Written by: Wendy on August 17, 2010 @ 3:17 pm
Let’s face it, when it comes to contemplating a blog program for updating your company website, it can be daunting. Afterall, you know SO much about your business that the idea of deciding what to write about can be overwhelming. This is why I have developed a “Blog Workbook” for clients. The Workbook acts as an organizing principle so that you can warehouse ideas and eventually put them into a grid or schedule. The Workbook, however, is really just a tool that will train you to “think like a blog” and eventually you won’t really need it anymore, but upon starting your endeavor into the world of blogging, it is invaluable.
So what is a Blog Workbook?
When I meet with a client to start the process of developing a meaningful, relevant internet outreach program for a business, I make a point of asking a lot of questions. I ask about the ebb and flow of business throughout the year (seasons), I ask about the products and services their business provides, I ask about the inspiration which fuels the business owner’s passion for their work, the events that occur throughout the year, their geographic location, the other businesses they like, frequently asked questions, their vendors and even what kinds of things they read or see in other places that tie into their business. In short, I ask them to elaborate upon all the things they might share with their customers and clients in person. This is the beginning of putting together a blog workbook for each client.
The Initial “Content Meeting”
When I meet with a client and present them with their customized Blog Workbook, each page has a different heading. We go through the workbook as I ask questions, jotting down ideas as they come up. For instance, if the first page is about Events throughout the year, we write down the time year the event is taking place, and what kind of ideas we might have about how to generate excitement about that event on the blog. Events can also include geography-related events…is there a festival in your part of town at any point in the year? How can we tie what we are doing into that event?
I also delve very deeply into the “Frequently Asked Questions” category…finding out the things people want to know about, and sketching out how those might be addressed in blog posts, or even with video. As an answer to any of the frequently asked questions, it’s always a good idea to also think of a way to address “what makes my business DIFFERENT” and really reinforce that message.
An overlooked tactic for coming up with good content for your site is finding content from other places and sharing that. This can be a newspaper or magazine article, a link to a podcast, or even news from one of your vendors. Not only does it acknowledge and help spread the word from the original source (they may like that and reciprocate), it also becomes easy to track things you might like to share if they are relevant for your audience.
Building an audience
Another page to include in your Blog Workbook is a profile of the type of audience you wish to build. It’s always good to keep this in mind as you develop the content you will be sharing. A subset of your audience can include potential “message multipliers”—the people and outlets you believe may want to share your content. Often you can come up with reciprocal arrangements for having access to one another’s audience.
Developing a content schedule
As you flesh out the workbook and have discussions in your weekly content meetings, eventually you may come to the conclusion that it is best to consolidate “themes” into your scheduling grid: For instance, August can be “back-to-school” month (if appropriate) where the content you are publishing hits on that particular theme. You can also designate different days of the week as a way to determine what kind of post you are going to put up, such as Fridays being the day for a post about “Frequently Asked Questions.”
As for deciding how often to post, the best rule of thumb is to try to be consistent. Some clients feel comfortable with publishing substantial blog posts only once a week, while some other people have short observations and things to say every day. It’s really up to you to determine your comfort level and stick to the schedule.
Part of my job as a content developer is to help facilitate consistency by cracking the whip on deadlines and helping to augment ideas and edit posts (adding links, etc.) as they go out. However, the Workbook as your original organizing principle is key to developing a strategy that will work for your individual business.
Tags: content, development, scheduling, strategy
Catogories: interconnectivity
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