How to Create Successful Blog Content

So you’ve taken the plunge and downloaded a Wordpress template for your blog. Now what?

One thing that you must focus on in order to create a successful blog is your content. When you first create your blog, you must decide what you’re going to write about. I call this your Flagship Content. What are people coming to you for? What is your area of expertise and experience? You want to create useful content that provides long term value to your target audience. Provide something relevant and original that will stand the test of time.

Another reason for creating Flagship Content is to build your brand. Give people a great resource and they’ll share it with their friends. Be memorable and remarkable and they’ll come back for more. It’s not easy to stand out online today, but becoming known as the authority or go-to-gal in your niche will get you there faster. The more you write about a particular topic or niche, the more you’ll become known as an authority for that topic.

Online, people want a trusted resource they can rely on for valuable information that will answer their most pressing questions in an easy-to-understand way.

Here are Seven Flagship Content Generation Ideas:
· How-To Topics – Think of the questions you get asked on a regular basis. There are literally thousands of “How-To’s” that can be created in any particular niche. For example, if you are a business coach, a couple of your “How-To” posts might be, “How To Communicate Effectively With Your Employees” or “How To Be More Productive At Work.”

· Top Tips – What would you tell someone new to your industry that would serve them best? Write a paragraph or two about a useful piece of information that would benefit your target market.

· Expert Interviews – Interview a very successful individual in your industry and ask the questions your target market wants answers to.

· Case Studies – Highlight examples of successful client stories and focus on the valuable lessons learned.

· Q & A – Collect questions from potential and current clients and then create a post series to answer a few at a time.

· Vision – Most likely, you have a specific vision for your industry and the work you do. Share your thoughts and ideals with your target audience and include them on your journey.

· Video Post – If you prefer speaking to writing and have a decent video camera, you can always create two to three minute content videos either in “How-To” or tutorial format that provide valuable information. In fact, you can create any of these content ideas with video.

The most important thing to remember is that the content you create is for your audience, not for you. Write about what your prospects want – not necessarily what you want or what you think the industry wants.

Here’s a final tip for you: email all of your clients, past and present, and ask them how you can best serve and support them. Better yet, go to surveymonkey.com and set up a quick two or three question survey to send to clients – make it short and sweet – it shouldn’t take more than five minutes to complete. Questions you could ask include:

· What are you struggling with most in your business?

· What keeps you up at night?

· How can I best support you in your business?

· What are your top three challenges right now?

©Liz Dennery Sanders 2011