…No, Seriously

Now, with the recent changes in Google’s algorithm (and with many more on the horizon), it’s no time to play around with content. A snappy website, stellar graphics, an impressive flash presentation…wonderful. But if the content on your site isn’t unique, engaging, and usable…well, all I can say is, good luck with that.

Truly talented writers have suffered enough during the brief period when web content spun from some foreign language, stuffed with keywords, and rambling on like a toddler with a mouthful of marbles would bring top Google rankings. Thank God for the changes in Google’s algorithm. It’s proof that there is some sanity out there. People want content that means something? Well, what will they think of next?…but I digress. Back to the question and answer thing.

My answer to my client’s question was simply this:

Do I know of any inexpensive options? Not really. Not if you want to receive quality and reliable work. The thing is, if you find someone who will write for, let’s say, $10 per article, they have to write 10 articles per day in order to make $500 per week, which is minimum survival.

Once a writer gets to that “hamster on a wheel” phase of writing as fast as they possibly can, quality is naturally compromised.

About an hour later, my client replied:

Yeah, I totally agree with you about quality. And that’s why I like your writing so much.

Will I lose this client as she takes the time to hunt through the scores of article churners to find someone less expensive than Writers-Elite? I don’t know…Maybe. But if she does, I know she will be back. How do I know? Because at Writers-Elite we don’t  spin and regurgitate. We carefully research the subject matter, find helpful and useful facts and interesting points of view…then we create intelligent, engaging, and often witty articles that people really want to read.

Bottom line? If writing is your passion (as it is mine) don’t drive your prices into the dirt. Don’t take something you love and something you are very good at and cheapen it. One well written, informative article has the potential to drive thousands of dollars to your client’s website. Remember that. A $30 article that will bring in a $1,000 sale (or for my real estate clients a $3,000 commission) is well worth the investment.

So, you’ve come to the realization that a business blog is the next logical step for your business marketing strategy. First of all, congratulations! The business blog (or mini-website) is the perfect way to get noticed both locally, nationally and even internationally.

Why? Because Google loves blogs. And according to Matt Cutts, from Google’s spam department, if you’ve chosen WordPress as your blogging platform, you have automatically positioned yourself far above the rest of the individuals and businesses trying to gain top Google rankings. At the 2009 Word Camp in San Francisco, Matt gave an enlightening blogging strategy workshop. One of his first points was in recognition of the benefits of WordPress and the fact that this blogging platform is built to take care of 80-90% of the mechanics of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

So, you’ve made the perfect social media decision: Begin blogging to gain visibility for your business and you’ve chosen the perfect platform: WordPress

Now, that you’ve got a perfect beginning, let’s look at the recipe for creating a perfect blog post.

Why am I calling it a ‘recipe?’…because I like to cook. Okay, in all honesty I can spend hours on AllRecipes.com. I have my own account, I make recipe contributions to their website and I get abnormally excited about discovering a new dish. Along the way, I must admit that there are certain recipes that I consider to be perfect. One of them is my banana bread recipe. Now, I’ve tried other people’s recipes, but I always come back to the only one that has ever worked perfectly every time. I acquired it from a children’s cookbook that is now out of print and it is absolutely fool-proof. Never burnt on the outside and mushy in the middle, never dry–it’s perfect.

There is also a perfect recipe for blog posting. Whenever I use this recipe I get more traffic, more comments, and usually an email or two that eventually leads to new clients.  I’m going to share that recipe with you now. Keep it safe, because it really does work…every time, just like my banana bread recipe.

The Perfect Blog Recipe

1. Blog Post Headline: This one ingredient can either help catapult your post into a virtual buzz of interest or cause it to quickly die in the murky waters of ho-hum blogging.

Tips: Your title should fit in a Twitter tweet, so 110 characters or less will leave plenty of room for retweets. Also, titles that contain numbers, such as “The top 5 ways to….” or “The 10 best” work incredibly well.

2. Have a Point
Telling short side anecdotes is fine and can increase interest. It shows that you have a personality, but ultimately you must stick to one main point. Your post should address a concern, refute a popular idea, provide an answer, solve a problem, etc.

3. Search Terms or Keywords
In light of the subject of your blog as a whole, along with the main point of your post, figure out one or two popular key phrases that a person looking for your information would type into a Google search. Once you have them figured out, be sure to include these keyword phrases in your blog approximately 3-4 times throughout the post.

4. Bold Subheadings
Break up long passages and multiple paragraphs with subheadings. This is a general ‘best practice’ for web readers who like to scan articles for main points of interest. Using bullet points also helps.

5. Include an Image
Unique and thoughtfully chosen photos and images greatly increase the readability and of your blog posts. People like pictures. Your blog should not be boring.

6. Authority
If you are making statements in your posts, you can immediately add value to your post and increase your credibility with your readers by linking directly to trusted resources that will provide proof of your claims. In the first paragraph of this post I mentioned a quote by Matt Cutts. In order to add authority to my claim, I added the direct link to the video of his seminar. By doing so, your readers will trust you and also look to you as a provider of excellent resources.

Don’t worry about losing readers by linking to other sites. When you provide valuable resources your readers will come to you again and again as a source of information.

7. Call to Action
Always try to end posts with a question that will generate more comments or some other call to action. The more engaged your readers become, the more followers and subscribers you will have.

If you have found this recipe for the perfect blog post useful, or if you have additional tips, please leave a comment and let us know!

If you submit articles to Associated Content or EzineArticles to drive traffic to your blog or website, here are a few little cheating tips that will optimize your efforts in a BIG WAY.

Well, okay the methods don’t actually involve cheating, but they do use Associated Content and EzineArticle in such a way that will cause you to receive the most page views possible for your article submissions. Now that’s good news!

Here’s the deal. What if I told you, if you were to change just three small things, your article submissions would become supercharged? That would be cool.

And keep in mind that you’re not going to break any rules, not even one, by using these three methods. Ready to follow along and optimize your article submissions? Good.

1.  The first optimization trick that will drive traffic to your blog is so simple that you’ll wonder why you didn’t see it. Whenever you publish a piece on Associated Content, you’re required to place something in the “descriptive overview” box, right after the subtitle. Don’t strain your brain trying to write your description–The best thing to put in that spot  is  the first 150 to 200 characters of your article. Easy as pie.

It doesn’t ‘look’ redundant to anyone, because that field appears on your Content Producer Page. But spiders “recognize” it!

Those wonderful programs (lovingly called spiders), who are sent over with every inquiry on every search engine only see the patterns and/or instructions of what they’re programmed to.

Bottom line when you are writing, make your article reader friendly AND spider-friendly. All of your work is pretty pointless if you don’t.

2.  The second happy little trick to optimize your article submissions should be used when writing or your own blog or website as well as Associated Content or EzineArticle. This one involves a couple of tools. Since we now know that we need to please the spiders as well as the visitors, counting keywords in our articles is absolutely vital. Counting cards may get you kicked out of Vegas, but counting keywords will drive traffic and sales right to your door with your article submissions. A lot of us try to determine keyword density by counting the words ourselves, just by skimming over the article. If that’s you, stop now… There are free tools to do that for you silly!

The absolute BEST tool to use for this is Textalyser. It’s free and fast. I’ve used other programs, but the feature that sets Textalyser apart is that it not only counts your individual keywords, it also determines your keyword phrases, which is much more important. It also calculates the keyword density percentage. Just copy and paste the body of your text into the program and let the analysis begin…

A rule of thumb is to keep your unique keyword phrases at about 6% keyword density.

The easiest way to do this is to place your best keyword phrase in the title, the subtitle (if applicable), and twice in both the opening, and closing paragraphs, as well as every 100-200 words, within the body. (Don’t forget to name your image with one of your keyword phrases…yes, spiders crawl your photos too)

Also, in order to find the best (most searched) keyword phrases, use Google’s free keyword tool and refer to my Ninja tutorial on exactly how to use it. Okay, your article submissions are almost supercharged…

3.  Here’s the final, vital, non-negotiable step to your article optimization campaign. This is the part that really makes the other two steps take off. This is also the part that most people question, or  just plain ‘don’t get.’

Ready? Here it is: Promote other people’s work. In fact, promote the websites of others at least three times as often as you do your own.

That means for every link of your own that you post, you should put at least three links to the valid and reliable works of others (including entire subject categories) out there too. Why? To be nice? No, it’s so much more than that.

If you’re linking to only your own work in blogs, social networking sites, and other places, Google’s spiders will see you as probable spam. (Yep, you got that right) You’re quite literally pulling the rug out from under yourself if you don’t link to other sites and promote other writer’s work.

By posting just your own stuff you’re actually hurting your Google Ranking by being to pushy. Yes, the Google Police can quantify “pushy.” Amazing. Huh? When you build your own little kingdom of niche blogs, linking to ONLY each other, your little world will remain unnoticed.

So use your blogs and your article submissions to lead to others sites as well as your own. It will help your rankings, you will see.

Does all of this sound like work? Of course it is. But keeping your eye on the bigger picture, if you are going to write the articles, you should take the time to do them correctly. Only by optimizing your article submissions will you be able to generate enough traffic to  lead people to your sales page or back to your own website.

Lastly, keep in mind that none of these methods will work as well alone as they will together. You should do all three to really see the benefits.

There you have it,  your three little cheating tips (that don’t really involve any cheating) to optimize your article submissions like a madman, or a Ninja, or whatever cool thing you wish you were…

Part I – Keyword Optimization

So, what exactly is keyword optimization? Using one sentence for an answer– Keyword optimization can be defined as using the right words in the right places.

How Do I Achieve Page One Rankings?

If you’re involved in SEO, you’ve undoubtedly heard this question a lot. Unfortunately, an exact, step-by-step formula doesn’t exist, but there are certain ‘best practices’ you can implement to give you a clear advantage over your competition.

Your first step to page one rankings involve the keywords and keyword phrases used in your web content.

Keyword Optimization Best Practices – Remember, like I said–nothing is set in stone, but here are the basics that generally stay the same:

• Title: Clever titles are so tempting, especially for an intelligent, creative freelance writer. Trust me on this one and use the main keyword phrase that you are trying to rank for in your title. Best case scenario: Use the exact keyword phrase as the first words of the title without any filler words in between.

• Meta Description:  The Meta Description is the little blurb that appears right after the title. It should be kept to 160 characters or less and although the description doesn’t directly affect rankings, a good description will increase click-through rates.  Increased traffic is what you are ultimately after, so it’s a vital part of optimization.

• Keyword Location:  For best results, the targeted keyword phrase should ideally be used within the first fifty words of the content. The engines do seem to show preference for pages that use keywords early on in the text.

• Keyword Density: This is an important one. Web content needs to strike the proper balance between valuable content and including important keywords. Targeted keyword phrases should not sound unnatural and they shouldn’t be used more than 9%. Once in the title, once in the first 50 words and two to three times in the body of a 500-600 word article is just fine. If you are relatively new to keyword optimization, there are plenty of tips and tactics that are clearly against Google’s rules and can actually hurt your site. Tactics such as ‘keyword stuffing’ and invisible text to ad keywords are deceitful and should not be considered.

• H1 Headline: Although there are varying viewpoints regarding the importance of H1 Headlines, it is still considered to be best practice. Include the keyword phrase in the headline.

• Image Filename:  Traffic from images has become quite important in search strategies. Be sure to optimize by naming your images by using proper targeted keywords.

• Alt Attribute for Images: This little gem carries much more search engine juice than you would think. Many studies have proven it to play a big part in rankings. Along with the image filename, use the alt attribute for images with the targeted keywords as the tag.

• Bolding or Italicizing Keyword Phrases: On a scale of one to ten for importance, this one isn’t that high–maybe a two. It certainly stands to reason that every little bit helps. It is recommended to use the keyword phrase in bold at least once in the content.

The Perfect Balance

Although it is so easy to implement these simple practices, we don’t always do it. Like I mentioned earlier in the post, sometimes our creativity does something to us that fogs our brain and causes us to completely ignore these simple tactics for keywords.

In addition to these strategies, always remember that your content must be intelligent, valuable and compelling. Useful information will attract a following that will keep your visitors coming back for more.  Remember, striking that balance is the key to ideal page optimization.

PORTRAIT OF AN ACHIEVER

Failed in Business – Bankruptcy, 1831

Defeated for Legislature, 1832

Sweetheart/Fiancée Dies, 1835

Nervous Breakdown, 1836

Defeated in Election, 1836

Defeated for U.S. Congress, 1843

Defeated again for U.S. Congress 1846

Defeated once again for U.S. Congress, 1848

Defeated for U.S. Senate, 1855

Defeated for U.S Vice President, 1856

Defeated again for U.S. Senate, 1858

ABRAHAM LINCOLN Elected President of the U.S.A., 1860

“You can not fail…unless you quit”
-Abraham Lincoln

Truly, I mean no disrespect by the title of this page. But, it is certainly true…I’ve always been in awe of what determined people who had a difficult time being “normal” could accomplish. More often than not, their accomplishments were astounding.

If you need some inspiration to get your business rolling, or are experiencing the “poor me” syndrome, these people had a bit more to deal with than that.

Most on my list have suffered with severe bipolar disorder or suicidal tendencies, and yet the gift of leadership or creativity could not be stifled. I’ve learned much about success from the following examples:

Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States suffered from severe and debilitating and on occasion suicidal depressions, as recorded by Carl Sandburg in his comprehensive six-volume biographical analysis of his life. “A tendency to melancholy” Lincoln once wrote in a letter to a friend, “…let it be observed, is a misfortune, not a fault.” The most amazing part of his story was the sheer determination with which he willed himself to overcome his serious affliction and still achieve all he was able to achieve for our young and troubled nation, at war with itself. Experiencing failure and defeat for years of running for office and losing, and then dealing with the death of his sweetheart, Lincoln rose from the ashes and after a complete mental breakdown, became the President of the United States.

Winston Churchill The quote “Had he been a stable and equable man, he could never have inspired the nation.” was written by Anthony Storr about Churchill’s bipolar mood disorder, which he battled throughout his life. His accomplishments were astounding, and yet he fought a private battle. His sons openly spoke in a biography about his times of increased energy and creativity which soon turned into a dark depression and melancholy state. Refusing to let his disorder stop him, Churchill is known for his iron will, courage, and fearless behavior during impossible circumstances.

Ludwig van Beethoven wrote  “…my misfortune pains me doubly, in as much as it leads to my being misjudged. For me there can be no relaxation in human society; no refined conversations, no mutual confidences. I must live quite alone and may creep into society only as often as sheer necessity demands; I must live like an outcast. If I appear in company I am overcome by a burning anxiety, a fear that I am running the risk of letting people notice my condition…such experiences almost made me despair, and I was on the point of putting an end to my life – the only thing that held me back was my art. For indeed it seemed to me impossible to leave this world before I had produced all the works that I felt the urge to compose, and thus I have dragged on this miserable existence…”
- from Emily Anderson, The Letters of Beethoven, Vol. 3.

So one of the greatest composers of all time dealt daily with the harsh reality of a mental illness that kept him a complete recluse. Still he went on, because the desire to succeed was greater than the desire to fail.

I can’t help but be immensely inspired by these people. There are more, but Abraham Lincoln will always be my favorite. I always want to know, what could a man possibly be thinking who experiences one defeat after another? What kind of determination is in a person who makes the internal decision that “failure is not an option?” Let this be a lesson to us all.

Never before have we had an opportunity to take a stand and make a real difference than today.

In 2009, an intelligently written, well researched, credible blog can touch a life, cause a profound decision to be made and ignite enough passion in the spirit of the reader to create real change. A blog can start a movement, define a dream or redirect a nation.

How does that begin?

With your first post…Never before has the average individual had the opportunity to have a voice or a platform like today. What is Social Media for? If you have to ask, you just don’t get it.

I’ve read hundreds of articles and blog posts surrounding the confusion of social media.

Twitter, FaceBook, Blogging and other forms of instant communication are the main topic of a million seminars and a wave of eBooks. Individuals can’t seem to grasp or wrap their mind around social media.

Social Media…What is it?

Well, to put it in proper perspective…let’s stop for a moment, realign ourselves and try to think like a real world changer. What do you think Martin Luther King Jr., William Wilberforce, or Nelson Mandela, would have done if they could have combined the platform of Social Media with their world changing passion?

Social Media is nothing more or nothing less than a tool in your hand and a soap box to stand on. Used with wisdom, it can allow your thoughts, your dream and your vision to permeate areas of our world you never thought possible. Now do you get it?

Of course, most people with any amount of passion allow it to die shortly after conception. Abandoned blogs and stagnant social media accounts litter the world wide web. And of course, not everyone is called to change the world, but I do believe that we are all called to find our purpose, discover our destiny and live it out to the best of our ability. If you can’t change the world, then touch one life, improve one neighborhood, give one child the opportunity to fulfill their dreams.

If you take a look at the majority of Tweet Streams, you will see the glaring reality of what our world has become. The shameful truth is this…given a platform, most of us will tweet about affiliate marketing schemes, get rich quick tactics, and MLMs. We always want to put the cart before the horse. Money, money, money…How can we make money? Our shallow aspirations are an embarrassment. Twitter has begun to look like some sort of cheesy carnival. Come see the freak show, the porn peddlars, the MLM pushers and those that guarantee your overnight success (for a mere 49.99).

Here’s an idea. View Social Media as a gift, a divine opportunity–and treat it as such. Use it to spread valuable information and to help the less fortunate. Is it okay to tweet about our business services? Of course it is, but let’s be realistic….Spam is spam is spam. No one cares about joining Donald Trump’s new money making scheme or joining your program that will bring 130,000 Twitter followers in 3 months. Can’t we stop and look at ourselves already?

It’s pretty pathetic…just saying.

Can your blog change the world? Of course it can, if the right person is behind the wheel, great things can and will be accomplished through the power of social media.

What is your online voice going to be known for? Pushing garbage or doing something worthwhile.

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count.  It’s the life in your years.” ~Abraham Lincoln

What is a Blog?

The word ‘blog’ is short for ‘web log’, which is a website where one can maintain a type of online journal to discuss the topic of their choosing. While the majority of blogs used to contain a writer’s personal thoughts, political views or provide a convenient place for large families to keep up with each other; blogging is now recognized as a vital part of  social media and business success.

What can a Business Blog Do for You?

Today’s professional blogs provide a way for a business to gain visibility, network, develop a following of potential clients and ultimately increase a company’s bottom line. By providing keyword saturated, fresh and relevant content to the public, a business can rise above its competitors by actively engaging with others through the use of a blog.

Getting Hits

The key to a flourishing blog is hits – and lots of them. The problem is that when you’re first starting out, you don’t have a lot of hits. You may not know how to set up a blog, what to write about or what voice to use. What can you do to solve this problem?  Hire a ghostwriter.

A ghostwriter can write through a variety of voices, posting to your blog as many times per week as you like. The more posting you have, the more key words you will have and the more times your blog will come up when those key words are searched. It naturally follows, of course, that the more traffic you generate to your site, the more unsolicited postings you will have, generating more popularity, and so on. It’s all about visibility and a business blog will get you there.

Making Money With a Blog

A successful blog – and by that, we mean a financially successful blog – is one that successfully reaches a specific audience of people, an audience generally referred to as a company’s  ‘target audience’. Decide who your target audience is and then use your blog accordingly. A ghostwriter can help develop the feel of your blog. Regardless of the audience, a blog should be written in a relaxed, conversational tone; as if you were speaking face-to-face with another individual. That’s what makes a blog different than a business website. Although a blog is intended to bring in new clients, it should add value to the reader’s lives without a hard sell.

If your company is Quaker Oats, then your blog is going to need health related content as well as a recipe section. A ‘cooking with your kids’ section can be developed and even a ‘craft corner’ that includes fun step-by-step projects that can be made from empty Quaker Oats Containers. These types of articles add value to families while giving a company increased visibility and a renewed relevance in the minds of the readers. Which oatmeal box will the readers of this blog instinctively reach for during their next shopping trip? Quaker Oats; because the reader has developed a positive connection with the company. In the reader’s mind, the oatmeal company cares about family…their family. The more personal and individualized a business blog is, the deeper the connection to the reader will become.

Can You Do This Yourself?

The idea of a business owner posting to his or her own blog is admirable, but highly impractical. Keeping one blog filled with interesting and engaging, key word rich content is a full time job. Hiring a ghostwriter who understands your company’s needs, where it wants to go and who it wants to reach is by far your best option.

Writers-elite offers ghost-blogging to every industry–from legal firms and product manufacturers to real estate agents and restaurant suppliers, we can provide the voice that will reach the broadest possible audience and bring them in with useful and timely information. Let our ghostwriting services bring the leads to your door. Call us or send an inquiry today. Our capable staff will provide you with a blogging blueprint that will include key word phrases and topics that should be covered in your business blog.

Contact us today for a personal quote. Most blog posts average at $18-20 per post, and it is well worth the price with the level of success you will reach by using a business blog as your means of social outreach.

If you are still at square one and in need of a domain name, web-hosting, and someone to set up your blog, we do the technical part as well. Our sister site, Custom Blog For Free handles all of the blog creation, set-up and initial optimization for the web. If you haven’t purchased your web hosting yet, check this site out first. For the price of regular web hosting, you can actually have your blog set up for free.

Whatever you do…go ahead and do it today! Here’s to success!

Owner: Robin Hale

Years in Business: Partnership Marketing is coming up on 10 years of service in the area of strategic business promotion. We are well-seasoned experts who know what the client is looking for.

Contact: editor@writers-elite.com or partnershipmktg@aol.com

Phone: 239-440-6856

As a recent guest of the Train With Shane radio broadcast, I was able to share some specifics about blogging and ghostwriting– and how keeping up with your blog posts can greatly help your business grow.

At Writer’s Elite We Believe in Undeniable Excellence

…Any Questions?

]]> http://www.writers-elite.com/2009/09/writers-elite-undeniable-excellence/feed/ 0 http://www.writers-elite.com/2009/09/ghostwriter-smart-business/ http://www.writers-elite.com/2009/09/ghostwriter-smart-business/#comments Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:08:02 +0000 robinana http://www.writers-elite.com/?p=212

I’ve read quite extensively regarding the ethics of using a ghostwriter for a website, blog or even a Twitter account. Some individuals have questioned the credibility of a business that would turn to such practices.

Before we set up our firing line, lets take a step back and look at the whole picture here. A business, any business, should strive for excellence in every area that falls under its umbrella of responsibility. Thinking this all the way through, one must come to the realization that certain businesses are branded by an idea, certain businesses are branded by a product, and certain businesses are branded by an individual–but they ALL must operate according to the same standards if they are to succeed. Right? … Right.

If that is true, then why is it that you don’t expect Colonel Sanders to fry your chicken wings or Sam Walton to help you find the new Coldplay CD, but you DO expect Guy Kawasaki to answer your emails. Business is business. Guy Kawasaki’s Internet Marketing presence is branded by a person…himself. But at the end of the day, he still has to do his accounting, attend a live seminar taping, pitch his materials and keep up with his appointments. Do you really think he is sitting in front of his computer all day, waiting to personally reply to the comment you left on his website? Well, wipe the sleep out of your eyes and come on over to reality. That’s not how it works.

Almost a decade ago, I was on staff at a fairly large church in Ocala, Florida. The pastor and staff were well known by all of the big Rhema preachers and we produced a weekly television broadcast along with owning and running our own radio station and private school. It was a fast paced, demanding atmosphere to work in–to say the least. But, I learned  more from working at that church than any business school could have ever taught me. Our pastor was awesome, Godly, beloved by the community and always sincere in his actions and motives. He also ran his businesses with the same amount of widom, drive and genious that I would expect from Donald Trump.

There was never a phone call unanswered, a misspelled word in any of his publications or a mark on any of the walls in the school. Even the chairs in the sanctuary were set at a precise distance from each other that was measured by a special stick the maintenance department had created. This was excellence to the tenth power. And do you know what? I have a secret to share with you…Get ready for this. Pastor Tim’s secretary answered all of his emails and written correspondence, most of the time without him even taking a glance at any of it. She would brief him on information that he needed to know, but would conduct herself with full authority to speak on his behalf…(gasp) Can you believe it? His secretary ‘ghost-answered’ his emails. Well of course she did. He was responsible for a church of over 5,000 members, a fully accredited  Academy (K-12th grade) and a radio station. He also authored numerous books and took frequent missions trips. Oh, and did I mention that he was a father of five children? Yes, and the church was never in the red, the staff was well paid, and everything went like clockwork, always.

Pastor Tim was the man behind the church. He was who everyone saw on TV and heard on the radio. But he could not have taken things to the level that he did without having the ability to do two powerful things:

• Number one– He was able to convey his mission, his vision and his way of thinking so completely to his staff, that they were able to make decisions on his behalf. Everyone knew what was expected and carried it out without diluting or putting their own personal spin on things.
• Number two– He was able to let go and trust his people to carry out the vision.

If you can’t wrap your mind around using a ghost writer or a ghost blogger to bring your voice and your brand value to a target audience because you feel it isn’t ethical, then don’t expect to grow beyond the limited number of tasks that you can accomplish on your own. People follow Guy Kawasaki because he is an influential leader in his industry. If he is so limited that he can’t properly convey his mission statement to a ghost-tweeter whom he employs to speak on his behalf, then Houston; we’ve got a problem.

Ghost writers, bloggers, and even ghost tweeters are valid resources that will clear your plate and allow you to further carry out the plan and growth of your business. The only logical argument against hiring a ghostwriter is when a business tries to cut corners and sacrifices their very reputation by employing writers who can’t even put two sentences together correctly. I’ve seen this happen all too often. The way around this pitfall is pretty simple, don’t hire someone who writes $5.00 articles. If you do, you’re going to GET $5.00 articles. I know fellow writers who are extremely talented, but have lowered their standards and have begun to write for low pay. If your writer is turning out $5 or $10 articles then guess what?–They are feverishly trying to complete ten or more per day so they can make ends meet. Do you want your blog posts written by someone who wrote it in fifteen minutes or less? I know I don’t. Bottom line, you get what you pay for…Yes, it was true last year, it was true a decade ago, and it’s true today.

If you are thinking about using a ghost blogger, you are thinking correctly…It logically flows in the growth process of any business or industry. You are not a one man band. Just be sure that when you do hire a writer, you do so with care. Don’t compromise your standards. If you are going to spend your time building a business, then do it correctly. Using intelligent and talented writers to properly convey your thoughts and bring value to your industry is just plain smart business.

Here, at Writers-Elite, we provide Business Blogging and Website  Content Management Services to some of the largest corporations in the United States. We also know how to cater to the small business owner who needs to make his mark in the Social Networking scene. From local search to international exposure, your image is our concern. Please contact us today to learn more about our Business Blogging and Social Media services. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that our level of excellence and attention to your needs comes with an extremely reasonable price tag.

Robin Hale

239-440-6856

Partnershipmktg@aol.com

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