{"id":18065,"date":"2014-05-08T10:35:58","date_gmt":"2014-05-08T14:35:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.shareaholic.com\/?p=18065"},"modified":"2014-08-14T16:09:20","modified_gmt":"2014-08-14T20:09:20","slug":"boring-businesses-exciting-blogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/boring-businesses-exciting-blogs\/","title":{"rendered":"How Boring Businesses Can Write Exciting Blogs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Build better blogs.\u00a0Activate the Shareaholic content amplification platform<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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More than two-thirds of all businesses use\u00a0content marketing<\/a> to attract potential customers to online assets. Among these, most use a combination of blogs, social media, and other strategies to maximize exposure. But what makes a brand exciting enough to deserve the time of day for readers and consumers?<\/p>\n

There are four types of business blogs:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. The link on a website that takes visitors to a blog that hasn\u2019t been updated for 18 months.<\/li>\n
  2. The blog filled with press release and media mentions, company updates, and promotional material.<\/li>\n
  3. One that posts personal content. These blogs appear unprofessional and rushed, leading to little customer engagement.<\/li>\n
  4. The blog that answers questions, entertains visitors, and strikes a balance between personal and promotional.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The fourth type is the one every company should shoot for, whether they outsource marketing<\/a> or push blogging onto an in-house intern. This post will take a look at some of the tricks business bloggers can use to revamp boring content<\/a> into relevant, entertaining articles.<\/p>\n

    1. Topic Farming<\/h2>\n

    The first step is to find topics that deserve well-written copy. This is the turning point between an exciting and boring blog.<\/p>\n

    Every business is different. You may be a private contractor in a small town, a cross-country trucking company, or represent clients in out-of-court settlements. Whatever the case, we\u2019ll need to find ways to spin relevant information on your business and industry to justify its place on your blog.<\/p>\n

    The \u201cindustry\u201d element is crucial. Gone are the days when businesses write their same story over and over, discuss how wonderful the weather was at a corporate picnic, and bore their readers to death. Today\u2019s business bloggers need to branch out to their industry at large to answer the big questions people may have.<\/p>\n

    \"Questions\"<\/p>\n

    Questions? You may ask. Yes, questions. Consumers submit queries all of the time to Google in hopes of finding an answer, so why not be the blog that supplies that answer?<\/p>\n

    The first step is finding a topic that is searchable and relevant to your business. These topics need to be in the form of a question, like: What traits should I look for in a contractor? What do I need to know about real estate agents? How do I start a business?<\/p>\n

    The post, then, needs to answer these questions. For more topic-farming help, I provided a list of inspirational sources below:<\/p>\n