by Karen Lindwall-Bourg | Jun 6, 2017 | Writing & Publishing
Like it or not, writing online content is a big part of building any business. You can do it yourself, or you can hire a ghostwriter or copywriter or social media strategist or virtual assistant. Either way, the content for your website, sales pages, advertising, and for letters to your customers is essential. It might be easier than you think.
Tip #1 – Speak Wisely
The words of a wise man’s mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him. Ecclesiastes 10:12
Over and over again in the Bible, we are charged with taking our words into account. We are admonished not to speak foolishly, hastily, in anger, or corruptly. Apparently, God thinks words are necessary. So when it comes to writing for your website, it is helpful to have some good tips.
Tip #2 – Write for Online Reading
The way people read online is different than if they are reading a book. Think of your writing as similar to how a favorite magazine is written rather than a newspaper or a book.
We stare at screens so much these days and we usually only scan a website page. Readers scan content for headings, bold-faced words, and bullet lists. If these things catch the attention of the reader, they may continue to read in depth content.
Tip #3 – Make your content easy to read.
There are some simple and easy to follow guidelines for writing appropriate content. Once you catch the reader’s attention, you want to keep it.
- Short paragraphs – Short paragraphs are considered four sentences maximum. These short bursts keep the reader’s eye moving down the page and help prevent fatigue.
- Short sentences – Keep sentences to about 12 words on average. Some will be shorter and some will be longer. Sentence length variation also holds the reader’s interest.
- Avoid filler words – Filler words are the “um’s” and “uh’s” of writing. Avoid using words like just, very, really, completely, that, sort of, etc. Search for other lists of words to avoid.
- Avoid jargon, gobbledygook and technical words – Unless you are writing to an audience of your professional peers you want to avoid jargon, buzzwords and too much technical talk. In general, it will bore your readers. They won’t understand what you mean.
- Use active tense – Always let the subject perform the action in the sentence. Reading passive voice is boring. Use passive voice sparingly.
- Avoid needless repetition – Unless it is a style choice, don’t repeat yourself. Be clear about what you want to say. Say it and move on.
- Use the word you – When writing on your website, address your readers by using the word you.
Tip #4 – Use a proofreader
Technology makes avoiding spelling and grammar errors easy. Make good use of spell and grammar check tools. If you don’t understand the mistake, investigate it. It will improve your writing in the long term.
One tip I learned long ago to check for spelling errors is to read your content aloud. When you read something you wrote your brain automatically fills in the words. It is easy to overlook.
Another tip is to put something aside. Don’t read it for a while. Give it a week or a month depending on the length of your writing. Coming back to something a while after you have written it gives you a fresh perspective on the content. It can also lead to some of the most helpful self-editing you will ever do.
A second pair of eyes on everything you write is one of the most effective ways to make sure your writing is up to par and readable. Find someone you can trust to catch spelling and grammatical errors. You also want your proofreader to be able to edit your content for flow and clarity.
Tip #5 – Remember that Words are Powerful
In all you say online or offline, remember that words are powerful. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. You will be accountable for every idle word spoken – this includes your writing. Write with excellence and as if Jesus himself were going to read it.
Which one of these tips can you implement today in your writing? Which one have you never considered?
How can the folks at KarenBourg.com or Rhema Publishing House help you?
by Karen Lindwall-Bourg | May 30, 2017 | Entrepreneur Endeavors
It doesn’t matter if you are a brick and mortar business or you are a totally virtual and online business, you need an online presence. That’s where people are! According to the World Internet Usage and Population Statistics (http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm), there were 320,068,243 internet users in North America in March 2017. Multiply that number by 6 for Asia. YEP! That’s where people are – ONLINE! That’s where we need to be as Christian Entrepreneurs.
These are some basics of your online existence.
“You can never go wrong by investing in communities and the human beings within them.”
Pam Moore CEO & Founder, Marketing Nutz
The internet is an extension of the community in which you live. If you have a brick and mortar business, it is essential to extend your presence in the community through engaging with your community online. If you have an online business, you also need to have a clear and active presence online.
Start with a website.
Your Online Presence Basics – You need a great website.
In our digital and smartphone times, we are always on the go. We have information at our fingertips. We have a tendency to research more. We make more price comparisons, and we read reviews more than ever. You need a website because no one uses the yellow pages anymore to find goods or services and because that’s where people are!
Word of mouth is still one of the most effective ways to advertise and acquire customers. These days, word of mouth is happening online. When you have a website, you can help direct that conversation. Your website provides a landing place for any social media links and any blog posts or articles you post about your business. Your website is a capsule of all you offer, how you offer it and where to get it. Your website is a first impression and a doorway for your customers.
Your Online Presence Basics – Social media networking is imperative.
One of the most overlooked aspects of social media is the fact that it is an active and engaged community. Finding your niche or tribe and creating a following is an excellent way to grow your business and get people talking about you and your business. It is a way for you to show up, interact, and make yourself real to potential customers. It helps create brand loyalty when people know who is behind what they are buying. You have the ability to control and highly influence the social media community you are a part of and that you create. It is a great way to make yourself known, and it allows you to go deeper. Social media gives you an outlet to express and apply your vision and mission. It also gives you the opportunity to show followers how Christian Entrepreneurs do business.
Your Online Presence Basics – Blogs are an extension of your voice.
It doesn’t matter what you are selling or how you are selling it; blogs are a sales platform. They are an extension of your voice, your mission, your vision, and the voice of Christ in you. Blogs are a space you control. You can talk about your product and how it fits into your life and your potential customer’s life. Blogs can be used to give detailed testimonials or case studies. Blogs can also be used to inform and encourage. You started your business because you wanted something more. You felt a pull to something bigger. A blog on your website is a place to grow into that something bigger. Blogs can be personalized and managed by you. You chose how often you write about your products and services. You chose how much you talk about God. You chose how people interact with you on your blog. You get to direct the conversation. It is a controlled environment. With the right strategy, blogs are great sales tools and community builders.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock, and my redeemer.
Psalm 19:14 ESV
Your Online Presence Basics – Community is the foundation.
The point of having an online presence is to build a community around your business and your brand. Keeping a balanced perspective of it being about you and being about your customer is important. We are not meant to maneuver through this life alone. Anytime you can encourage another by identifying with them or helping them solve a problem; you are building community. You are doing it the way Jesus wants you to. Everything you do online is about building community. There are real people behind the pictures, comments, and questions. Treating them as if you were face to face with them builds trust. It also lets people know who you are because ultimately the first thing you sell is yourself.
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV
My Prayer for your Online Presence
Lord Jesus,
Please give us the wisdom to represent You and our businesses online accurately. Help us to maintain integrity and excellence in the online community as we do in our real life community. Point us in the direction which is best for our businesses, best for our communities, and best for our lives to glorify You in all we do.
In Jesus name – Amen
Signature
by Karen Lindwall-Bourg | May 15, 2017 | Writing & Publishing
It used to be, a few decades ago, writers were only considered writers if they were published in print. This is no longer true in our digital age. There are all kinds of writers with all kinds of styles writing all kinds of things. Guess what, you are a writer!
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Proverbs 25:11 ESV
You are a writer.
Words are powerful. The power of life and death is in the tongue; while writing is not speaking, it is a form of communication with which you have power. You are a writer because you write. It doesn’t matter if you write in your journal, letters to friends, long email, poetry or short stories. Writers write. You need no other accomplishments of distinctions to let you know you are a writer.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. Proverbs 18:21
As a writer, you have a responsibility to use words carefully and intentionally. Once words are put out there, they are impossible to get back. Chances are if you have been writing for any length of time or even thinking about it, you know what you want to say – that is your voice.
You have a voice.
So we know you are a writer or that you want to be. You might be sitting scratching your head saying, “but Karen, I have nothing to write about.”
Yes, you do.
You have a voice. It might be the only way you can communicate your thoughts and feelings. You have a voice. It is the words that run through your mind when you are thinking about what you would have said or how you could have said something. It is the ending you rewrite for the movie you just watched. Or the way you would have liked the evening to go with your family. This is all part of your voice.
Your voice is not just a story to tell it is the way you tell the story. It is what you have to say.
You have a story to tell.
You have a story to tell. It is not just the events of your life or some tragedy you have overcome. Although your life is a great story, it is a story of weakness, strength, redemption and victory. We all have that story, but it doesn’t make it less special. You have something to say because your weakness is different than mine. Your victory came through various strengths and struggles. And your story is told in your voice, through your eyes, with your distinct way of speaking.
Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. Proverbs 16:24
Everything you write will be unique to you because of your voice and story. We can see this best example of this is the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Every one of them has a bit of a different twist on the same adventure. This is the beauty of the diversity of story which God blessed us. Truth be told, I bet there is one gospel version of the story you like best because of the way it is told.
Your story is important.
Telling your specific story is important. It is all a testament to the grace of God in your life. It is all for the glory of God.
Your story is not about you. Does it benefit you? Absolutely. It can bring great healing to get your words out of your head. It is good for your spirit and your soul. It is good for your story to be witnessed by another. The point of telling your story is always about the goodness of God in your life. It is an act of praise and worship to let others know how God has come through for you.
And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Revelation 12:11 ESV
Your story is for someone else. The things you have walked through overcome or are still struggling with are for someone else to hear. It is for you to tell and for them to learn. Your story might become the encouragement someone else needs not to give up. It might be a love letter from God to them, so they know He is listening. It might be the reader’s salvation. These are not things you may ever know or be told by another. Your responsibility is to tell your story honestly and with sincerity. The rest is up to God.
So know this as you move forward:
- You are a writer.
- You have a voice.
- You have a story to tell.
- Your story is important.
Move forward on your writing journey with confidence the world needs to hear what you have to say. It will not always be easy but it will be fun, and it will be worth it.
Blessing for New Writers
I bless you with the confidence to write your story. I bless you with picking the right words to glorify God and the work He has done in your life. I bless you with the supernatural understanding that your story is important. I bless your story with being seen by each individual that needs to hear what you have to say. I bless you with knowing that God has written your story and you are telling it.
by Karen Lindwall-Bourg | Apr 3, 2017 | Celebrate Life!, Entrepreneur Endeavors
Creativity – From Failure to Success
“An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.” –Dr. Edwin Land
Failure is an essential part of success, as well as a fundamental aspect of creativity. It may be odd to consider failure as an essential part of success as indicated in the quote above by Land. But this is a Biblical truth as well as a fundamental aspect of creativity.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV
I WILL FAIL
If you have ever undertaken a creative endeavor and failed, you know it feels like a calamity. For that matter, it may even look like one. During the creative failure, there are many thoughts which come. Among them, at least for me, is the thought that ‘I am a failure’, ‘I not creative,’ and most of all ‘I can’t do this.’
We live in a busy and self-sufficient society. Get it done. Do it quickly. Do it yourself, if you want it done right. You feel you are on your own. All your success depends on you. It is good to know that as a follower of Jesus, this is not the truth. The truth is you will fail but, BUT, there is grace.
STRENGTH IN WEAKNESS
As with so many biblical truths and principals in the kingdom of God, the idea that there is strength in weakness seems very contrary to our worldly view. Paul rejoices in his weaknesses, in his failures because that is where the “power of Christ rests upon him.”
He goes on to point out that when he is weak, it is then that Christ is able to be strong in him. We fight weakness when truly we should embrace it in order for Christ to be strong in us. How does this relate to creativity?
There is only one perfect Creator. We can only ask that God’s creative power work through us. Nothing that we create will ever reach the perfection of anything God has spoken into existence. However, this is not something to grieve. This is a fact to embrace. In your weakness or imperfection, the grace and creative power of God can manifest and make you strong.
I CAN DO ALL THINGS
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13
I take great comfort in knowing I can do all things because it is Christ who gives me strength. He is the one who gives me the strength to breathe. He is the strength call upon get out of bed every morning and carry on throughout my day with the things He has gifted me to do. So, with all my creative projects – whether writing, painting, or business strategy, this is my prayer:
Lord, let me have a deep and full understanding that Your grace is sufficient for me. Let Your power and strength be made perfect in my weakness. Teach me to be content in all circumstances and even to rejoice in my difficulties because I know it is in these times of weakness You have become my strength and I can do all things because it is You who give me strength.
CREATIVITY!
FAILURE!
SUCCESS!
I encourage you to write you own prayer about weakness, failure, and taking on the grace and strength of Jesus in those times. Let me help you CREATE!
Blessings,
Karen Lindwall-Bourg
“Achieve Levels of Success Worth Celebrating”
by Karen Lindwall-Bourg | Dec 18, 2016 | Entrepreneur Endeavors, Firm Foundations
I have been richly blessed with the privilege of seeing individuals, couples, and families change and grow in ways that please the Lord through Biblical Counseling, Christian Coaching, and Publishing!
I have honestly fought tooth and nail most of the time and then sometimes given in obediently, allowing God to change and grow me in the process of counseling and coaching!
I love taking my clients to Matthew 7:24-27, which says,
“Everyone then who hears these Words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the Rock. And everyone who hears these Words of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Change is frightening and challenging and often times unwelcome even when we’ve asked for help to change!
I like to think of our lives and relationships like the foundation of this house built either on shifting sand or on a firm rock foundation.
All we really have to do, is to humbly seek to know the Lord and to obey Him, as we begin to replace one crumbling foundation stone on shifting sand with a new firmly placed foundation stone built on knowledge of our Lord and His Word!
One step at a time!
Let’s Build Firm Foundations!
Let’s take one step at a time together in 2017! It would be my privilege!
Firm foundation blessings,
Karen
karenbourg@gmail.com
214-491-1991
