How to Curate a Killer Blog with Evergreen Content | Marina Khonaisser

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So, you started a blog for your business!

That’s a great and exciting step. Now, your next one will be what to actually put on said blog.

What kind of blogs are essential for you to be writing? What kind of topics should you touch on? These are all questions that are no doubt circling your brain, so I’m going to introduce you to the concept of evergreen blog topics.

Before we get into what the exactly means, the first key step is identifying and getting to know your audience:

• Who are they?

• Are they men, women, or both? How old are they?

• What are they interested in?

• What are their behaviours?

Once you have that nailed down, you can really start creating appropriate, evergreen blog topics.

Wait...what is evergreen blog content?

Glad you asked!

Evergreen content is content that is always going to be relevant to your audience. This type of content essentially never gets old, because it consistently delivers value to your audience no matter the time of year. It lasts through the seasons - just like a evergreen tree.

Once you create a piece of content that is relevant and interesting, it won’t ever go out of style.

Here is a quick example:

For a Canadian company that sells RV accessories, a blog post titled “The Top 5 Best Canadian Road Trips” will always be relevant and interesting to their audience.

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How do I make evergreen blog content?

There are a number of different ways you can start getting evergreen content up on your blog. Here are a few tactics you can utilize:

• Answer frequently asked questions that pop up on your social media channels

Example: You are a retail store that constantly posts daily outfit inspiration. You notice that a number of people have been asking how they can best pair patterns together in an outfit - bust out your laptop and write a blog post that answers this question!

• Provide industry-related tips, insights and explanations relevant to your audience

Example: You are an architect that specializes in commercial designs. What’s happening in the architecture and design industry? What tips can you offer other architects and designers? What insights do you have? Share them with your audience!

• Explain insights that might not be clear to your audience

Example: You are a healthcare clinic. Use your blog as an educational tool to explain pressing topics related to self-care, and other concepts that might be confusing to your audience.

• By researching your industry!

Of course you’re going to get the best results by indulging in some of your own research that is specific to your industry. What are people talking about? How can you establish yourself as an authority in your space?

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My favourite tool for this is called Answer the Public. In the search bar you can type in keywords related to your industry, and it spits out frequently searched questions and inquiries that can all be turned into blog posts! Buzzsumo is also a great resource for finding top trending blog posts that you can get inspiration from.

The best part about evergreen blog content is that you can always mix it back into your social media schedules, because the topics will always be relevant. This will cut down time on you constantly having to find external content to post on your platforms.

Check me at marinakhon.wordpress.com!

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MAD LOVE MONDAY - Jessica Franks| Saradee Hair Salon

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1.) What is your business & why that field/service/product?

My business is Hair; I have loved, and lived this industry for 20 years now.

My business is also people.

I love people… all people, especially my clients, being able to do what I love, with who I love is something that I am so thankful for each and every day.

2.) What inspired you to start your own business?

Starting my business was something that just happened, due to circumstances, and availability to find somewhere that filled my needs as an individual. With two small children I needed flexibility, and to be my own boss. So the salon’s first location opened 7 years ago in Leduc in 2011.

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3.) Do you have a go to quote/motto?

Yes we do as a group, ‘TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK’ A bit cheesy, but we love it! Lol

This comes from a good place, as a hair salon, some days it can get quite crazy hectic in there, and instead of letting another stylist get overwhelmed, because they cant keep up, we help each other. We wash their bowls, or wash their client, get coffee, tea, or water for each other’s clients. We work as a team, and we do it together.

It warms my heart when my staff are saying this motto throughout a busy day… lol

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4.) What’s a personal goal of yours to accomplish? (Time frame?)

This is a hard one; I have so many… the one I should do is.

To take better care of myself, take time for myself.

5.) Do you have a professional goal or set of goals for your business?

I would love nothing more than to see all of my staff build their clientele up, and for all be busy every single day at the salon. Busy days go fast, and it makes work really fun. And the stylists growing their clientele ensures their success, but it also ensures the salons success as well.

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6.) Why do you love being an entrepreneur?

It gives me the freedom to be creative, and showcase my talents, and I can teach my staff to love what they do even more than they already do, and give them more knowledge with PK classes, and hands on skills training, to be better at their craft as well.

7.) Did you ever have a time where you wanted to give up? How did you overcome that feeling?

Yes, when my Mom passed away from Cancer in December of 2014, losing her was the most devastating thing that has happened to me. It was hard watching her lose her battle, in a most horrific traumatizing way. And then the months to follow after she was gone, I couldn’t work, it was really bad. I was overcome with grief.

I eventually, just started going back to work, bit by bit, and slowly was able to get back to my full time days. If it wasn’t for the family, friends, and great staff that I had surrounding me, I might have just given up.

I also know that my Mom was pushing me from the other side to get up, and keep going, she would not of been ok with me giving up. But not going to lie, it was not easy. And some days are still very hard.

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8.) What’s your Best Boss Babe moment? (First Moment of Reassurance)

There are many first Best Boss Moments…

One would be during the first year, the first time in a month when I paid all my bills and there was still money in the bank account.

When I hired my first employee.

When I had my very first Christmas Staff Party.

When I see a stylist get her very first commission paycheck.

When my staff or salon get back great reviews or raves from our clients.

Lots of really great moments…

My latest, is Opening the New Saradee Salon location in October 2017.

9.) What platforms do you find most success/interaction/from? (IE. Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook).

We use all of them. We most definitely see and use social media as a tool. Clients bring in photos as their inspiration pictures, and then we LOVE showing off our work on our social media after we are done doing the clients hair.

10.) Work-life Balance: What do you do to distress? What is your moment of the day (me time)?

This is not something I have much time for, I am trying to get better at scheduling myself some time, but with working, being a business owner, and having a daughter that dances every evening it proves to be a difficult task.

Sundays seem to be my sacred family day and my quiet time.

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11.) What are you looking to learn form other YEGBOSSBABES in the community?

I love the VIBE that YEGBOSSBABES has, and I love the community spirit it encourages.

That we as women can empower each other, and encourage each other’s success, and help support each other’s dreams.

Interested in being featured? email us at yegbossbabes@gmail.com

TIPSY TUESDAY – How To Be Successful In The Flexible Workforce

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Are you thinking about working flexibly? On this addition of Tipsy Tuesday Tara Dragon from Work Evolution shares her 10 best tips.

1. Know what you mean by “flexible”. At Work Evolution, we define flexibility based on any combination of time (part time, flexible schedule, set your own hours, etc.), location (100% remote or a combination of home and office), and duration (seasonal, temporary, contract). In this way, both a full time 12-month contract and part time permanent role would be considered flexible.

2. Communicate your plans with everyone who needs to know. This includes your manager, your coworkers, the people who work for you, your clients, your customers, your family, your childcare providers, etc. etc. If you have a structured schedule, you may want to include it in your email signature. If it varies, communicate regularly (E.g., set and share your schedule for the upcoming week on Friday afternoons).

3. Set your boundaries and stick to them. Have a plan in place for things that come up when you aren’t working. Are you going to check your email from your phone and reply only to emergencies? Are you completely offline when you’re not working? Who will cover for you if a client/customer needs something urgently? Will you triage activities while you’re not working? Will you change your schedule/location to accommodate a client request or other meeting? Share your plans and be consistent in your follow-through.

4. If you have the option to work remotely, know what type of social interaction you need and plan for it. Some professionals are fine working from home all the time and others get lonely and miss the interactions of an office. If you are the latter, you may choose to set up a schedule that balances your time between an office and home. If working in an office isn’t an option, explore working in locations such as coffee shops, the public library, or a co-work space.

5. If you work from home, have a dedicated space. This is listed on every list of “how to work from home” and we can’t emphasize it enough. You need a space that you can walk away from when you aren’t working that is also separate from the other goings-on in your home.

6. Get your technology and communication devices in order. Will you use your own computer or a company-issued one? Depending on your location, how do you connect to the network? Do people need to reach you by phone? Do you use other technology to communicate with a team (e.g., Slack, Jira, Trello, Skype, etc.)?

7. Have a plan for document and records management. Many organizations have policies about how corporate information needs to be stored and used, particularly if you are working off-site and/or using your own computer. Can you take printed materials home with you? Can it be stored on your own computer? What about information sent to your personal email address?

8. Be proactive about everything. Do you have a question? Ask it. Do you anticipate an issue? Resolve it. Do you have an idea? Share it. Do you need support? Request it. Engaging in communication first sends a signal to those that you work with that you are contributing and will help build trust. It will also help to ease any reservations that others might have about your arrangements.

9. Plan financially for your flexible work. Depending on the circumstances of your flexible work, you may want to consult a financial advisor or seek the services of an accountant to make sure that you have a strong personal budget and/or are taking advantage of tax-savings opportunities. The financial impacts will differ between circumstances – a part time permanent worker is different from a self-employed consultant so advice cannot be one-size-fits-all.

10. Communicate your plans with everyone who needs to know. Yes, this is a repeat of #2, but it is worth mentioning again. Communicate, communicate, communicate. You do not want to catch others by surprise or be a victim of their assumptions. Communicate.

At Work Evolution, we are connecting the best organizations with professionals seeking flexible employment.

Interested in being featured? email us at yegbossbabes@gmail.com