Internet Marketing - Matt Bailey [209]
Analyst
The next content style is the analyst. These are bloggers who pick particular areas of information and consider the news in terms of the market. The analyst most likely will publish a few times a week, and the content will be focused on how to apply the latest information into actionable information. Analysts provide the context of the latest news into forecasts and relevance, assessing the impact on the industry and practical applications.
Analysts are not as dependent upon the immediate news cycle but are dependent upon the ability to see through the news and provide the larger picture for an industry and provide the answers to all of the activity. Opinions, trends, historical context, and past performance are all tools that the analyst uses to provide their information and build their credibility.
Building a following and subscribers will take longer in this approach, but this approach also builds credibility and authority because you are doing more than reporting the news. The analyst is considering and making recommendations based on information. People are always looking for support and decision-making advice.
Investigative Reporter
The investigative reporter typically has an assignment that takes them around the world and requires their attention for weeks or months at a time. They are typically focused on a single area and become the expert in that area as they interview, research, analyze, and witness the events that they bring to the audience.
This is an area that many established bloggers tend to develop after they have been blogging for years and find a specific area of interest or passion. The updates may come more infrequently, but they provide very deep, interesting, and informative information that can be used or inspire additional information and action.
A Style All Your Own
Although the preceding types are three typical of blogger writing styles, by no means are they the definitive styles. There are many styles that different people develop based on content, personality, opinions, and time. Many blogger personalities are formed over the course of a few years, as feedback is heard and the style emerges naturally.
There are many ways to start, and the possibilities are endless. Here are a few examples:
A home contractor uses a blog to show before and after pictures of their work, along with notes about the project and how the improvement helps a home’s value or living space.
A local animal shelter uses a blog to show pictures of available pets and new adoptions.
An artist uses a blog to showcase new comic strips and comments on life, including the struggle to be creative.
Many blogs simply post resources found online for other businesses, becoming a resource and establishing themselves as experts in the industry.
The options and applications of blogging are still evolving, and many are simply developed based on an idea or accident. There are really no rules to how to blog to build your business, other than to provide content that other people want or need, whichever way that is easiest and best done by you.
Find Inspiration
The best advice about writing was provided about my university English professor. “If you want to write well, then you need to read well.” That’s great advice, especially for blogging. If you want to blog well and regularly, then you need to read well and regularly. In my early days of blogging, I found that reading other bloggers was particularly helpful in staying up on current events and developing analysis based on other findings and opinions.
I followed a handful of bloggers regularly, and what was most attractive about them was that they made me think. When you can find others that make you think, it is the breeding ground for ideas. Find those bloggers in your industry or niche that provide information that challenges you and makes you think. Those will be the sources of inspiration that will help provide content for your own blog.
As you develop your own