Indianapolis Business Blogger’s Magazine Challenge – B

Birds and Blooms is the inspiration for this week’s business blog writing magazine challenge, and, when I saw the article “Editor’s Picks”, it make me think of the way we blog content writers can use “picks” of our own and become valuable resources of information for online readers.

In the magazine issue I was leafing through, Birds and Blooms editors were naming their “Top Must-Haves for This Season”, in which they included work gloves, a seed-starter product, a zinc terrarium, and waterproof shoes. The “EditorPick” format itself is hardly new, by the way; Wall Street Journal editors, for example, recommend picks news articles they think worth reading.,

In corporate blogging training sessions, I often talk about a technique called content curation, which HubSpot defines as “selecting and aggregating information into one place that creates more value for consumers.”

In the case of Birds and Blooms, interestingly, the editors weren’t merely curating content, they were actually endorsing and recommending specific products, naming prices and linking to sites where these very products could be bought.

Business owners and professional practitioners may also choose to monetize their blogs through affiliate marketing arrangements, earning commissions on products bought as a result of their recommendations.  But I’m referring to a much simpler idea here, a non-monetized strategy Indianapolis blog content writers can use to add reader value to their business blog posts. By becoming the “place to go” to get advice and general product information related to your practice or business field, you enhance the intrinsic value of your own blog site.

• The blog for a bedroom furniture store can offer mattress care tips or bedroom furniture placement ideas
   
• A chiropractor’s blog might offer exercise suggestions
   
• The blog for a dental office might include ideas on types of lipstick that don’t leave marks on teeth or on types of juice that don’t stain tooth enamel.

Keep in mind, through all this that the overwhelming majority of readers will be visiting the blog site for the first-time, and they are focused on the main topic of your blog. Effective blog posts are centered around key themes, and it’s important to keep your blogs focused and targeted. Your “editors’ picks” need to bring readers’ attention back to the primary topic of your blog and your business. 

Losing focus in corporate blog content writing could turn out to be “for the birds”!