Writing an epic blog is like drawing a very comprehensive sketch on a napkin that incorporates global history over the past eon. With a potential web-wide audience and mixed reasons for posting information, people often choke up their writing glands by trying too hard to please everyone. Whether you’re blogging for your startup shoe company, your mom’s knitting business, or to advertise your new E-book, every piece of content you create needs direction and connection.
I say “direction” because writing 1,000 words on your thoughts and feelings is equivalent to scanning in your high school diaries. Today’s best bloggers take a professional approach to the craft and use tech-savvy tools for getting their work read and shared, a crucial element when it comes to high-profile blogs. “Connection” refers to the idea that blogging is the first form of written, interconnected media that is capable of tapping directly into reader bases via social platforms.
The industry-coined term of “content marketing” is the aggregate result of blogging, tweeting, pinning, Gramming, Booking, and publishing Web content that supports an initiative. A blog’s purpose is to enlighten and entertain, not to mention direct readers to a dot-com or hey, even better, to adapt the idea that your blog rocks. Most blog readers, like book readers, love when they’re ideas are mirrored back to them. The reader who nods and says, “Yes, I completely agree with this blog,” is likely to share it. Or is just as likely re-post it and say, “This blog is outrageous.” Every piece of exposure helps, right?
Content Farming
For bloggers with intent, it’s helpful to find topics that readers want to read. Do you have a company Facebook or Google+? Ask your followers what they want you to write about. Or even post a summary of what you have in mind and spark conversation. Have a small thought or opinion about industry-breaking news or some shift in your business? Tweet it. Active tweeters are great resources for blog ideas, and their responses can help tailor the direction of your blog.
Better yet, write up a comprehensive blog that covers a multitude of subjects and monitor how your readers react. Find a vein that strikes with a majority of them and expand upon that section. Anytime you have a conversation, whether heated or lazy, there’s an opportunity for something bigger. You can also view news sites or see what’s hot on Google Trends for blogging ideas. Remember: Write original, thoughtful blogs that share something new with personality.
Multi-Format Blogging
So your real estate blog is taking off. Just the other day one of your fellow co-bloggers or an active reader said you keep playing the same chords in every blog you’ve published. This means there is something bigger.
Take your blog ideas and filter them through different media formats. Host a webinar if it will help your corporate blog pick up more web traction, or consider turning the ideas behind a blog into a video series. Regardless of what you decide to do, feedback is vital to pay attention to. See where your ideas will take you, but don’t become overzealous with a few readers — there’s always room for upward mobility in the blogosphere.
The team at Grammar Chic specializes in a variety of professional writing and editing services. For more information about how we can help you, visit www.grammarchic.net or call 803-831-7444. We also invite you to follow us on Twitter @GrammarChicInc for the latest in writing and editing tips and to give a “like” to our Facebook page. Text GRAMMARCHIC to 22828 for a special offer.
The Red Ink 