Defining a Blog Strategy
I know, I know. I should blog more often. But deciding what to write about is difficult!
I’ve realized that defining a “blog strategy” is in order. While I wasn’t writing, I had some extra time to read a few books, including The New Influencers: a Marketer’s Guide to the New Social Media by Paul Gillin. I learned quite a bit even though this book is a few years old (or hundreds of years old in the social media world). Here are my favorite blogging insights/tips from the book:
- Share new information or re-package existing information in a fresh way that’s relevant to your target audience
- Cater to readers’ sense of humor or desire to learn wacky stuff (i.e., share an interesting fact, joke, or strange claim of the week)
- Don’t be boring
- Blog entries should be about 500 words long
- Link to relevant content so readers can find related, helpful information quickly
- Blog contributors should read multiple other sources to stay informed of what’s going on in the “blogosphere” related to their topic
- And finally, blog often! (I already knew this one…)
So what does this mean for WhatCollegeForgot.com? After lots of brainstorming, I have a plan! This site offers researched content that you can access whenever you have a specific question or challenge. However, there’s tons of news every week about topics that WhatCollegeForgot.com readers might find interesting – personal finance, homes and apartments, careers, and insurance to name a few.
You can find tips for buying your first house on the site when you’re ready to tackle that challenge. However, you might like to know when the real estate market is rebounding and what (if any) amendments are made to the first-time home buyer’s credit. Sooo…this blog’s goal will be to point you in the direction of relevant news related to all those practical issues that we have to figure out after college.
With my last 150 words, I’ll share a real-time example that I’m sure many of you can relate to – finding an urgent care clinic on a weekend when your doctor’s office is closed. I didn’t feel well last Saturday and had to find an urgent care clinic online. My search results also included several Wal-greens “TakeCare” clinics, but I wasn’t familiar with the care they provide so I didn’t pursue that option. This week, The New York Times has highlighted these retail clinics as a growing option for quick health care. Prices are typically less at these in-store clinics, and care for minor ailments is often just as good as you’d get from your regular doctor. If I have an ear ache, sore throat, or general cold in the future, I’ll consider heading to my local Wal-greens TakeCare clinic. They even accept health insurance!
What do you think of WhatCollegeForgot.com’s blog strategy? Send me any ideas or feedback you have, or leave a comment below.
