It seems that between the changes to search engines and Google, as well as the outrageous amount of avenues you can use to promote your blog–well, it can be hard to sit still and write or create the actual blog content. For my next few blog posts, I’ll be showing you ways to gather Pocket Contents, or content ideas that you can keep in your back pocket.
When your other ideas just aren’t working, or you’re having the most inconvenient brain-dead day on a deadline, put your spin on these basic concepts and see what magic appears.
Pocket Contents is a gift when you’re suffering from a dry well on a deadline day.
Right State of Mind
Writing a good blog is like being a DJ: You play to the energy of the crowd, then amaze them with your skills and prowess once you’ve gotten everybody under the control of your sound. Writing is no different. Consider who you’re writing FOR, who you’re writing TO, and WHY. Also, realize that you’ve got some special talents to show off. Take a breath and show them why they chose you. Give them beyond their money’s worth and write to your ideal reader.
Try your hand at these types of content.
Interviews
When you’ve got an engaged audience of business people looking for the next expert review on the latest technology, an interview with an industry-leading expert or thought-leader is always an eye-catcher. Reach out to business leaders in your LinkedIn circles and ask them for an interview. The great thing is that interviews can be done through email, Skype, Facetime or over the phone. A few well thought out, open-ended questions is all it takes to churn out decent content that your readers will drool over.
Resource Center
If you want to establish your company or client as a thought leader, you should start building up a bank of educational content. In these pieces, don’t talk about yourself and don’t try to sell anything. Resource Center-type articles gain trust and make a consumer feel like if they DO decide to purchase something from you, it was of their own volition and in their own time. Write articles, white papers, buyers guides – anything that is geared toward educating your targeted audience on a particular topic. Not only does this serve your audience, but it gives Google a lot of content to crawl, helping establish you as a leader in both your industry and on search engines.
Below are a few examples to start building your Resource Center:
•White Papers–White papers are reports that seek to educate and persuade. These are best used when you have to convince someone that your product, concept or design is the right one for them..
•eBooks–These may take a some time to put together, as almost any long-form content will, but the payoff is grand. Not only can you use an ebook to educate and convince readers, you can also receive a trackable point of contact from them in exchange.
•Buyer’s Guides–If you’re writing for a client with a host of products, do some keyword research and get to work on a buyer’s guide. Buyer’s guides inform the reader of specs, technical information, how to use the product, what to look for and what to avoid. Conincidentally, all of these could be used for great titles!
SEO On The Go
Always remember to maximize SEO potential by picking proper keyword phrases, tagging up your post and using those keywords early and often. Take care to notdisrupt the reading flow.
Try building your own repertoire of tips and tricks so you can always have a go-to set of ideas up your sleeve. In the meantime, keep an eye out for the next Pocket Contents!
