business blogging Archives - Jenny Rose Spaudo - Freelance Copywriter and Content Marketer

business blogging

Blogging
One Simple Trick to Triple Your Blog Traffic
- December 30, 2020
- 0 comments
- by Jenny Rose Spaudo
Any small business with a blog has a few key goals they strive for. And one of those is increasing their blog traffic.

But what if I told you there was a simple trick that could triple your blog traffic? (Without hours of extra promo work…)

You might call me crazy, but I watched it happen with one of my clients.

This client recently launched their blog, so they’re still testing what’s working and what’s not.

But there was one blog post I wrote for them that got 3 times more traffic than almost any of their other articles. Yes, you read that correctly—three times!

And not only that, but when we promoted that blog to their email list, we got a click rate of 11.4%! (If you look at that and think, OK, so what?, then I should mention that the average click rate for this client’s industry is 2-3%.)

My client’s audience was gobbling this content up.

But why?

Well, it started with that one simple trick I promised to tell you. And I won’t make you wait any longer.

Triple Your Blog Traffic by Writing About Your Ideal Client’s Burning Questions

After analyzing the blog and the sharing methods, I realized that what made this blog post get triple the average number of page views was simply … the topic.

Not the topic in general, which was bookkeeping. The blog post itself answered a burning question that my client’s ideal customer had.

This client is a bookkeeping/accounting business that serves other small businesses.

Turns out, many of their readers are confused about how to pay themselves correctly.

Yep. It wasn’t a sexy topic. It was actually pretty boring: “How to Pay Yourself as a Small Business Owner (And What Not to Do).”

But that’s not boring to a small-business owner. That’s a huge question they have! No solopreneur or boutique shop owner wants to find themselves in hot water with the IRS because they’ve been paying themselves incorrectly.

And there you have it … a high-traffic blog post.

How to Discover Your Readers’ Burning Questions

So let’s turn this around and apply it to your blog…

Start by thinking about your current clients.

What questions do they ask you most often?

What concerns do they have regarding your niche?

What fears compel them to seek out the answers to their questions?

That’s what you need to be blogging about.

If you’re not sure how to answer that list of questions (or if you haven’t been in business long enough to get to know your clients), don’t worry. There are still things you can do to dig up the answers.
- Ask around on social media
- Ask your email list
- Ask other entrepreneurs in your space
- Poke around on other blogs in your niche
For that last tip, keep an eye out for their most popular blog posts and note the topics/questions that drive those posts. Don’t copy their topics exactly, of course, but you can use those popular blogs as inspiration for a new topic for your own posts.

Triple Your Blog Traffic With a Solid Headline

A perfect topic is the foundation for a viral blog post. But you still need to write a great headline to get that precious traffic you crave.

I’ve written several blog posts about how to write compelling headlines and quick tips to improve your blog headlines asap.

But the biggest tip I can give you right now is simply this:

Make your promise as clear as possible.

Don’t hide your topic behind fancy schmancy words. And be careful with too much mystery.

If you have a blog post that touches on a topic your audience really cares about, then the best thing you can do is make it as clear as day how your blog post will benefit them.

Recall the headline for the article I wrote for my client: “How to Pay Yourself as a Small Business Owner (And What Not to Do).”

There’s no razzle dazzle to that headline. It’s really not that much to look at. But if you’ve been confused about how to pay yourself correctly as a small business owner, then you know that blog post is for you.

Of course, topics that work for my client won’t necessarily work for you. That’s why you have to get out there and get to know your readers! Then, try out different topics on your blog and see what resonates most. In no time, you’ll be on your way to triple your blog traffic.

So get out there and start writing!

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Social Media
How to Use Instagram for Business: A Beginner’s Guide
- August 12, 2020
- 0 comments
- by Jenny Rose Spaudo
Instagram is growing like crazy and showing no signs of stopping! And with 81% of its users researching products and brands on Instagram, you can’t afford not to know how to use Instagram for business!
Here are some other stats about Instagram you should know:
- About 1 billion people use Instagram each month.
- 63% of users log in to Instagram at least once per day.
- Users spend an average of 28 minutes on Instagram every day.
You probably already know this, but Instagram is a highly visual platform. As a result, it lets you showcase your brand, your services and your products. And it helps you connect with your audience on a more personal level.
But chances are, your business isn’t as active on Instagram as it should be. For many entrepreneurs, it’s because learning how to use Instagram and get comfortable with it takes time and research—and who has the bandwidth for that?
Well, allow me to introduce you to the basics of Instagram to help you get started. It’s not nearly as scary as it sounds, I promise!
Just by learning these basics, you can get started with regularly posting to Instagram and growing your following.
So in this article, I’m walking you through…
1. Why you need a business profile and how to set that up
2. How to publish posts on Instagram
3. Ways to grow your following
4. How to use hashtags the right way
How to Use Instagram for Business: Set Up Your Business Profile
Setting up your business profile is the first step to using Instagram for your business.
One common question people ask is: Do I really need a business profile? Can’t I just use my personal one?
Well, sure, you can. But there are several compelling reasons why you should get a business profile instead.
Why You Need a Business Profile
1. Analytics and Insights
When you have a business profile on Instagram, you have access to analytics data. This lets you see how many people have followed you or unfollowed you in the last week, how big your reach is on your posts and stories, how many actions people have taken (profile clicks or website clicks), and more.
2. Add a Contact Button
You can’t add a contact button if your profile is personal. Contact buttons offer an easy way for potential clients and customers to reach out to you (say, via email). This makes it a great way to build relationships off the IG platform.
3. Add Links on Instagram Stories
If you have over 10,000 followers, you can use the “Swipe Up” feature to take people to a landing page.
Many of us small-business owners aren’t quite there yet! But no matter your following size, you can still use the Swipe Up feature to lead to an IGTV video.
4. Can Advertise on Instagram
You should also know that you can’t advertise on Instagram without having a business profile. So if you ever want to run ads in the future, make sure you set the stage for them now.
How to Create a Business Profile
If you already have a business profile, feel free to skip this section!
You can either create a new account from scratch if you want to keep your personal profile separate from your professional one. To do that, go to your profile and click the “hamburger” (three lines) in the top-right corner. Then click “Settings” on the bottom.
Then scroll down a bit and select “Add Account.” It’s highlighted in blue so you can’t miss it!
The other way to set up a business profile is by converting your personal account into a business one.
Go to “Settings” again and select “Account.” Then scroll down to the bottom and click “Switch to Professional Account.”
Optimize Your Instagram Bio
If you want to attract the right following, you’ll want to optimize your bio. This is actually something a lot of businesses and freelancers forget to do!
Here’s how to make sure your bio immediately captures the attention of your ideal audience:
1. Use concise language that fits your brand.
You only get 150 characters in your bio. This is not the place to tell a long story. Get to the point and make it quick.
That said, though, you can still use words that convey your personality and your brand.
2. Use emojis to catch the eye.
A pop of color always catches attention. Using emojis will draw viewers’ eyes to your bio so they know what you’re all about!
3. Tell viewers right away what’s in it for them.
The first thing people want to know is what’s in it for them. I know it sounds selfish, but that’s just how it is. Because of that, you need to hook their attention immediately by telling them what they’re going to get out of following you.
You can do this by simply finishing this sentence: “I help [target audience] by [how you help them]…”
4. End with a call to action.
Tell your readers exactly what you want them to do. Do you want them to get your freebie? Email you for a quote? Browse your products on your website? Tell them!
5. Include a link.
I use Linktree, which lets you include multiple links. So when someone clicks that link, it takes them to a page (like the one below) that has multiple links on it. You can include links to your website, your product page, your lead magnet… whatever is relevant!
One thing you should know about Instagram is that it doesn’t allow you to include clickable links in your posts. (It’s not like Facebook…)
Because of that, you’ll want to promote your blog on Instagram with a graphic and then in the caption tell them that the link to the blog is in your bio.
By using Linktree, you can simply add your latest blog to the admin panel! Easy as pie.
Here’s my bio, in which I follow all five points listed above:
How to Use Instagram for Business: Creating Posts
Posting to Instagram is pretty simple from your phone. In fact, if you’re posting manually, the only way you can do it is through your phone. You can’t post to Instagram on your desktop unless you’re using a scheduler.
To get started, select the “+” button in the center at the bottom of your home page. Then choose the photo you want.
If you want to post multiple photos at once, click the layered icon and then select which photos you want.
Instagram will then give you the option to choose a filter. I’m not a huge fan of Instagram’s free filters, so I usually pass on this.
Then you can add your caption and your hashtags, tag people in the photo (if applicable), and tag your location. Now… hit Share!
How to Grow Your Following on Instagram
Growing a following of loyal and enthusiastic fans (and ideal clients!) requires two main ingredients:
1. Posting regularly
2. Using great hashtags
Posting Regularly to Grow Your Following
To get the most out of Instagram, I recommend posting at least 5-7 times per week. This is ideal for growing your following more quickly.
If growing your following as quickly isn’t as important to you, I suggest posting 3 times a week to simply maintain a brand presence on Instagram.
Make sure you are posting content that your audience cares about and that reveals the values behind your brand.
Grow With Hashtags
Using hashtags isn’t what it used to be. It used to be easier to grow substantially just by slapping hashtags on your post.
But it’s not like that anymore.
People don’t like seeing a flood of hashtags right next to your caption. And some hashtags are so popular that you don’t really have a chance of being discovered by using them.
But that doesn’t mean they’re not effective anymore!
To strategically use hashtags, I recommend mostly using ones that have 1 million posts or fewer. The reason is that super popular hashtags get so many posts that yours will quickly get buried in the flood.
That said, you can use 1-2 hashtags with 1 million or more, but I wouldn’t go beyond that.
How to Research Hashtags
So how do you know how popular a hashtag is? You can see how many posts a hashtag has by using the search bar.
As you can see below, #bestfriends isn’t the greatest hashtag to use because it has over 61,000,000 posts. But #greatfriendships is better to use since it has only 28,000 or so.
Finally, use hashtags relevant to your niche. Start by looking at the hashtags your competitors and ideal clients are using.
You can use up to 30 hashtags in each post. To add some space between the hashtags and the caption, I recommend either putting several lines of space (with periods, for instance) after the caption before putting in your hashtags or posting the hashtags as a comment.

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Another one of my favorite Bible verses! (And one I take seriously in my business.)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Have you ever caught yourself working to get admiration from other people … instead of working to honor God?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #jesuscalling #bibleverse #christianquotes #christianbusinessowner #christianbusinesscoach #christianmarketing #contentmarketingbusiness #christcentered #christcenteredlife #christcenteredbusiness #christianentrepreneur #womenoffaith #womensupportingwomen #motivation #spiritualencouragement #womenoffaithandprayer #waitonthelord #trustinjesus #christianmillennials #christianitytoday #livebyfaith #prayerworks #trustgodsplan #faithingod #faithinbusiness #marketingstrategytips #freelancewriter #jennyrosespaudo #contentmarketingconsultant #biztips

A post shared by Jenny Rose | Content Coach (@jenny.rose.spaudo) on Aug 5, 2020 at 8:01am PDT

Now You Know the Basics of How to Instagram for Business!
Hopefully, if you’re a total newbie to Instagram, this article gave you the basic info you need to get started. But I have to tell you … the best way to really learn Instagram is to simply use it regularly!
Make sure you read next week’s blog, where I’ll dive deeper into the 4 different kinds of posts you should use regularly on your business Instagram!
Happy posting!

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Blogging
Is This Common Blogging Mistake Sabotaging Your Business?
- June 23, 2020
- 0 comments
- by Jenny Rose Spaudo
Do you have a blog that’s not doing much for you? Well, chances are, you’re falling for a common blogging mistake that’s sabotaging you and your brand.
When I tell you what the mistake is, you’re going to furrow your brows at me and say, “What are you even talking about? I don’t do that!”
Well, maybe. Or maybe you do. But first, let me tell you what it is.
You’re treating your blog like a hobby.
Maybe you feel like you don’t do this. But… what if you do? And I’ve done this too, so don’t feel bad! It’s easy to slip into this mindset every so often.
Here are some symptoms that you’re treating your business like a hobby…
- You only write what you’re passionate about.
- You’re blogging only when you feel inspired.
- You blog inconsistently (This one is huge!)
- Your blogs aren’t resonating with your audience.
- Your blogs aren’t converting readers into subscribers.
I’ve said this a million times, but I’ll say it again: Blogging for your business is nothing like blogging for fun.
Now, don’t misunderstand me. I didn’t say “Blogging for your business isn’t fun.” I said it’s not the same as blogging for fun.
Blogging for fun means blogging about whatever you feel like—whenever you feel like it.
Why Is This a Blogging Mistake?
It’s a mistake because treating your business blog like a hobby undermines the core strength of a blog: consistency.
List-building guru Amy Porterfield says that consistency is what sets apart the entrepreneurs who are here to stay—and those who are simply a flash in the pan.
I have a feeling you and I are the type of entrepreneur who does not want to be simply a flash in the pan.
But consistency isn’t really the fun part of blogging. It’s not flashy or attractive. It’s… kind of boring sometimes.
Consistency means you blog even when you don’t feel like it, even when you don’t feel “inspired.”
That doesn’t sound very “fun,” but it does sound like a recipe for success!
The other reason treating your blog like a hobby actually sabotages your efforts is that it tricks you into writing about things that don’t actually move your business forward.
In other words, you’re blogging about whatever seems interesting to you instead of blogging according to a set strategy that you know will fuel your business with quality leads.
At best, this confuses people who come to your blog because they’re not exactly sure what you’re all about.
At worst, it repels the very people who could have become your ideal clients!
3 Tips to Combat This Blogging Mistake
So now that we’ve talked about why hobby blogging for your business is counterproductive, let’s discuss some action-packed ways to fix the problem.
(Again, this doesn’t mean your business blog can’t be a total blast! It really can be… when you do it right.)
1. Come up with a strategy.
Do your blogs push your ideal clients closer to buying your offer? When people are finished reading your blog, is your offer on their mind? Does your blog help them see why they need what you’re selling?
If not, now is the time to get strategic. Come up with a plan to write about topics that exacerbate your ideal clients’ pain points surrounding your offer.
If you offer made-for-you healthy meal plans, a blog about exercising or vitamins isn’t necessarily going to make people see the need for your offer as much as a blog about the financial benefits of planning a week’s worth of meals will.
See what I mean?
In my 1:1 coaching sessions, I help clients walk through this to come up with a strategy that’s tailor-fit for them. But hopefully these tips and examples are enough to at least get you thinking in the right direction!
2. Batch your content.
The easiest way to get behind on your blogging is by waiting till the last minute to do it.
No joke.
When I first started my blog, I was at least a month ahead! Then, as life’s duties overtook my time, I started getting less and less ahead… to the point that I was writing them the day before they were supposed to go up.
That’s when I started missing a week here. A week there. A week over yonder.
Yikes.
That’s why I highly recommend batching your content. If that phrase is new to you, all it means is that you schedule a set time on your calendar when you write multiple blogs at the same time.
This is especially helpful because when it comes to writing, it can take a little while to get into the flow of it. But once you’re there—wow, the words keep coming!
Your goal is to get in that flow. And why not use that flow as an opportunity to whip out 2 or 3 blogs?
The key is scheduling that time on your calendar and keeping your commitment to yourself.
3. Stay connected to your readers.
Always remember that your business blog is about your readers more than it is about you.
Are you writing about things they care about? Problems they’re facing? Issues that keep them up at night?
Are you using the language they use to describe their problems?
And are you writing with a desire to bless them?
I hope your answers to all those questions is a resounding “YES!” But if not, I encourage you to pray about this and ask God how you can better use your blog to help your audience.
God has given you a unique and beautiful message that He wants you to share with this world. Maybe it’s in how you teach or in services you offer or in products you make. Your blog is the tool you can use to spread that message.
Whatever it is … I pray you allow God this week to use your blog as a way to build your business—and His kingdom. 🙂
And hopefully this article gave you fresh ideas for fixing that common blogging mistake!
By the way… have we connected yet on Pinterest? If not, you can follow me here. And if today’s blog helped you in any way, please share it on your social media!

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Blogging
Why a Business Blog Is the Best Way to Grow Your Brand in 2020
- June 17, 2020
- 2 Comments
- by Jenny Rose Spaudo
Has the pandemic left you scratching your head, wondering how to effectively grow your business right now? Well then, let this sink in today: A business blog is still one of the cheapest, safest and most effective ways to promote your brand in 2020.

As this pandemic continues to wreak havoc on people’s health and the economy, many of us are looking for ways to save money and time. We know we still need to keep promoting our businesses to draw in fresh leads, but who can afford expensive ads right now?

We’re looking for cheaper ways to organically grow our businesses that don’t consume a ton of our precious time. (Because don’t let anyone tell you differently—your time is valuable.)

This is where blogging enters the picture. You may not feel like you’re a naturally gifted writer. Or you may think you truly don’t have the time. But I’m telling you: You don’t have the time not to blog.

Here’s why I’m so convinced blogging is one of the best ways to build your business right now:

A Business Blog Doesn’t Cost a Ton of Money to Get Started

Starting a blog costs $0 if you already have a website. After all, your website theme probably already has an option for you to host a blog. You just have to use it.

And on top of that, many plugins that you need for a blog (SEO, social media sharing, etc.) are completely free.

Now, if you don’t have a website, I do recommend you build one. (And no, you don’t have to be a professional coder or a tech genius to build a website.) Nowadays, you can easily set up a website and download a theme you like.

Getting your website up and running can cost you as little as $3.95 a month when you sign up for Bluehost. When you purchase Bluehost, you also get a free domain name for a year (that’s the URL people type in to go to your website) and a free SSL certificate (which tells people your site is safe to use).

Important Note: The link above is an affiliate link. That means if you click on it and end up purchasing Bluehost for your website, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. And just so you know, I only promote products I use and love. 🙂

If you don’t have a website and you really can’t start one right now, you can still “blog” on your social media with long-form posts. But I do highly recommend blogging on your own website. For starters, it looks much more professional.

And the other reasons? Well…

It’s Safer to Blog on ‘Your Own Property’

Here’s the ugly truth, my friend: You don’t own social media.

That means that when you make any social medium your blog’s home and post all of your messaging and promotion there, you are at the mercy of that platform.

Just yesterday, a fellow online entrepreneur shared his horror story of how Facebook shut down all his promotion for his online course. They deleted every one of his prior posts and blocked him from posting for at least 21 days. He said he felt “gutted” because he had put all of his course promotion on social media.

Chances are, this fellow business owner somehow broke Facebook’s promotional rules. But he’s not the only one who has accidentally done so. Social media platforms often have strict rules you need to follow when it comes to posting content for your business, and it’s easier to break them than you think.

The lesson here is clear.

You don’t own social media, but you do own your website. When you blog on your own website, you face far less danger of your hard work being deleted or shut down.

Plus, when you blog on your website, it’s like inviting your readers into your home. When someone reads your blog on your own site, it lets them see a clearer picture of who you are and what you do. In some ways, it fosters a deeper connection between you and them.

The last reason I highly suggest you use your own website to host your blog is that it gives you way more opportunities to lead readers into your sales funnel as you promote your lead magnet on your site.

Blogging Lets Readers Consume Your Content at Their Own Pace

People often don’t have time to listen to an entire podcast or watch an entire video, especially now during the pandemic. Studies show that during COVID-19, time watching TV and on social media is up. Meanwhile, though, some studies suggest that podcast listenership dipped after the coronavirus struck.

With people spending more time on their phones and computers, they have more time at least to skim your blog post. If what they see fascinates them, they can save it and go back to it later.

Or if they have more time on their hands, they can binge-read your blog to easily find the info they’re looking for.

A Business Blog Gives Better Opportunity for SEO and Backlinks

This is a huge reason why I love blogs.

With blogs, you can optimize for SEO, link to credible resources and link to other pages on your site.

Podcasts can’t really give you that same opportunity unless you create show notes and transcripts. That’s totally doable, but it does take a lot more work. With blogging, you do all that in one fell swoop.

Blogs Are Easier to Promote on Social Media

When you post a blog link on Facebook or LinkedIn, all the reader has to do is click the photo and it takes them directly to your post.

Here’s an example of that:

See how the photo in that FB post is clickable?

You can’t do that with a podcast because a podcast link doesn’t have a featured image. (Unless you’re hosting the podcast on a blog, which is something I recommend!) So when you post a podcast link, it shows up like a normal, ugly link within the Facebook caption.

Yuck.

What most podcasters end up doing when promoting their episodes is they put the ugly link in their caption. Or they have to direct people to listen on iTunes or GooglePlay. Then they upload a separate photo to attract attention.

There are two things that make this difficult for an audience.

1. This adds an additional step for potential listeners.

They have to either scroll through your caption to click the link, or they have to leave Facebook and find the podcast in iTunes or GooglePlay. You lose potential listeners in that process.

2. People love clicking photos.

People are far more inclined to click the picture than they are to click the link within the caption.

Believe me.

When I was online news director at a Christian magazine, I actually tested this. Facebook was malfunctioning one day and not loading the clickable pictures for articles. So I put the link in the caption and uploaded the photo separately for our articles that day.

Traffic suffered. Badly.

My scrappy substitution posts were better than not posting at all. But the dip in traffic until Facebook fixed the bug in its system was pretty noticeable.

A Business Blog Makes It Much Easier for Your Audience to Take Action

Every content creator knows that they should end their message with a call to action (CTA). Something that tells the listener/viewer/reader what to do next.

With podcasts, or even sometimes videos, you have to explain to the viewer/listener what to do and where to go. For example, on a podcast, the host may say: “Hey, please rate and review my podcast! Go to iTunes or GooglePlay and click the ‘Review’ button.”

Again, the host is asking the listener to do an extra step. Far fewer will actually follow through and go the extra mile to rate and review the podcast.

With a blog, though, you can provide a clickable link that directly sends your readers where you want them to go. Hyperlinking those CTAs makes the process so much simpler.

For example, if I tell you, “Hey, go to Facebook and like and follow my page! My handle is @JennyRoseSpaudo,” you are far less likely to actually do what I’m asking.

But if I say, “Hey, would you take just 2 seconds to go like and follow my Facebook page?” All you have to do is click twice to follow through with what I’m asking. So much simpler.

I’m Not a Podcast Hater, I Promise

My goal with this article is in no way to hate on podcasts. Podcasting can be a great way to organically grow your business, and if you have the time and resources to do it, I highly recommend it!

But during this pandemic, when time and money are in short supply, blogging is certainly the ideal way to go for many small-business owners.

You have a lot of things to do for your business—like make money and serve people. So for those who are just starting out or are trying to tighten their money belts, all I have to say to you is: start blogging.

Do you want to start a blog to promote your business? Grab my free roadmap to receive the clarity you need to get started the right way. Just sign up below to get started!

And, P.S., if you’re already blogging and want to make sure your blog is optimized for your business, this roadmap will still be super helpful for you.

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