Corporate Blogging A’ la State Farm

I plan to use the State Farm goodneighborEXTRA e-newsletter I received the other day as a positive example to blog writers.  And, while of course a newsletter covers more topics than should be shouldered in any one blog post, there were several aspects of this particular newsletter issue worth emulating in SEO marketing blogs.

When providing business blogging assistance, one piece of advice I often give is to provide valuable, put-into-practice-right-away information to readers. Interestingly enough, that very piece of advice is the one that encounters the most resistance from business owners thinking of starting a blog. Owners of personal service businesses, in particular, voice fears of giving away valuable information “for free”. What happens in the real world, though, is quite the opposite.  Business owners can use corporate blogging for business to position themselves as “go to” people in their field.

Freelance blog writers may want to use only one main piece of advice in each post, but the State Farm newsletter included no fewer than six different advice articles:

• Trouble-Proof Your Roof
• What To Do With a Windfall
• Reversing the Dropout Rate
• Watch for Animal Crossings This Fall
• Make Your Home Workshop Safer
• 3 Steps to Winterize Your Home

The State Farm newsletter editors apparently agree with my advice to those providing business blogging services:  Include Calls to Action in each post. With the click of the mouse, readers could register for the StateFarm Nation Rewards program, email their agent (Jim Guffey is my own longtime agent), or visit him online.

When it comes to corporate blog writing, I teach indianapolis blog writers to make the “ask”  in the form of a CTA, inviting readers to add a product to their shopping cart, download something, request information, subscribe to the blog or newsletter, or register a “Like” on Facebook. Remember, what we’re discussing here is corporate blogging for business!