One of the most worrisome issues of blogging is how to create original content on a regular basis. It's among the #1 Top Questions we get asked.
"I don't know what to write about," one person laments.
"I'm not able to write every day!" another one whines.
Here's my answer: yes, you do know what to write about. Write about what you know, what you love, what you want to share. Yes, you can write every day. Start by sitting in your chair, hands poised over the keyboard, and ... begin typing.
Hollis Thomases, President & CEO of Web Ad.vantage, writes a column for INC magazine online and was a speaker the the very first BlogPaws. She's someone I trust and respect, so I share her recent column: "8 Common Mistakes of Company Blogs" because it addresses the content issue and more.
She begins, "Blogging is one of the most effective forms of social media marketing, particularly for business-to-business (or B2B) companies- but businesses must move beyond mere content production challenges in order to be successful."
Her advice is similar to some we've shared. For instance, don't always write about you, you, you. It's not about you. But, you knew that, right?
She also notes that inconsistent writing does not make for a wide audience. If you only write once a month, what's the point? If you write once a week, I get used to that - but infrequent posts are a sign of neglect. If you're neglecting this 'online advertising' - what does that say about the way you do business?
The main reason I want to share Hollis's article is for advice bullet #3. "Little of no diversity among post types." I love her description of this but even more so, I LOVE the chart she shares on that bullet. It offers ways to mix and match content. I won't share it here, I'd rather you visit her article and see it there. As I reviewed it, I began to think it might just replace the Editorial Calendar I always recommend. This chart really got my brain cells humming. I bet it does the same for you.
Beyond that, Hollis mentions the "Weak or Absent Company Voice." So, while you shouldn't write me, me, me articles, you do need to write in your voice. I need to know you wrote what I'm reading, or someone from your office did. I don't want to read articles written by a freelance blogger unless they are intimately connected to your brand.
I hope you'll visit the INC article page and read the rest of Hollis's advice. Then, come share some of your own advice in our comment stream.
I basically agree with everything mentioned but I choose to utilize "guest bloggers" when I want to address an issue that I feel others have much more expertise in than I do.
to me that is "my voice" because I will not feature someone on my blog if I do not agree with or support what they are writing about.
I feel I am providing a benefit to my readers by having an "expert" address certain issues that I am not qualified to write about. It benefits them far more than having me simply regurgitate information.
I also have consciously cut down to 3 blog posts per week for my 2 blogs. I don't view it as lazy at all, I view it as a way of trying to maintain my sanity and it allows me to have some semblance of a life.
By having 3 posts per week on both of my blogs (a total of 6 posts per week)...it enables me to have a few "free days" to post if something comes up that I feel like sharing.
Posted by: caren gittleman | 02/21/2012 at 07:51 PM