According to SEO expert Heather Lloyd-Martin, here are the top 20 things you need to learn about small business SEO copywriting. (And if you're not sure what SEO copywriting is, then you really need to learn this and sign up for Heather's online course!

   1. How to give your customers the exact information they need, exactly when they need it!
   2. How the search engines work (and what it means to you)
   3. Tried and true marketing “power words” that get results
   4. Powerful low-budget small business keyphrase research strategies
   5. How you can make more money during seasonal sales

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You may have heard me say this before…As The Blog Squad, I’ll come right out and tell you that blogs are the best darn content marketing tool on the planet!

But maybe you don’t see it that way. You may have a blog and find it a pain to keep up. Maybe you tried blogging for a while, but you didn’t see big benefits for your business.

I hear these complaints from people all the time…

And quite frankly, after all the effort, what’s the big deal? If it’s not bringing in clients, sales and money, why waste time posting on a blog?

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As a former psychologist with a passion for how our minds and brains work, I'm writing this series of blog posts about how neuroscience contributes to content marketing.

When you write to readers on the web, you have an opportunity to connect and engage with people  globally. What an opportunity, and what a daunting challenge.

What can we learn about the human brain that makes it easier for us to write good content that works?

So far, I've stressed how important it is to compel people to read your stuff, including:

• Brain Based Blogging: Lessons from Neuroscience for Content Marketing
• Compelling Content: What Are Readers' Hot Buttons?
• Business Blogs Deliver Content Marketing: 4 Keys to Great Results
• How to Turn Your Blog into a Content Marketing Ferrari

The lessons so far are that you must:

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 In the brain, emotions are closely linked to action. In our mammalian past, they were the single most important function of our brains. Our survival depended on quick action.

Feelings do not require reflection or thought. We feel, we act. We think later and justify our actions based on input from our more highly advanced reasoning brain.

Strong feelings are hot-wired into the brain's action centers, provoking any one of the "F" actions:

• Feeding
• Fleeing
• Fighting
• Fornicating

Emotions are simple and clear so that action is easy and fast. This is built into our brains for very clear reasons of survival as a race. We wouldn't be here talking about content marketing if our ancestors hadn't become good at all four "F" actions.

Maybe our current culture of consumerism means our brains are now hot-wired to react differently to our emotions? Maybe instead of feeding, we grab a snack, we argue or write snarky responses, and we make purchases over the internet. These things won't necessarily contribute to our survival, but they do satisfy the need for action and instant gratification.

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