The Dbottino Weblog

You can find lots of information on the Internet about how to create a blog. There are recommendations about which tool to use and how to design something that’s reader-friendly. But what happens once your blog is constructed? The cold blank page stares back at you on a daily basis.

Not as much has been written about creating content for your blog. As the “expert”, it is assumed that you know what to write. Well, yes and no. Obviously, if you have a passion for your topic, you may be bursting with a never-ending source of ideas.

But what about the business-related blog? Even if you love your business, you may feel too close to the subject to decide what information would benefit your customers on a daily basis. You’ll also have restrictions based on what is appropriate for a wider audience.

Here are 5 ways to help you develop content for your blog:

1. Read other blogs with an eye towards seeing how bloggers develop their ‘voice.’

You need to make sure your blog content reflects YOU and how you communicate. When you prepare a post, it should sound like a conversation you would have with a good customer. I keep a little notebook and jot down ideas after I’ve spoken with a client, read a book or heard something that I think will make a good post.

2. Create a “Mind Map” that spells out the strategy for your blog.

A Mind Map lets you develop the big picture and the details of your strategy at the same time. I use Mind Maps to develop strategies of all kinds for my clients. (See ‘Digimaps’ on my website for more information about how to create one.) Understand what the overall message of your blog will be and what your reader will find each time they read a post. You need a unified message, so think carefully about your blog’s subtitle or description. Refer back to that each time you start a post.

3. Start with 10 categories that support your blog’s strategy.

You can add or subtract later, this is just an easy way to focus your thoughts. When you are staring at that blank page, a look at your category list may help spur your thoughts.

4. Decide whether you are going to monetize your site.

There are lots of ways to monetize your site. You can sell products, display Google ads and build your mailing list with free information that requires an email address. Some people prefer to keep their blog an expression of their thoughts without commerce-related activity. If you are growing your business, an e-commerce model will probably suit you. Give some thought as to what makes sense for you so that your design and content supports your model. Also, make sure that if you are selling a product or service, you put a picture of it just as you would on your website.

5. Look out for new blog tools as they are developed.

Great new tools are being developed daily. I find the best tools by reading blogs and being curious about what tools others are using.

RSS (it stands for Really Simple Syndication, among other things) is a relatively new technology that allows anyone who creates frequently changing web content - news, blogs, current events, etc. - to deliver their messages to interested readers with no fuss, no muss and best of all - no spam!

Currently, RSS is being used by content-rich sites (mainly blogs and news centers) to keep readers up-to-date on newly published posts or breaking stories. But RSS can do so much more. Many businesses and organizations are failing to truly exploit the amazing properties of this technology - and in doing so are leaving on the table innumerable opportunities to create even greater value, sales and traffic for their company, product or service and the market share it represents. Below are just a few of the creative ways that businesses and other groups can tap into the power of RSS and create new streams of revenue and interest for their organizations.

1. Create An “Announcements And Special Offers” Feed

If your business offers classes, seminars, products, services, specials, sales - essentially anything that changes, updates or rotates throughout a cycle - then creating a dedicated RSS feed could save you (and your clients) time and money. By creating an “Announcements and Special Offers” feed and offering access to your clients as an alternative to emails and print mailers, you can keep your client base up to speed, plus send out limited-time and exclusive “feed only” special offers and discounts, thereby offering an incentive to “get on board.” This not only saves you time by reducing the advertising cycle to the time it takes to update your web page/feed, it saves your clients money by enabling them to quickly scan through the offering headings and pick out just the one’s they’re interested in - while your savings on the cost and time of paper and digital mailings (with their appallingly low conversion rates and sporadic delivery) progressively increase as the feed readership segment of your client base grows.

2. Create A “Client of the Week” Feed

If you’re in a business where this sort of recognition is appropriate, then this could be a big hit! Creating a feed that regularly highlights a different client, their business and any special offers that they might like to make available - exclusively to other feed members, of course - can be a great value-add for your clients, one that costs you little more than the few minutes it takes to create the “spot” and publish it on your site/feed. Include a photo and a business link and your clients will be singing your praises far and wide!

3. Create A Training Or Team Feed

If you are part of a network marketing venture or are in charge of a large sales force or other team and need a way to consistently and continually get training aids, updates, incentives, sales copy, goals, meeting agendas and other items to your downline or members, consider setting up a feed just to serve this function. Since the actual content is hosted at one central site (subscribers only receive a “teaser” that they have to click through to get the full message), you can upload any digital file of any size that you need at the site itself and be assured that everyone who gets the message will be able to retrieve the files - not always a sure thing when dealing with email attachments and text messaging.

4. Create an inter-office feed

Memos, presentation materials, files, announcements, new policies, schedules - all this can be gathered up in one central feed (or broken down into departmental feeds) that are then easily maintained in one central archive and easily accessible by anyone who needs them. Nobody is left behind or out of the loop because they didn’t check their email (or because the message got filtered or bounced) and everyone gets just the information they need without dealing with a lot of cross-over communication from people replying and clarifying.

5. Schools, non-profits and other organizations - RSS works for you too!

Schools - Consider the possibilities of a student feed, updated with activities, exam dates, school closings, special “student only” offers from local businesses and so on. Or how about a special assignment feed in which class materials are uploaded by each instructor for students who are ill, away from home or otherwise unable to be in class?

Churches - A congregational feed can supply daily meditations, worship service schedules, prayer requests, special events and other such messages right to your congregant’s desktop - a sort of ongoing, rolling newsletter that never has to wait for a full page or go out off-schedule due to mised deadlines (items go out as they come in - it’s that simple). This could also be accessed by members who are doing missionary work overseas, to help them feel more connected with home and to allow them to contribute by sending in updates of their work to be added to the general feed.

Non-profits - Volunteer feeds could provide a running update of available positions and work needed, as well as featuring profiles of special volunteers and organizational wish lists; fundraising feeds might keep donors abreast of giving events and how their donations are being used; and inter-organizational feeds can keep board members and other involved parties up to date on meeting times, agendas and projects. All great ways of utilizing the powers of RSS for the common good!

Consider these options the next time you need to get information out to a scattered and diverse readership, or need to publish material that never seems to come in when you need it to. RSS is a new technology, surely. But that just means that it’s true power to serve your needs is only now being discovered. One of the best ways to keep ahead of the crowd is to forge a path through new territories. Where will RSS lead you?

(c) Soni Pitts

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Soni Pitts is the Chief Visionary Butt-Kicker of SoniPitts.Com. She specializes in helping others reclaim “soul proprietorship” in their lives and to begin living the life their Creator always intended for them.

She is the author of the free e-book “50 Ways To Reach Your Goals” and over 100 self-help and inspirational articles, as well as other products and resources designed to facilitate this process of personal growth and spiritual development.