Myth-busting is one of blogging’s best uses, I’ve found.  First, correcting misinformation reflected in customers’ questions and comments highlights your own special expertise.  Second, myth-debunking makes for engaging blog-reading!

Just the other day, I read a fascinating "debunk" in the newsletter of Central Alabama Mensa.  The article was about, of all things, plum pudding.  Author Richard Losch engaged my attention by posing this question: "Have you ever wondered why there are no plums in plum pudding?" (Actually, I hadn’t wondered about that; nonetheless, I was hooked.)

Plum pudding, I learned, is a steamed dish made out of flour, suet, sugar, raisins, currants, citron, and spices.  The ingredients are stirred frequently while they ferment.  When the pudding is steamed, it swells up, or "plumps".  In time, people began to drop the  "p" and called it "plum" pudding.

Common myths surround every business and profession, and you can use these to create captivating content for your corporate blog posts, engaging readers’ interest and enticing blog visitors to keep coming back.  And, while these myth-busting tidbits are probably not appropriate for the more permanent website content, they fit perfectly ino blog posts, "plumping" up the overall effect of your online marketing.

One of the goals of any business blogging effort is to create "conversation" between the author (the business owner, employee, or perhaps a ghost blogger like myself) and the audience of readers.  Myth-busting is perfect for keeping conversation alive, say blogging mavens Shel Holtz and Ted Demopoulos.  Invite comments and questions, and then address those just as soon as they appear on your blog site!

What are the common myths in your business?  Plump up your blog content, in turn plumping up traffic to your website.  Who knows? Like Jack Horner, you might stick in your thumb and pull out a plum!

Awhile back, I blogged about four distinct business roles that financial planner Stephanie Bogan says must be filled if a business is to succeed.
  
Finders are the "rainmakers" who develop new business.
 
Binders use their presentation skills to consummate the business with new clients.

Minders are relationship managers and provide client service.

Grinders take care of office and administrative tasks.

The point of the article Bogan wrote for Financial Planning Magazine was that the different roles represent different strengths, and not everyone can be strong in all those areas.
Then, just recently, I read a review of a book about Walt Disney that suggests that the great man was able to play three different roles in his business. 

"There were actually three different Walts: the dreamer, the realist, and the critic.  You never knew which one was coming into your meeting," said one of Disney’s animators.

Disney the Dreamer could visualize extraordinary scenarios, for films as well as business projects.

Disney the Realist made things happen.  "He had the ability to co-ordinate teams of diverse workings to bring his dreams to life."

Disney the Critic "subjected every piece of work to rigorous scrutiny."

As a professional ghost blogger, I work with different business owners who have different skill sets and different personalities.  Most entrepreneurs are aware that blogging is becoming an indispensable tool to market their business and to drive traffic to their websites.  In many cases, though, their efforts are devoted to being Finders and Binders, while their staff members’ time is devoted to being Minders and Grinders. That’s why they’ve enlisted me to be part of their marketing team, to bring the discipline and frequency of posting that win search engine rankings.

Our challenge is to utilize all the unique skill sets and reflect those in the company blog posts.  The beauty of blogging is that while today’s post can focus on the "dreamer" aspect of the business, expressing the passion of the business owner, tomorrow’s can focus on the "realist" aspect, offering a mini "how-to" course on getting the most out of the product or service.

Some companies use a combination plan, alternating blogs written their own team members with professionally ghostwritten posts. The blog reflects different aspects of the business and different personalities. Airflow Technologies, for example, has at least four or five different bloggers telling about Airflow’s indoor air quality product line and offering readers valuable tips on keeping their homes well-ventilated.
 
Think of a blog as nothing more than an ongoing conversation.  People drop into the group, stay awhile, then might move on, while others stop in to chat.  Whether you propose to do the blog writing by yourself, have your entire team participate, or collaborate with a professional ghost partner like me, the content in the blog posts will be a way of continually thinking through and reinventing your business brand.

Just as Walt Disney’s associates never knew which of his personalities might show up at a meeting, there’s just no limit on which aspects of your business show up in your company’s blog!