I know that blog writing isn’t everyone’s bag. And I know how difficult it can be to sit down every week or sometimes every day to do something that you don’t enjoy. However, blogging is no longer a question. It is a necessity to be producing content that helps generate traffic to your website and demonstrate thought leadership. But blogging doesn’t always have to be typing a few paragraphs (so take your head out of the sand). You should be creative in your blog and use it to showcase your strengths. Here are a few examples I’ve seen on the internet that I thought were great alternatives to writing, but that still produced content for their target audience on a regular basis.
1. Video: the use of video can be an excellent way to promote you as an individual if you are looking for that kind of awareness. Hosting a web program or interviews is an excellent way to associate yourself with the success of others – or to help promote those things that you believe in. Two such notable examples are Brian Solis’ Revolution (http://www.briansolis.com/tag/revolution-tv/) and Marie Folio’s Q&A Tuesday (mariefolio.com). Both are interview programs that have gained insane amounts of support from followers and media! FYI – you can do short video tips as well – no need for huge production.
2. Graphics: This concept works well for artists, graphics companies, illustrators, photographers or anything in between. Be very clear on your copyright if you are showing your own stuff and make sure to give credit and follow copyright rules for others’ work as well. A good example of this would be The Design Blog (http://thedsgnblog.com/) where they post photos of work – with excellent photography.
3. Lists and links: Often you can get around sharing your own knowledge if you become the go-to place. Be careful that you aren’t really demonstrating your own thought leadership here other than curating the list (which in my opinion still counts). This type is often not used exclusively but is used occasionally as a blog type. You can use numbers, bullets, categories, rankings, etc. A good example of this is AWWWARDS (http://www.awwwards.com/20-web-design-examples-of-blog-front-end-structures.html) where they used images in their list as well as categories.
4. Reviews, rebuttals, and opinions: If your issue is that you have no idea on what to write, consider drawing inspiration from book, column or film reviews, rebutting a popular post or journal article, or sharing a strong opinion. Use some caution here as you will be sharing more of who you are, but these types of posts draw out your passion and can generate some great dialogue in the comment section.
Blogging doesn’t have to be an ordeal. It should be a fun way to talk about or show your work that would interest potential clients. If you need some help with that, drop me a line. I can help with that!