Variety in all of its forms will keep your blog fresh, and your audience engaged.
Yesterday we covered speed as a method for getting your blog read. I suggested taking a fast food mindset to accomplish that.
Before that I discussed how to create titles that build curiosity. Freshness takes all of this, and your blog, to a higher level. Take a taste and let me know what you think.
1. Frequency Sets Expectations – I put this one at the top for a reason. Very few bloggers are consistent. Therefore, frequency is an approach that creates new expectations that are, well, unexpected. This keeps your blog fresh and your readers engaged.
Increasing your blogging frequency is a challenge that enhances the value of your blog.
2. Share Original Stories - Yesterday I spoke to a group of entrepreneurs in the tent rental industry. A show of hands indicated 90% of them had been in business at least 20 years. Imagine the customer stories they have experienced in that time. There is nothing more engaging than a fresh and original story that is well told.
Stories engage new customers by helping them see themselves working with you.
3. Avoid the Rant - There is nothing fresh about the rant. We've seen it and we are bored with it. It is a method used by inexperienced bloggers who don't have stories to tell, or don't have the guts to tell them. Furthermore, the rant is usually about you, not the prospect or customer.
You can rant or rave. Which do you think most people want to hear?
4. Write a Series and Vary the Rate – I have written several different series and all have worked out well. This series is sequential. You can also vary the rate by 'leaking' the posts out in a random fashion to build suspense.
A series is like a realty show that keeps people tuned in.
5. Just Write and It Will Come – Sometimes you have to start writing from the seed of an idea with the hope that it will lead somewhere. If you are earnest, it will. This is the best way to crawl out of a rut and give your blog the texture that keeps it fresh. Just be prepared to ruthlessly edit the big chunks of waste.
When your blogging starts to get a little weird, you are probably on to something original.
Thanks for tuning in to this series. I built it on paper on a 4 hour flight from Phoenix to Chicago when the battery to my laptop was dead. I soon realized my abundant 'think time' resulted in an idea that was too long for one post, so I made it a series.
This alone is a lesson in blogging.
Be open to new paths and your blog will achieve new levels of freshness.
Photo Credit: BrittneyBush
Thanks for the 5 tips Jeff! I was at that Tent Conference. You were an excellent presenter, and I’m excited about the prospect of introducing your ideas into our organization. Who knows in another year, I could be a blogging and social media expert!
Kathy – I have a feeling your enthusiasm for social media will carry the day for IFAI. Nevertheless, just let me know if I can help.
The Tent Conference was a wonderful experience. From the 600+ tents at the Winter Olympics to the photovoltaic cells in the new fabrics – it was a learning experience to say the least.
Jeff