I attended an interesting workshop last week that was focussed on blogging just for the sake of blogging as a business. Lots of companies boost their website content with a blog but there are some interesting reasons as to how they’re choosing their topics or why they’re writing the blog in the first place.
Some common reasons are:
• My boss told me to
• We’ve just done a press release
• It was Bob’s birthday and there were some nice pictures
• I was told my SEO would get better if I had more web content
The first one is very popular and can be a case of someone senior seeing lots of other companies with blogs so it makes sense for them to have one aswell (does it really??). The second is like ticking off a checklist, press release (tick), email campaign (tick), blog (tick). The latter is ok for personal bloggers who are updating their family but really those kind of updates should be on your facebook page and only then if the cake was a 6ft high very own Tussauds model in icing. I understand the last reason; yes blogs can be a very good way of improving SEO updating web content, if an interesting and relevant topic to the readers.
And that was a key point to the workshop – many bloggers are failing their activity by just putting out any content they can that is a good word count and gets that tick next to their number of blogs for this month.
It can be hard as a blogger to think of engaging content week in week out. Sometimes our brains just won’t deliver that inspired topic, as we sit with fingers hovering over the keys. If you do suffer from this form of writers block then get out there and find some inspiration – don’t give in and write some rubbish.
Places I seek inspiration include:
• Meetings I’ve had that week – what were the key topics
• Customer feedback – any popular products, support query themes
• Social site – what is trending in your sphere?
• Books, conferences, webinars – there’s tonnes of free education out there that’s great inspiration
• Industry sites – competitors, friends, anyone who likes what your audience does
Failing all else – just don’t blog. I can assure you that your boss would rather not have filler representing their brand, keep jotting down ideas as and when they hit you and only then, start typing up your masterpiece.
