Always on the hunt for inspiration and ideas, I am constantly searching for and reading lists. Whether it is the ten best this or worst 50 of that- I am list obsessed. I blame my childhood ritual of listening to Rick Dees and the Weekly Top Forty for this obsession. Anyway, I stumbled upon a provocatively and somewhat hilariously titled list called The 100 Must Read Blogs… by Women! posted last year on Blogtreprenuer. As I perused their choices (Ann Coulter and Michelle Maklin?!?) I noticed what all of these blogs should have in common besides the whole being created by women thing is that they should all contain that kind of fantastic content that starts conversations, winds up being forwarded a billion times over, and mainly inspires readers to come back over and over again. Other lists seem to confirm, like this one from Time magazine, that great blogs not only contain great titles and slick concepts but juicy readable content. However, the question is how do we non-list making mortals achieve addictive content?
There are several little things I’ve noticed all of these blogs have in common that send them to the top of the best of lists that we can all incorporate into our own blogs:
* Rehash with Panache– Naturally, we all want to comment on the day’s headlines and current events but nobody wants to yammer on repeating what dozens of others have already said. Business blogs can incorporate buzz-worthy topics and commenting on the day’s events while speaking directly to your clients and promoting your products. Add a fresh take or unique twist to well worn topics by infusing your blogs with humor or opinion.
* Cut to the Chase– Readers, particularly those who at work, want to instant gratification. Short, tight blogs that deliver what they promise in a timely fashion rate high in click-ability because they fit nicely into our hummingbird-like attention spans. Choose an staff member or an outsource to write your blog who truly knows how to get to the point.
* Don’t be Afraid of the Niche– In today’s blog-eat-blog world, having a specialized audience could ultimately be your golden parachute. Sure, there’s a zillion blogs about celebrity fashion but luckily for you, sugar-free candy maker person, the competition is not that fierce. In other words, tailoring your blog directly to your audience makes sense not only because it ensures the correct readership but a niche driven blog pushes it to the top of search engines.
* Pass it on– Mainly great content that people share contains the “Gee, I didn’t know that” quality. So using our blogs to inform our clients, co-workers, and friends of little found pieces of wisdom is a no brainer. Passing on nifty little tips and bits of knowledge makes karmic and blog business sense.
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