Loading Up Your Corporate Blog Writing Quiver

Comic strip writers Parker and Hart ("Wizard of Id") might have been thinking of business blog writing in their cartoon about firing a bow.  "OK, recruits, I’m going to teach you the proper way to fire your bow and arrow," the lesson begins.  "Checking that the bowstring is good, identifying your target, reach into…" Here’s where things start to go wrong, and why, after a big "Yeow!", the next Wizard directive is "OK, let’s talk about how to load your quiver."

In corporate blog writing, identifying the target audience is a crucial preparatory step which dictates everything to follow, including the writing tone and style, the length of the posts, the blog content, which keyword phrases to include, and what the Calls to Action will be. 

Even with all those preparations made, blog content writers need to maintain a full content "quiver" (with the arrows pointing in the right direction!).  In corporate blogging training sessions, I’m constantly hearing that the biggest challenge business owners face is sustaining their SEO marketing blog over long periods of time.

One way for anyone writing a business blog or providing blog writing services to "load up" with content for future posts is to stay current in the "now".  Reading, bookmarking, clipping – and even just noticing – new trends and information relating to your business field goes a long way towards keeping the quiver stocked with content ideas.

When a prospect or customer poses an interesting question, make note of that question to use in a future blog post. When a customer service or product issue arises, handle it post haste, of course, then jot yourself a note to talk about it again in your blog. If you notice a "factoid" circulating about your industry, a common misunderstanding by the public about the way things really work in your field, be sure to take note and refute that myth in a future blog post. Of course, if you see an interesting advertisement or billboard, take note so that, in a future post, you can show how that applies to situations that arise in your industry. 

Become a collector of word tidbits and information trivia.  For years now, I’ve made a habit of saving notes on everything from song titles to food labels in order to keep my freelance blog writer’s quiver full of information – all "pointing" to  my own business blogging service Say It For You,  as well as to each of the various businesses for which I’m a content writer in Indianapolis.

So, like the Wizard of Id, I’d caution: Check that your bowstring is good, identify your target, and …let’s talk about how to load your content quiver!