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How does a blog provide exclusive content?

How does a blog provide exclusive content? Well, that’s an easy one – unless you copy someone’s blog (and please, PLEASE DO NOT do this!), it’s your words, your viewpoint. It provides exclusive content as it’s your view on a subject, a product, a situation – well, whatever you want it to be.

How does a blog provide exclusive content?Does exclusive content matter?

I think it does. I use my blog to share my views and ideas with people who are interested. All thoughts are my own (apart from guest blog, but these are clearly labelled and align with my own thoughts). And that’s really important. It’s exclusive content that you should only find here. My blog is part of my ‘marketing mix’ when it comes to my own business. I am not expecting everyone who reads it to convert into clients, God no, but neither would I expect everyone who saw an ad to call me. What I am expecting if for people to read it to feel that, after they’re read it, they know me a little better. They may like what they read, they might not – and whilst I hope for the former, the latter is always a possibility when you put yourself ‘out there’. Because the content created is mine. It’s my words, it’s my thoughts, it’s my take on things, people are building up a picture of me and my expertise and skill set. I also like to think that, when people read my blog, they’re getting something that they can’t get elsewhere. Sure, there are a LOT of blogs about blogging. But are any quite like this?

Be your authentic self

So, what I’m trying to say is if you write from the heart and you’re your authentic self and create interesting, engaging, exclusive content that can only been viewed and digested on your website and blog, you’re adding value. You’re giving your fans and followers the chance to read something difference (or, at least, the way you view it) and you’re adding layers to your offering and your story. And that’s why it’s exclusive. Because your reader shouldn’t be seeing it elsewhere.

 

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Can blogging help your expert status?

Can blogging help your expert status? Before I carry on, I have to explain how much I dislike the word ‘expert’. It sits badly with me for two reasons – one is that there’s a great saying about experts (how x is an unknown quantity and a spurt is a drip under pressure!), and the other is that people at the top of their game never stop learning. And I think the word expert means you’re ‘there’, the finished product. And I don’t think anyone ever is. I’ve been called an expert on a few occasions (and I hope it wasn’t in a drip under pressure kind of way!) and it makes me feel uneasy. Writing web copy with the word in makes me feel all weird. So please, as you read this, just keep that in mind. I have little time for arrogance, and I wouldn’t want you to think I was in that category!

Can blogging help your expert status?

So, back to the title- can blogging help your expert status? Hell yes. And here’s why. I’m going to use my website as an example because, well, I know all about it! When I was planning it, I planned out the Can blogging help your expert status?pages and worked out what areas I wanted to cover in each, to showcase my skills and passions. And that’s good – that’s what you should do with a website. But you should also be mindful that people want concise info to decide on whether to drop you an email to see if you can help them. And that doesn’t give you a huge amount of space to talk about what you’re passionate about in any kind of detail. The kind of detail that if you’re researching a topic in detail you want.

Take this blog for example

I haven’t written a whole lot about blogging on the main area of my website. It’s part of the marketing mix, it’s something I consult on and help people plan, and it’s something I’m passionate about. But have I spent a lot of time on my main site talking about it? Nope. Have I talked about it in my blog? Oh yes, and from lots of different angles too. I’ve blogged the 40 day blogging challenge I made myself do, five reasons people don’t blog, what should I blog about, and more. This gives people more of a taste of what I am about, how my mind works and my understanding of the topic. People with greater understanding and knowledge than you on a topic are often referred to as…yep…that word again – experts. But the only way people are going to see your passion, share your knowledge and get an understanding on how much ‘stuff’ you know is if you tell them. In your own words. On your own platforms. And a blog is definitely one of these areas.

What about social media?

Of course, you can also use your social media platforms to promote your areas of expertise, but on a blog they’re a constant and don’t move down the timeline when more posts come on and get quickly forgotten. They’re there, ready to be shared or found on Google when someone asks the internet for information on a subject. Blogging can help your ‘expert’ status. Whatever you want to be seen as an expert in. So start now and start building your blogs and information on your own platform!

 

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Should you bother with a blog?

Should you bother with a blog for your own website? Does anyone care what you have to say? Would you be able to write one? Well, here’s my take on it.

I’ve been blogging for a while, for various clients, but my own blog has been somewhat neglected as I always prioritise my clients’ work over my own. I understand the power of blogging, I understand the theories behind it, but it was only when I immersed myself fully in it that I saw its real strength.

I’ve written about bloggers before (see ‘are bloggers worth working with’ as an example), and I will be writing about blogging and bloggers a lot more in the future. It’s something that’s been on my radar and I’ve done for people, but it wasn’t until I set myself a challenge (more of the challenge to follow) that I really got it.

When I started to take blogging seriously

Until the end of January, I’d been a sporadic blogger. I decided I didn’t have enough to say. I know. Anyone who knows me will see the madness in that statement. Then I started really researching blogging on a whole new level and fell in love with it. The way it provides you with exclusive content, Should you bother with a blog?how it can positively impact your SEO, how it helps support whatever business you’re doing. Tick, tick, tick. What’s more, when you have created a blog, it’s there forever (or until you delete it!). You don’t lose it after a certain amount of time, meaning that not only is it on your website, adding more depth, but it can also be promoted to your audience whenever you like moving forward. How good is that? I will explore each of these areas in future blogs, as there’s so much to write on each this blog would be more like a book than a short to the point piece!

A blog is your voice

A blog is YOUR voice. Not an edited version that has to fit a word count. If you want to write thousands of words, you can (I mean, it might not be the best idea in one hit, but if you want, you can!). You can talk about stuff that matters to you. You can talk about the products you make, the services you offer, the trips you’ve been on, your passions. The list is endless. If you want to blog from a business point of view, there’s huge amounts to explore. And although the subject matter might be different if you’re developing a personal brand, there’s a shed load you can look at here. You might not think you have enough to talk about, but you’d be surprised. And you might also be surprised about the number of people who are interested in what you have to say. A blog gives you or your brand the chance to be authentically you, and that’s before we look at any of the other benefits.

Should you bother with a blog?

On the most basic level, a blog allows you to tell the world exactly what you want to. So, with all the above to think about, should you bother with a blog? Surely it’s worth adding into your marketing mix? I think it is.

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