Winning Ways to Keep Blog Readers Up on Industry Trends

Staying up to date in an industry that’s constantly shifting isn’t easy, but being aware of changes as they happen can keep you ahead of the curve, according to Yael Grauer of verticalreponse.com.   And, even more important to us business blog content writers, our readers, whether or not they’re inclined towards the “trendy”, like to feel they’re keeping up with the trends.

Grauer offers ten suggestions to business owners and professionals who want to stay abreast of trends in their fields, including subscribing to trade journals and consumer magazines, scouring websites, blogs, and newspapers, and talking to colleagues and customers.

What I’ve learned over the years of helping clients in different industries create content, is that customers expect their service and product providers to do all the work for them, keeping them up-to-date by condensing all that website/newspaper/magazine/trade journal wisdom into bite-sized pieces and, on top of that, putting all that information into perspective.

“Museums curate works of art. We digital marketers curate blog posts,” says Kevan Lee of buffersocial.com.  “We’re all seeking only the best material to pass along to our patrons, customers, fans, or followers.” Why? According to Lee, “People love being told what’s good to read or essential to see.”

Content curation is very different, points out John Tann on Hootsuite.com. It doesn’t include creating new content, he explains, but does include discovering, compiling, and sharing existing content with online followers.  That allows you, he adds, to provide extra value to your brand’s audience and customers.

As a business blogwriting trainer, I think some of the most valuable content consists of a combination of curation and marketing.  I encourage freelance content writers and business owners alike to gather OPW (Other People’s Wisdom) and share that with their readers, but then to comment on that material and relate it to their own topic.

Ideally, I explain to business owners, your content keeps your readers savvy about what’s trending, while at the same time establishing you as a thought leader in your field!