When should an article not be an article? Answer? When it’s a blog posting!
A blog posting should NEVER read like an article. Reading a blog should make you feel like you are reading a letter from a friend perhaps telling you about a great new product they just bought. You should not post an existing article in ‘article format’ to a blog. If you MUST post an article, then say it is an article at the outset. Even better is to edit it so it better suits a blog format. Make it informal and friendly.
The term for articles edited for a blog is known as ‘blogged articles’ and it is well known that these can be very effective in converting readers to customers. If people are reading your blog in the first place, you already have the advantage of an element of trust that you wouldn’t enjoy on your website. People will be more receptive to what you are trying to get across if you do it in a blog! With that in mind, you shouldn’t pitch anything in a blog that you don’t believe in or know nothing about. Nothing will turn your readers off faster than if you put them on a bum steer.
There is a certain ‘knack’ associated with writing a blog and if you haven’t got it then you may need to do something else unless you can learn it. Perhaps surprisingly it is common in big business for a blogging CEO to actually be making use of a ghost-writer. The CEOs may do nothing more than provide initial direction on what a blog posting should get across and have final approval on a posting,
Whilst this snippet of information may shatter your illusion that you were getting to know the general management on Company X, the point here is that you could do the same! If funds permit you could also hire a writer in order to publish or maintain a blog. If fund are limited and you can’t afford professional writers why not look towards students at your local university?
Target students on a course related to your desired blog market. For example if you want to write a blog about new software products on the market, look to the IT department. This could be mutually beneficial – you get the service you want at cheaper rate, they get experience, extra cash and something great to put on their CV.
If its time rather than blogging skills you’re short of why not combine your postings with those of hired help. You can either note yourself as the author (this isn’t cheating - it’s the basis of most widely accepted PLR companies) or you could welcome ‘Guest Writers’ to your blog as a valued feature.
Above all else, remember that people reading your blogs are not necessarily looking for a guru, but rather someone who is a bit more down to earth and friendly.
