{"id":4892,"date":"2013-03-25T08:41:54","date_gmt":"2013-03-25T12:41:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.communify.me\/newvinegrowing\/?p=4892"},"modified":"2019-06-07T13:39:33","modified_gmt":"2019-06-07T17:39:33","slug":"marketing-monday-what-to-say-on-a-business-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.communify.me\/newvinegrowing\/marketing-monday-what-to-say-on-a-business-blog\/","title":{"rendered":"Marketing Monday: Five ideas for what to say on a business blog"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few weeks back, I wrote about how to blog if you don’t like to write<\/a> — take photos on Instagram or chat on camera using YouTube, for example.
\nThat post prompted several people to ask variations on the question perhaps best posed by Michael: How do I blog without looking like a douche who is bragging?
\nThere’s an oft-used analogy that social media is like a cocktail party. You probably don’t want to walk into a room, talk only about yourself, ignore everyone else, then yell about the sale you’re having as you bolt for the door. I’ve met people who are entertaining raconteurs,\u00a0 who have the ability to talk about themselves at length without seeming like a self-absorbed creep, but you have to be pretty danged interesting and charming.
\nWho wants to read a blog that’s all about someone bragging or trying to sell you stuff? Ick.
\nSo don’t blog that way either.
\nInstead, if you’re looking for topics for your business blog, you might:
\n1. Share what you know.<\/strong>
\nIf you’re an expert in your field, share your knowledge.
\nMaybe your friends know you’re a lawyer — but they don’t know what you do specifically, so blogging about some specifics might help them make referrals. You’ll give people useful links to share on their Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr etc. if they think their communities will want your content. And you can engage people in a low-pressure conversation that might lead to\u00a0 sales.
\nOne nice example is Brooklyn-based intellectual property lawyer Jason Rosenblum, who blogs about a variety of IP topics, such as Don\u2019t Delay in Protecting your Products and Brands<\/a>, which explains why you should promptly trademark your logo, for example.
\n2. Share what you read.<\/strong>
\nIf you keep up on trade journals, subscribe to interesting email newsletters or regularly read mainstream media, put your reading habit to work for you.
\nShare a link and a quick summary of the article, explaining why you thought it was helpful or entertaining or whatever.
\nMuch like creating your own content, acting as a guide to others’ content helps establish you as a knowledgeable resource.
\nRagan.com<\/a> points out to lots of content they don’t create, supplementing their own original material and keeping their site fresh.
\n3. Give people a peek backstage.<\/strong>
\nIf you’re in a business where people don’t routinely get to see the heavy lifting that leads to results, show them the rest of the story.
\nWhether it’s photos from a restaurant kitchen or video of stocking a retail store for the Saturday before Christmas, your customers might enjoy understanding more about what you do. And if you show some of the labor that leads to your final product, it might have the added benefit of helping them understand why you charge what you do.
\nThis goes double for anyone in a “glamorous” profession. Show a band rehearsal or an artist working on a painting in process or an athlete weight training and fans are likely to love that special access.
\nSome examples of behind-the-scenes blogging:<\/p>\n