What’s Changed, What’s the Same in Business Blog Content Writing – Part Two

“Things were different back then,” says fellow blogger Saugat Adhikari of Elist10, referring to the year 2008 (which happens to be the year he – and I – started blogging). But, were they, really? I asked myself, deciding to devote this week’s Say It For You blog posts to the subject of changes that have affected corporate blog writing over the past five years.

Of course, the past five years in particular have seen changes in the way businesses and consumers spend money (due to the economic downturn), as Corey Eridon of Hubspot points out. “There is considerably more resistance to what is being sold, while there is significantly less money available to spend.” At the same time, Eridon add, “the internet has made information, once only available from salespeople, accessible to everyone with an internet connect or phone.”

The way I look at it, those factors serve to make our work as business blog content writers all the more important. True, today’s online searchers have very little patience for the hard sell approach.  In fact, something I emphasize as a blog copywriting trainer is that if hard selling ever worked, it certainly doesn’t work any longer.  The best approach to take in the company’s of the practices’ blog, I advise, is demonstrating knowledge and offering valuable tips, focusing on topics your target audience cares about.

The other significant change that’s taken place over the past five years, I believe, is content proliferation.  There’s just so much stuff out there, it’s definitely more of a challenge to get noticed.  So, while five years ago, it may have been possible to build up a real head of steam by blogging consistently and frequently, in today’s markets those two “to-do’s” may simply fail to do the trick.  We have to promote our blog posts (or, in the case of us freelance blog content writers, our clients’ blog posts) in social media and via email.  We have to do more and work harder to stay in the game.

But, after more than five years of providing blog content writing services, I’d have to say some things haven’t changed at all.  What blogging is still all about is providing those who find your site with a taste of what it would be like to have you working with them.  Those potential buyers may be better informed and less patient.  Fact is, though, they need our help with their challenges and issues.  Our content tells them we’re ready, willing, and able to provide that help!