How To Work With A Blogging Consultant

After working with several different types of blogging customers I’ve determined that there are primarily three kinds:

• The first kind of customer is the customer who really does not understand blogging, but they know they need a blog. They are perfectly willing to turn their blog over to a ghostwriter and never think about it. Content with having a blog they tend to be totally hands off. This is not necessarily a good thing. From time to time, a blog marketing strategy requires some tweaking or a change of direction and this is where the customers’ input proves valuable.
• The second kind of customer is almost the opposite extreme. He has done some reading on the subject and understands the basic principles of blogging, but he doesn’t want to do the work or doesn’t have the time. She understands that she needs a ghostwriter to write her blog for her and takes the time to seek out the right writer then once she has found him tries to guide and direct every step of the ghostwriting process. This type of customer will send frequent e-mails suggesting topics to blog about, requesting a change to past blog entries concerning small details that are not significant in the grand scheme of things. This customer is excited about the blog and wants it to do well, but may have some unrealistic expectations about the performance of the blog such as the number of sales conversions, traffic expectations, or other expectations that are based on perception more than reality.
• Finally, the third type of customer is the customer who understands the need for a blog and has some knowledge of blogging itself. This customer may have actually done some blogging himself, but at least has taken the time to educate himself on blogging as a marketing tool. However, he knows that he is not the expert. He also knows that the right blogging professional can make him look like one and is content to let his blog be managed by the professional who specializes in the creation of blog content. This type of customer may send suggestions for content or send occasional e-mails requesting certain material be used or that a certain promotion be made, but otherwise this customer is hands off and lets the professional earn his money.

Which Type Of Blogging Customer Are You?
Everyone wants your blog to do well. Well, maybe your competitors would rather see it flop. But your blog ghostwriter wants your blog to succeed and we all know you want it to succeed as well. Your staff wants it to succeed. Your partners likely want it to succeed. With the right attention, your blog will succeed. But there are certain things a blog needs in order to succeed and success rarely happens within the first month. It takes time.

That said, there are some things that each of the above blog customers can do to help ensure their blog is a success. Unfortunately, sometimes a customer – even an otherwise great customer – can get in the way of his or her own success. Below is a list of top 10 things a customer can do to impede progress on his blog. Beside each item is the type of customer most likely to make that mistake, but any of the three customers can make any of these mistakes. This is the time to ask yourself the hard question: Are you standing in the way of your own success?

1. No keyword list – A blog needs a keyword list. It doesn’t need to be long. Ten to fifteen of your most profitable keywords should be on your list. Too many keywords is just as bad as not enough. (Customer #1 is most likely to make this mistake, but it’s an easy one to overlook for the new business blogger.)
2. Refuses to give FTP access – Would you take your automobile to the mechanic and then refuse to give him your car keys when he asks for them? Then why would you refuse to give your blogging professional FTP access to your blog? If you want your mechanic to look under the hood then you need to give up your car keys. We’re your blog mechanic. Give us what we ask for. To paraphrase Jerry Maguire, “Help us, help you.” (Customer #2 is most likely to make this one.)
3. Excessive e-mails – Yes, we live in the digital age. E-mail is a fact of life. But many new blogging customers will send several e-mails a day for the first few weeks, until they find something else to occupy their time, asking for last Monday’s blog post to say this or that in addition to what was said, or suggesting that a certain anchor text should change to something else. (Customer #2 is notorious for this.)
4. Makes changes to their website or blog without notifying their blog consultant – This mistake should never happen, but it does. It usually results in broken links between the blog and website because the customer never took the time to ensure that web page URLs stayed the same or sought practical professional advice on the best way to make the changes they want to make. (Customer #1 is famous for this one.)
5. Performs her own installation – Everyone wants to save money. But sometimes saving money is costing money. If you’ve never installed WordPress before then you should let the professionals do it. There are certain details that need to be done to every blog to optimize them better for the search engines. Unless you know what they are, it’s best to let the professionals do it. (Customer #2 is most likely to try this one.)
6. Provides a bad list of keywords – One very common mistake blog customers make is providing a list of keywords that potential customers will not look for. Keywords need to be popular search terms, not the names of your businesses and partners. Unless you are a nationally or internationally known name brand, searchers are not likely to search for your business by name. (Anyone can make this mistake)
7. “You’re the professional, whatever you say” – Some customers just don’t want to make a decision. They let the fear of making a bad decision get in the way of making any decision. If your blogging professional calls you up and asks you how you want to do something then it’s in your best interest to ask pointed questions to get the pros and cons of each of your options then make a decision. Most likely, your blogging consultant won’t be calling you unless a decision is necessary. It’s your blog, you should make the decision. (Customer #1 is most likely to make this one.)
8. “It’s my blog, do it my way” – Sometimes, a customer makes the opposite mistake. Yes, we understand that it’s your blog, but you hired us to be your blog consultant because we have seen many different scenarios. We’re here to help you succeed. If we advise you a certain way it’s because we believe that is the best way to achieve your goals or get you the results you are looking for. Just because you own the blog doesn’t mean you know best how to get the results you want. If that were the case then you’d be writing your own blog. Is that harsh? Probably. But would a contractor building a house let his customer tell him to build it on sand because “that’s the way I want it?” Listen to your consultants. If you can’t do that then it might be in your best interest to find one that you can listen to. (Customer #2 is most likely to make this mistake.)
9. Selects the wrong theme – OK, this one is easy to make and anyone can make it – even your blog consultant. Fortunately, it’s an easy one to overcome. Just let your consultant do his job. If a bad theme is chosen for your blog then we’ll just replace it with one that works.
10. Hires the wrong consultant – Hey, we’re realistic enough to know that sometimes it’s just a personality clash. No problem. You may not be right for a certain consultant and they may not be right for you. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find a blog consultant you can get along with. You don’t have to agree with your consultant on everything, but if you hire a consultant to do your blog then you should at least listen to his advice and try to understand why he’s suggesting you do things a certain way. Otherwise, it’s time to fire your consultant and get one you can work with.

None of this is aimed at any one specific individual. These are just some thoughts on working with a blog consultant. Customers aren’t the only one who make mistakes. Sometimes consultants do too. But a good consultant will admit his mistake and adjust. If you can find a consultant with that kind of emotional honesty and integrity and you feel comfortable working with that consultant then hire him. He’s a gem.