No Joke – The More You Know About, The More You Can Blog About!

While being Interviewed for the cover story of the Chicago Reader, Robert Smigel was asked how good of an education he’d needed to become a humor writer. "You mean an academic education?",Smigel replied. "You don’t necessarily need one.  What’s just as important, I suppose, is to be self-educated – to read and soak in as much as you can from the world at large." Smigel ended by quoting comic Del Close: "The more you know about, the more you can joke about."
Whether you’re writing your own business blog or getting help from a professional ghost blogger like me, Del Close’s statement is on the money. One of the services offered by Say It For You is training for business owners and their employees on developing content for business blogs.  Of course, blog posts need to keep a sharp focus, in order for searchers to quickly confirm they’ve come to the right spot for the information, products, and solutions they need. At the same time, interesting, different, content is what keeps those searchers reading rather than "bouncing" away from your blog.

To be able to use some of the strategies for blog content development I outline in "Six In A Fix For Blogs", it’s going to take reading and learning. Preparing blog posts that capture online searchers’ interest by blending "ingredients" that don’t seem to match, by tying your content to the news, by relating your content to a celebrity or historical story,  or by debunking myths – that all takes curiosity and self education on a broad scale. Constant curiosity is the secret  – reading, clipping, bookmarking (think magazines, newspapers, websites, and other blogs)  listening (think radio, TV, concerts, lectures), and thinking and "processing" all the way.

Milestone Internet Marketing’s 2009 Online Marketing Predictions are extremely bullish on blogs in 2009 and beyond.  "If done correctly, blogs can help you to communicate with target audiences in a more personal, informal, online setting. Blogs will become essential for business owners who are committed to retaining their customer base and "providing compelling information and true value."

Comics Smigel and Close, and Milestone, you’ve all really hit the proverbial nail on the head.  Simply put, the more you know about, the more you can blog about!