Think Different. Get Noticed. Part 2 Blog Content

In part 1, we focused on Blog Design. In this second part of the three part series, we will turn our focus towards what matters the most – Blog Content.

Part 2 of series is here. Part 1 won first prize in Group Writing Contest organized by Blog Design Studio. Click here for more details.

Think Different. Get Noticed.

This is a three part series, focusing on strategies to get your blog stand out from the crowd. For that you need to think different from what already hundreds a thousands of blogs are doing. Check out the complete series:

• Blog Design
• Blog Content
• Blog Promotion

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Blog Content

Coming to our second topic of Blog Content, we would focus on

How you can churn out effective Content for your Blog, post after post.

There is no shortcut to success. If you are a Blogger and want to achieve great success, then its imperative that you need to come up with great content. The task looks daunting and sure it is. Not all can be great blogger right..??

Let’s see how this process can be made simple and how you can use resources you gather for getting content for your blog more effectively.

1. Content is the King.. yada.. yada..

While there is no difference of opinion that “Content is the King”, but what a writer should remind himself about is the ecosystem. What Ecosystem..?? Lets consider a simple generic Communication channel.

From thoughts –> delivery channel –> registration in reader’s mind (delivered)

Now this can take place through various medium. It mind be a newspaper article, a weekly magazine, a flyer, newsletter, billboards, media channels, television, radio, website (blogs, guestbook, traditional website, user groups, online forums etc.) etc.

So you can see the list remains endless. And now you must have a fair idea why it is necessary to target specific channels and it makes sense when your content is tailored for a specific medium.

2. Do you write your own articles ..??

Didn’t expected this one here? You might be surprised if you are a newcomer. But expert bloggers know this and accepts also. Most of them do not write their blog themselves. Simple Reason, their blogs are successful, and they already have steady traffic flowing in. It makes sense for them to channel more time towards promotional activity once they have figured out their  specific sector, content style and delivery methods/channels.

So they generally hire a panel of writers to write for them. The only time they spend is mentioning the parameters of the post, key ideas, few keywords and reviewing it once done. And by this panel of writers I do not mean the kind of ones you get for $5-10 per article on user forums. I mean quality article written by quality professionals.

What ever your path be, make sure you are bringing freshness into your posts by writing on topics that are different, hard to find, add value or surprise your visitors.

3. Do you write for Human Beings ..??

Funny isn’t it. Web development have evolved over time, such that it is now impossible to please everyone. You put nice content for your visitors, and are leaving behind search engines by avoiding rich keywords. You feed your page with a balance of rich keywords and edible content, but getting little or no traffic from Social Media sites like Digg and Stumbleupon.

Too bad, but that’s the fact. Very few post can enjoy their popularity equally between all three major traffic channels and other minor ones. So should you pick one over the other? Why not. There are many websites which are build solely for the purpose of Adsense income via search engine referrals. But then you do not want your site to be ay other site, right?

Lets look at how these three different channels differ. It will help you to mix and match different points to create an article that keeps everyone happy.

Search Engines

• Heavy usage of keywords
• Keywords should be Rich (Used frequently in search engine queries)
• Advertiser Competition plays important role in selecting the Keyword
• Quality words which are needed
• Articles for Search Engine are written with heavy influence on normally used word

Social Media

• List/Collections do very well in Social Media sites
• Something out of ordinary
• Media – images and videos
• Most Social Media users are very tech inclined. Tech developments, new product launches etc. will do very well
• Tutorials, Free resources, Code samples etc.

Human Readers

• One word – Killer Content
• To the point details (give what the reader came looking for)
• Content with personal touch or opinion

4. Brainstorm

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Brainstorming is a great way to come up with new ideas. It is vastly used in group discussion and problem solving classes. But the same fundamentals can be used while writing a blog post.

Contrary to the popular belief, brain storming does not only involve group. It can be done on an individual level also. Set a topic to post your blog on. Lets say you want t post on “How to copy Protect your Blogging Content”

Now you can take this as a problem and try to find solution to it using brain storming. Although it helps if you can get your partner, close friends, IM contact or twitter followers for better result you can do the same yourself also. Follow the four step formula

Focus on quantity – focus on coming up with a large number of ideas/solution to the problem. Do not worry whether they are feasible or not.

No Criticism – Do not criticize a solution and keep it aside.

Welcome Unusual ideas – Often via brain storming, when you let yourself free to come up with a wide number of ideas which are unusual or at least not ordinary. Among this you would be surprise to find a few very good ones.

Combine and Improve – Build upon the solution bag you have gathered. Now is the time to gather and evaluate each one. You can combine a couple of ideas to forma  great idea.

Coming to the copy protecting your blog content, how about linking a news story about online content theft at the end of each Blog Post.

5. What is your Read-to-Write Ratio ..??

Blogging is not a walk in the park. Well, not really to the ordinary mind. You need to chew on the grey matter to get new ideas. The best way to get more ideas is to look around, learn more. So that brings me to my earlier question. How many blogs do you read? And what all blogs you read?

I use Google Reader (a wonderful piece of software) to manage my RSS feeds on the go. And I Make sure to keep myself updated about the latest in the fields of

• Blogging
• Search Engine Optimization
• Web Designing
• Internet Marketing
• Make Money
• Technology
• Coding / Scripting
• Business, Finance and Economy (for my day job)
• Current News (general awareness)

Most of the List are collected from Technorati Top 100 blogs, Technorati Popular Blogs, Blogroll of famous Bloggers, StumbleDigg, Digg –> Technology/Design Sections etc. Pretty soon the list has grown to a large number with 1000+ new post hitting my RSS Reader every other day. Add to that, a list of pool blogs containing less frequently updated content, and the collection is massive.

Although I cannot read each and every post, I make sure I read my A list blogs everyday, and other interesting articles (by quickly scanning through the post titles). This is a great source of content that help come up with ideas for new Blog Posts.

So unless you are the next Sidney Sheldon, you should start devoting some time to read blogs of your peers and other famous people to keep yourself updated and feed in fresh content to your blog also.

6. Essence of a Blog Post

You blog post is nothing but a communication message between you and your readers / visitors. So if you want to know the essence of a Complete Blog Post, why not read the essence of Communication Message itself.

Make sure every Blog Post you publish has the following attributes.

• Clear – Write posts which lays out clear meaning
• Concise – Make post brief and to the point.
• Concrete – Be as specific as you can. Use examples where ever needed.
• Correct – Write correct posts in terms of spelling, grammar, punctuation, format.
• Coherent – Make sure posts are also maintain a logical flow.
• Complete – Don’t leave out important parts of the topic. If you plan to leave some topic out for another post, then do say so or provide a link.
• Courteous – Write a positive building post focused upon the readers.

7. Read your own Blog Post

I like to write. I like to put my words down for others to read. But that does not mean I am a great writer (may be some day I will be). So how do I gauge my progress. One way is to ask my audience to give feedback. Another way is to ask friends to read the draft post before publishing. But then again, how many of us have spare friends for reading our draft posts..?? So your best bet is yourself.

Write your post, then quickly read the draft for spelling, grammar and logical errors. Once done, read the post as if you are coming across the draft of someone else. Pay attention of what the post is trying to convey and see if this is what you meant. This way, you might find mistakes and proof read your own post.

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8. Copywriting

What is the best onsite marketing tool for a blogger..?? If you think banner, list of top post or landing pages, then you are absolutely wrong. Its the content, which does the marketing without ever uttering “Click Me”

You can use your content to direct the actions of your visitors. You can drive them to click that affiliate link you make major income from, get the visitor to subscribe to your RSS Feeds or just vote you as the “Blogger of the Year”. That’s what Copywriting is all about.

Copywriting is using the your content to successfully derive the pre planned action from the content reader.

So, don’t just blah blah on you blog post. Think what you want to get done from your post and then write the content in such a way. Trust me, this is a tough skill and require practice.

This is one thing that differentiate you from a famous blogger. You get a hang of this and you master the Social Engine Optimization (The human element in contrast to Search Engines in SEO).

We all know this stuff, but we rarely apply it. I wont fudge away from saying that even I ignore it. The reasons are simple. Being a great Copywriter is an art and wont happen overnight. And since we are more interested in churning out post after post of new content, copywriting takes a back seat.

What we can do is at least make an effort to release one post with an aim in mind (like getting maximum Diggs, Stumbles, RSS Subscribers etc.) and try it out say once a month or so. Overtime you will find all you post coming out nicely. Trust me on this one.

9. Show passion for the content you write

This is the only point where everything is irrelevant but you. When you write a post, you think of the target audience in mind and construct your words. That’s what everyone does. But have you ever let yourself out by penning the words you wanted to?

If everyone says Pay per Click rocks, so should you..?? Not necessary, if you think Private Ads sales is the wrong way to go forward, then be it. Stick to it and write how and why. Just because everyone is is saying so, you should not also say the same thing.

“Don’t be a cattle in the herd. Make yourself stand out. That’s what this whole series is all about.”

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10 Develop a Writing Style

What is your writing style? Do you like to add jokes in your posts, to make your visitors laugh? Do you feed your readers with sarcasm, or witty posts are your way to go?

It is very important to develop a writing style. It helps you and your readers bond faster to each other. It creates a bonding in your visitor’s mind, and they began to expect a certain style of writing in your post.

Again, its very important to use a writing style you are comfortable with. If you cannot write sarcastic, then simply don’t try to write one. You would end up taking more time to write and the post would look like a purposefully sarcastic one.

Remember comedy movies, where the director tries to make you laugh even though the scene does not demands it nor you feel like. Now would you like your post to be one of those cheap comedy flicks where you don’t even feel like laughing..??

11. Tease a little. Know when to tease.

Finally you have made through reading the content and are ready to go. Remember the best trick in public media is that of creating the expectations and then using it. That is what blogging is all about. If you think your content can not market for itself, then you are absolutely wrong.

“Use your content as a self promoting media. Use it to tease the audience, develop an expectation and then deliver in line with the hopes“

Your most important element in a post is the POST TITLE followed by the INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH. Use them, exploit them to create an anticipation for your readers. Make sure they are compel to read the entire blog post once they skim through the starting paragraph.

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12. Go Shopping for “Blog Content”

Lorelle have presented a vast amount of resources where you can hunt for new Blog Content. To graze through it and update this page would be unfair. I would rather let you the link of the concerned page itself. Go visit the page and check out various resources.

Hundreds-of-resources-for-finding-content-for-your-blog/

Have a nice day..!!

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