If you’ve been blogging for some time, you might find that your writing feels dull or that you experience writer’s block. If you also manage a small business, juggling various business tasks while creating interesting content for your blog can be tough. You might be running low on ideas and lack the time to think of new topics. Take a close look at your blog. What could be improved? Perhaps it’s time to add some excitement!
When we start our blog we like to think we are the expert and we have tons of information and knowledge to share with the world. As our businesses grow, keeping up with our blogs seems like a low priority. Over time, the task of blogging seems less exciting and we start to serve up the same information repetitively or we exhaust our list of topics. Your audience is hungry for new information so what can you do to keep them coming back for more?
Here’s where guest authors, curated content and your team come in to kick up the flavor on your blog!
How to Add Flavor to Your Content Strategy
A healthy blog starts with content that satisfies your audience’s appetite for information that solves their problems or educates them while leaving them asking for more (in the form of your offers and subscription). Your original content is the main course and the foundation for the success of your blog, of course. Adding a few additional ingredients will add variety and keep your readers engaged.
Add a Dash of Spice With Guest Bloggers
While the advantages of “guest blogging” for the guest author or guest blogger are better publicized (increased reach, exposure for the guest author’s brand, and when done right, link building), the benefits to you as the blog owner are potentially even greater. Here are a few reasons to ask experts in your field to write for your blog:
- It’s a win-win! You will both gain subscribers and followers because the guest author will share the article with their readers and/or social followers and you will do the same.
- It’s a way to develop relationships with other experts in your niche. Over time the goal is to develop a cadre of key guest bloggers who appear on your blog periodically.
- You’ll add content that comes from the perspective of a thought leader in your field, adding quality posts and credibility to your blog.
- It can spark your creativity and innovation by allowing you to see your industry through someone else’s eyes.
- It’s an effective use of time. Having a guest author allows you time to recharge your energy. Having a couple of guest posts in your lineup allows you to pull those articles for publication when you are short on time and unable to write yourself.
- Analyzing the response from your readers to a different writer’s subject matter and writing style will help you improve or adjust your future writing.
Not sure where to find guest bloggers? This article from Quickbooks Intuit will help. (http://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/marketing/using-guest-writers-to-beef-up-your-blog)
Pepper Your Blog With Curated Content
Curated adds a little heat in the form of trending topics and “best of” lists. The CEO of Curata, Pawan Deshpande, defines content curation as, “the practice of finding, organizing, and sharing the best and most relevant content on a specific topic, rather than [marketers] solely creating all their content themselves.” Curating content is a way to present a summary of content that has been shared online on a specific topic. You’re basically doing the research and hand-selecting the most relevant articles for your audience and presenting that information in a nice tidy package. Making sense of several articles on a topic and presenting them to your audience in a way that’s easy for them to digest is a valuable skill. Here are a few reasons to share curated content with your readers:
- As an industry leader, you will be constantly curating content, whether you realize it or not. Keep this content stored in an organized way and you’ll have it when it comes time to publish a blog post on the topic. It’s an efficient use of your time and resources.
- Sharing curated content offers high value to your audience. You’re doing the work of sifting through the magnitude of information published on the web and presenting it in a way that’s meaningful to them.
- By presenting the best resources on a specific topic, your credibility as a thought leader will potentially increase.
- The types of information you can curate are endless so you’ll never run out of ideas. You can present a list of case studies, statistics, blog articles, quotes, videos, and books to name a few.
There are many online tools and apps to help you curate content. Check out this extensive list.
Garnish With Help From Your Team
I saved the best for last. If you are a small business owner looking for fresh content for your blog, you need look no further than your own team. Ask your staff to write for your blog. As a leader, taking opportunities to allow your staff to be creative and share their expertise will pay you back in dividends. You’ll get a fresh perspective, an insider’s view of your industry. It will also help you get to know them – their point of view as well as their personality and writing style. In addition, it will challenge your team to learn more about your industry. I can tell you from experience that writing my first blog article was a little intimidating, but the process has become empowering and has helped me learn about myself and the topics on which I write.
So there you have it, some ways to add zest and flavor to your blog. Add a few key ingredients and your audience will keep coming back for more! Share your ideas for curating comment and using guest bloggers in the comments below. We’d love to hear what’s working for you!
