Business Blogging About Your Own “Book of Lists” in the New Year

During the holidays, American people seem to be "into" list-making. From shopping lists to Santa’s list (he’s checking his twice, we’re told!), culminating in lists of New Year’s resolutions.

One of my favorite lists is the one published each year by the Indianapolis Business Journal, and I think blog content writers can heed an important cue here.

IBJ knows its readers are business people from different industries, different fields of consumer services, or different kinds of nonprofit enterprises, and that those readers will be interested in lists of the "largest" players in their own fields. Providers of services to each industry need those lists, which contain contact names, phone numbers and addresses for each company. "Making the list" is obviously a sign of success, so competitors are checking those lists at least twice, you may be sure.

Good business blog writing, whether done by the business owners and employees of the company or by a freelance SEO copywriter like myself, is targeted towards readers who crave information about the very kinds of products and services offered in that field.  That means that including lists in the content of an SEO marketing blog can be a super strategy for engaging interest and providing information readers will value.

Looking back at the past year of offering Say It For You business blogging assistance, I found several simple lists I used to help readers come up with ideas for corporate blog posts:

List One:   Things consumers are likely to type into the search bar that could bring them to your blog:

• Their need
• Their problem
• Their idea of the solution to their problem
• A question

List Two:  Calls to action and promises to include in titles in corporate blogging for business:

If you click on this link …

• …it will lead you to a blog post that discusses the topic mentioned in the title
• …it will lead you to a blog post that explains how to obtain more of something desirable
• …it will lead you to a blog post that explains how to obtain less of an undesirable effect
• …it will explain why one popular idea is false

  What lists can you think of that might:
  

• …engage the interest of online readers who have found your blog post?
• …provide valuable information to them?
• …clarify what you have to offer to fulfill their needs?

As part of your marketing strategy and tactics development for the New Year, think about including in your business blog writing, spread out over many different blog posts, your very own "Book of Lists"! Readers will be sure to check those lists at least twice!