Browsing Category: "Blog content"
Love of narrative
Blog content August 21st, 2008
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Unlike bloggers who came to the blog for hits or SEO or building buzz, I came to it because I’m a writer and I love narrative. I was already reading other people’s stories (their online journals, not quite blogs since they were insulated and many didn’t have comments) and I wanted to write my own. I wasn’t sure what my story would be, exactly, but I was a long time fan of journaling and I was interested to see what I would write if I was writing my life knowing that an audience might be watching.
I didn’t expect blogging to take hold and take off the way that it has but here it is, almost eight years since I first hit “publish” and blogging has become a great way to sell your self, sell your services and it’s created a whole new market to target.
But I’m still in it for the stories.
When I work with my clients, I encourage them to find their own stories. SEO is important (and a WordPress-powered blog will help you with that easy-peasy) and creating “sticky” entries is a great thing but if you don’t have a compelling narrative, you’ll get lost in enormous noise that is the blogosphere.
I read a lot of social media sites — some big and some small — and because I read them via my feedreader I have a helluva tough time remembering which one is which. They all sound the same. With their bullets and their headers and their voices of authority (and many guest bloggers), I can’t tell you which one said what.
Part of my high-touch service includes helping you identify your blog-worthy stories and the larger trajectory of your business narrative. As a confident, accomplished writer and editor, I know how to find your narrative arc and help you write it. I can help you categorize and index your entries to give readers more opportunity to dig in so that you can build a loyal audience who cares about the things that make you stand out from your competition.
And that’s what makes me stand out from the competition: Love of narrative.
Possibly related posts
Blogger’s block and finding your sweet spot
Blog content, How to blog July 16th, 2008
“What do I write about?” It’s the new blogger’s lament! It takes time to find your blogging sweet spot — the place where you (usually) know what to say and (usually) know just how to say it. It takes practice! And if you’re blogging your business the uphill climb can seem even steeper. After all, business is official and, well, business-y.
But you’re not just blogging the business of your business; you’re blogging the humanity inside your business. Remember that blogging is about building relationships. (Who puts the social in social media? Answer: We all do!)
Let’s take Joe Schmoe, used car salesman extraordinaire. At first glance Joe’s blogging career looks pretty stilted. So he talks about cars, right? And he talks about the cars on his lot and he talks about special deals but then what? How does he break down the blogger’s block and find his blogging sweet spot?
Answer: Joe Schmoe blogs about Joe Schmoe. Joe already knows how to talk to people — he’s a salesman, after all — and so he uses his blog to make a real connection with his readers in the same way he works to make a real connection with his customers. Maybe he talks about his daughter’s upcoming kindergarten graduation or tells a funny story about a test drive he was on a few months back. Maybe he waxes poetic about new car smell or makes a list of the weird things he’s found in glove compartments on trade-ins.
He doesn’t just blog his business — he blogs his life as a businessman.
Now Joe may not realize that he’s got all of this fabulous narrative to share. Most of us don’t really know what’s most interesting (yet still relevent) about our lives. Here are some ways to find your own blogging sweet spot:
- Pay attention to what people want to know about. When you’re at a dinner party or a backyard BBQ or standing around waiting to pick your kid up from preschool, what do people want to know about your business? What do they find most interesting when you talk about your everyday life at work?
- Pay attention to what makes people laugh. Have a favorite story you pull out when you need an amusing anecdote? Blog it! Have a story that slays ‘em every time? Blog it!
- Sit down with us and we’ll help you out! Yes, that’s just one of the many blog services we offer — helping you find your blog narrative aka the sweet spot of your blogging career. (Hey what kind of marketing writer would I be if I didn’t give you a call to action! So I’m calling! Act now and set up a FREE consultation with us!)
