Being a Business Blogging Maven

The word “maven” (pronounced may’-vin) comes from the Hebrew word for “one who understands”, and I’ve often heard it used as a synonym for “expert”. 

Yet, according to Chloe Rhodes, author of A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi, (one of my favorite “reading around” books, a maven “refers to someone who gathers information and passes his knowledge to others”. Rhodes’ picture of “gatherers” who then pass along the treasure they’ve gleaned, I think, exactly fits what SEO marketing blogs are supposed to be about.

Not to put an overly lofty spin on corporate blog content writing, I believe that the secret to success for any business doing blog marketing lies in offering valuable information to online visitors.

Web designer Mark Carillion, quoted in Employee Benefit Advisor Magazine, has something valuable to say about that. “The guy who gives out the most information freely is the guy who ends up winning the traffic war," Carillion claims.

Actually, coming across as “mavens” with the connotation of being “experts’ causes concern to some business owner and professional practitioner clients of Say It For You – they don't want to come off boastful and self-serving in their blog, or be perceived as using hard-sell tactics to promote themselves.

That’s why I think Chloe Rhodes is so on to something important for Indianapolis blog content writers.  While we all need to “sell ourselves to potential clients so that they choose to work with us rather than the competition, it’s much more palatable to be “mavens” who gather valuable information from others and then pass that information along to readers.

So, as I work with business owners on their blog marketing strategy, I’m finding at the start of the conversation that most are already fully aware that blogging has become an indispensable part of any business tool kit.  And now, understanding the true nature of the “maven” role makes them feel good about blogging for business, too!