Blogging for Business Success, reprint by Cape Cod Video Search

5 Tips to Blog Content Success


Lorrie Thomas , Web Marketing Therapy , Santa Barbara, CA - Sep 28, 2010



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Posting high quality content via blogging helps organizations reap multiple marketing benefits including: boosting credibility, increasing search visibility and streamlining customer service. Blogs employ powerful content management systems (CMS) to publish information and deliver results.



However, blogs are a great idea only if they are executed brilliantly. One of the biggest roadblocks is the failure to create content. Here are 5 simple tips that will help you answer nagging questions, such as: What should I write about? How do I find time to write? What content is best for my blog?

Blog Success Tip #1. Recycle Assets You Already Have

Recycling is not only good for the planet, but it boosts blog success too. You can use previously created material by re-purposing it on your blog. Here are some examples:



•A press release can live on your press page and also be re-purposed into a short blog post that links to the full press release.

•Educational content that is snail-mailed to customers can be recycled into compelling blog posts.

•Newsletters boast great e-mail content can be posted to your blog as multiple posts.

•Common customer service questions that you answer all the time can be answered in your blog as a way to create more service-centric content. It will also save time replying to customer inquiries. Just sending a link to a blog post. People can read blog FAQs and self-serve; they may not need to contact you at all.

•Articles you may have written for other sites can be blogged about, with links to that content. You better believe that I will mention on my blog that I have this article appearing in Web Marketing Today.

Just because a piece of content is in one place -- like a press release, video on YouTube or Vimeo, e-mail, article, etc. -- doesn't mean that your desired reader may see it. Recycle it in the blog to give it more shelf life, to serve customers who can gain from your words, and to increase content search engines can index you on. Leverage what you already have created to keep the blog alive and fresh.



Blog Success Tip #2. Use Free Tools Like Google Alerts to Get Instant Content Ideas

Blogs are a brilliant marriage of fact and perspective. A successful blog writer becomes a "web gemologist." Look for great resources, then share them. Write about current events and simply add your point of view.



To get ideas for content gems, use a tool such as Google Alerts. They send you e-mails with links to articles with subjects you select. When there's an interesting and relevant link, blog about it and share why you think you readers should read it.

Ask yourself who your ideal customers are and what content would help, educate, or entertain them. Then, when you sign up for Google Alerts, use the phrases that would interest them. For example The phrase web marketing news (without quotes around the three words) can deliver anything with those three phrases in it, such as "spider web makes marketing news." If you want to get specific feeds about the subject, put quotes around "web marketing news" so your Google Alerts are targeted to the exact phrase you're looking for.



Blog Success Tip #3. Create Weekly Rituals to Keep the Momentum Moving

Here's a great tip! Creating weekly rituals will help weave content creation into your marketing lifestyle, increase successful content creation, and give your readers something consistent to look forward to. For example, you can post a "Friday Funny" every Friday. It can be a funny quote, video, link, image, whatever. The weekly ritual trains your brain to think ahead and gives you a focus to help refine all the things you could write about into something you are committed to write about.



Blog Success Tip #4. Tap the Power of User Generated Content

User generated content can help create connections and increase content that works. Create a template with interview questions (a simple word document will do) and feature interesting people on your blog. To interview other bloggers or professionals, simply email the interviewee a short questionnaire that they fill out for you. All you need to do is know how to ask for the interview, then copy and paste.



Inviting guest writers is also a great way to gain great content. Be sure to educate your guest bloggers about who your target readers are and what is the overall theme of your blog. User generated content takes the stress of having the total content creation responsibility on your shoulders. It adds marketing power, since your guest bloggers and interviewees will share their post on your blog to their community. Thus user generated content will both build the blog and increase traffic to your blog -- not a bad way to multi-task.



Blog Success Tip #5. Create Content that Is "Bigger" than Your Organization

Many bloggers get marketing myopia and only write about their company or a particular subject. Successful blogs have content that is interesting and useful to the reader, not just coworkers at your company. Pick a blog theme that is bigger than your organization so you can collaborate more with other content creators who share like-minded views -- and customer bases -- and to attract your readers who fit the profile of your ideal customers.



For example, an Austin, TX vacation rental company can blog about its new properties, news, events, and provide location videos. But why not take things one step further. Bloggers for the Austin vacation rental company may get Google alerts about "Austin travel" or "Austin events" to get content ideas to help give readers "facts" about Austin travel, a subject bigger than vacation rentals alone. Serving readers with larger scale content, that still supports the products or services you provide, is a surefire way to write in a way that works.



Sharing web gems from an expert perspective helps support and attract Internet users who are interested in traveling to the area. At the same time, it serves as a credibility and potential sellability tool. Blogs that provide helpful, educational content, boost credibility, search visibility, and will attract qualified leads for sales, as well.

Reprinted by Cape Cod Video Search: "please leave your comments and links hers and click the follow buton to be alerted to future postings", Mickey.

Mickey Lacasse Cape Cod Video Search

                                    508-317-1806

http://www.capecodvideosearch.com/

Blogs are tools that serve and support current and prospective customers. Through your valuable content, you can connect, collaborate, and converse with customers. Your blog "serves to sell."