We get this question all the time from small business
owners and lifestyle entrepreneurs diving into the blogging
world, and the answer is, "Anything related to your
business, products, services, industry, which would also be
informative and entertaining (and not sales-y) for your
Ideal Audience."
And that answer, while accurate, just isn't helpful.
Because (as we're finally realizing) when our clients and
prospects ask what to blog about, the question is also a
stand-in for a host of other concerns:
* What's the point?...
* How will this get me more business?...
* I'm not a writer...
* There's fear involved in "putting myself out there" in
this way...
* I don't know where to start...
* I'm overwhelmed by the idea, the technology, the
fitting-it-in around the rest of everything else I have to
do as Chief Cook and Bottle Washer in my business...
You get the idea.
Assuming for now that you will be jumping in to the
blogging world, here's the easiest formula I can come up
with for a successful blog post, which I laid out for one
of our clients in a Progress Report last year:
"To sum up, blogging can be as simple as:
"1. Reading an industry news story
"2. Formulating your opinion on it
"3. Typing up your opinion and supporting it with your
unique set of knowledge
"Could each of [your executive team members] do that in
15-30 minutes or so, once (or twice) a month? If so, your
blog will be a roaring success."
As another example, a storage and organization systems
company out of Wolfeboro, NH, is going through blogging
training with another company as I write this.
I met with the co-owner separately, and we got to talking
about how new closet systems affect the resale value of
homes. I checked out Remodeling magazine's 2007 Cost vs.
Value annual report, and was surprised to see that they
didn't include anything storage or organization-related.
That lack of inclusion is blog-worthy. In fact, if it had
been included, it would also be blog-worthy, but for the
specific situation, let's put it this way:
Imagine you're the co-owner of that storage system
business, and you're at a cocktail party. Someone comes up
to you and says, "I heard Remodeling magazine didn't
include storage systems in their Cost vs. Value report.
What do you think about that?"
"I think that's short-sighted," you say.
"Why?"
"Well, some custom closet installs run about $12K, which is
in line with some of the lower-cost projects they're
tracking. Storage and organization is a
multi-billion-dollar industry, so it's worthy of
Remodeling's attention. And a closet system is just as much
of an upscale addition as a kitchen remodel, in terms of
making the home more attractive to potential buyers. In a
tough housing market, that could make the difference
between selling and sitting on another year of mortgage and
escrow payments."
That exchange is, literally, what the closet system company
could post on their new blog about that report. They have
their own inimitable personalities and styles of talking
and writing, so it would end up reading differently, but in
terms of creating the outline of a blog post, that's
exactly all they have to do.
Of course, they could add one more thing. They could then
write a question and a call to action for their readers:
"Was the sale of your house affected by a closet system? Or
was a closet system one of your deciding factors in
choosing to buy one house over another? Leave a comment and
let us know!"
This example, hopefully, not only helps illustrate what to
blog about, but also serves as a step in the right
direction for wrestling those "other issues" ("I'm not a
writer," "I'm afraid," "What's the point?" etc.) down to
the ground.
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(c) 2008 Epiphanies, Inc. As the "Content Lovers" of
Epiphanies Inc., Lani & Allen Voivod help lifestyle
entrepreneurs and million-dollar businesses "A-Ha
Themselves" in fun and profitable ways. For FREE articles,
marketing tips, and content strategies designed to fire up
your passion and profit-ize your niche, sign up for their
"Inciter" ezine at http://www.EpiphaniesInc.com !
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