Does your personality match the tone of your blog? Maybe that’s not a good thing! We don’t all have personalities that POP. And even if you do – here’s how you can make your blog – in the immortal words of Cosmo Kramer – “more you than you’ve ever been.”
Previously, I’ve written about the Blogging Best Practices we use internally at phoneBlogger.net; you can read that here. While that post went into the structure of a blog article (how to make it eye-catchy, social media friendly, search engine optimized), these 5 tenets are about the style of your blogging. These same tenets – a checklist of questions – can also be used to make your public appearances POP:
1) Are you engaging your readers?
Blog articles are figurative conversations with your readers (clients, prospects, fans, referral sources). They are also meant to spark literal conversations. How do you do this? By involving your readers in the article: Can you ask them questions? Ask for feedback, their examples, their agreements, their dissent. In this way, blog articles are engaging when relevant to the (personal and/or professional) lives of your readers. Questions are also great rhetorical props to introduce your points.
2) Is your blog article remarkable?
Can you follow this logic? Relevancy is to Engaging, as Interesting is to Remarkable: Your blog article – from its title, teaser paragraph, to sub-heads, short paragraphs & engaging conclusion – ought to be thought provoking.
Moreover, is your blog literally remarkable: Are your readers able to remark on your blog post? That is, is there a facility for them to Comment right on your blog? (Turn on “moderation,” to approve comments before they go public – to avoid spam and unwanted dissent.) Likewise, make your blog easy to share via social media widgets.
3) Snackable content?
Your blog posts are hors d’oeuvres, finger foods, or at most, appetizers. It’s not meant to be the entree. They oughtta pay you for that, right? (Be that your book, your service, your product.) Likewise, we use the term ‘snackable content’ in the blogosphere. Media have been calling it soundbites for decades. Can readers consume your blog post in less than 5 minutes? Note: Pop songs are at most 3 minutes. Can your readers skim a digest in seconds? If you’ve got a lot to say, how can they eat your elephant?
4) Multi-media rich?
Printed books are bound to the constraints of that medium. Whereas, you get to make your blog article as eye-catchy & eye-candy as it can be. Use color, punctuation, bold statements, bullet points, hyperlinks, and other visual texture. Insert photos, diagrams, slides and other images. Embed videos & audio. Like other interpersonal communication, your words are but a small percentage.
5) Are we exclusive?
Sure, your blog is a watershed of all your media: where you’ve been quoted or by-lined; where you’ve presented or going to speak; excerpts of your other writings & resources. But your blog can be more than just a regurgitation of what you offer elsewhere.
Your blog is an opportunity for readers to peer into your mind and get a sneak-preview of what’s to come. What can we learn about you and your work, that we may never know elsewhere? Perhaps it’d be too awkward for you to share in person. Your blog can be your mask & diary at the same time. Sound salacious? Even better!
Now stop reading and get to using these tenets. I look forward to seeing how it works out for you. Pop me a quick email with your blog link and any questions you may have: vik@phoneBlogger.net. Also, if your blog markets your expertise or practice, I’ll send you my Blog Brainstormer as a reward for reading this far: just gotta ask. Happy poppy posting!
© 2013 Vikram Rajan is the co-founder of phoneBlogger.net, a word-of-mouth marketing service for professional practice firms who are too busy to do their own blogging, LinkedIn, and e-mail newsletters. Vik is also a Solution Provider, Authorized Local Expert, and Certified by Constant Contact to provide relevant help.
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