How Do Business Blogs Get Creative?

January 5, 2011 By 14 Comments
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creative blog content

Get your hands dirty and be creative!

There’s an incredible amount of blog posts published daily urging you to start blogging, optimize your website for search, jump on social media to drive traffic to your business website. But one thing I started thinking about this morning (whilst feeling sorry for myself, down with flu) is just how little constructive help there is with actually creating content.

Outstanding online content is what will make you stand out from the crowd and generate interest from visitors to your site.

One of the things that all the outstanding corporate blogs that Mark Schaefer mentioned in The 10 Best Corporate Blogs in the World was just how good the content was. Varied, entertaining content.

But if you’re a newbie or looking to take your blogging to the next level, what kind of content should you be looking to share?

One of the best ways of generating ideas is to actually read blogs in the first place! Not just in your sector, but a broad selection of blogs.

From my own reading of the last couple of days I’ve spotted five types of posts that could inspire your own creative content creation if you turned them to your own business.

So here are a few suggestions of things you could try:

  • a discussion of the results and implications of an industry survey (Cf Charlotte Britton’s post on social media adoption in Yorkshire (UK) over at Quest PR).
  • a brief piece of audio content (or podcast), embedded in your blog (Cf Donna Papacosta’s post on why use audio).
  • a low-cost, entertaining vlog or video (Cf: I loved this video some of my students made to market their school. They got over 5000 views in less than a week!)
  • an e-book that generously shares important knowledge and information (Cf Danny Brown’s From Stats to Strats).
  • a genuine invitation to your audience to comment on your products or services (Cf Starbucks are masters at this, generating masses of online audience participation).

Your Turn!

What other kinds of posts would really make a corporate blog swing?

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About Jon

Owner of Jontus Media, marketing consultant, lifelong Liverpool FC support and podcaster. Guarded by basset hounds .

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  • http://www.businessesGROW.com/blog Mark W Schaefer

    I have been driving this theme too. Entertain!

    Hope you are feeling better.

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  • http://www.anocial.com Brian Ellis

    You mentioned reading blogs out side of your sector. I think that this is absolutely essential to finding inspiration. We are in social media and we naturally gravitate to other blogs in the same sphere. the problem is, for me at least, it gets a bit stale after awhile. It becomes yet another post about Twitter, just another write up about the new Facebook layout, or could it be…another post about monetizing your blog. While I read and appreciate the posts and opinions, I come to a point once in a while where I need something different. I have an inspiration folder in my reader, and none of the blogs listed there have anything to do with social media. I can find plenty here to relate to social media and in turn put out what some will find valuable, inspired content.

  • http://www.jontusmedia.com/ Jon Buscall

    I think that’s such an important thing to do. Like you I have a “Reading” folder that’s got nothing to do with work, but it’s surprising the inspiration and knowledge I get from these sites that feeds back into the work I do.

    If all you read is social media marketing blogs you won’t know how to deal with a shoe store who approach you for help!