3 Fundamental “Content Rules” for Blog Content

Ann Handley is the Chief Content Officer for MarketingProfs.  She recently co-authored Content Rules.  Ann submitted this guest post to OpenView Labs.

Corporate Blogging Tips from the Expert

Share or solve; don’t shill.

Good blog posts don’t try to sell product. Rather, they should create value for your readers by positioning you a reliable and vendor-agnostic source of information. Share a resource, solve a problem, help your customers do their jobs better, or improve their lives.

Speak human.

Kill Frankenspeak, buzzwords, and other language that makes you sound like a tool. Use the language of your customers, but speak in a conversational tone, with personality and empathy. If you are a stilted, uncomfortable writer, consider video or audio blogging, or even photography. A blog isn’t reserved for text alone; there’s all kinds of ways to communicate your message in a way that feels right and natural for you.

Build momentum.

Why are you creating the blog you’re creating? What’s your objective? Your purpose? Create momentum there by making it clear what you want your readers to do when they interact with your content. Create triggers, or “calls to action,” for your readers to learn more about your company and/or the issues you talk about on your blog. Invite them to comment and interact with you, and comment and interact back. Have a sense of how you want your blog to drive your business, at both the larger level as well as the individual post level.