Blogging Content – Branded or Trending
When I first started coaching social media, I remember very clearly one client who adamantly refused to blog. I mean she wouldn’t even try. I was shocked because this particular woman always had a lot to say about herself and her business when I would see her at networking meetings. So, I had to dig a bit deeper to find out why blogging was out of the question for her. It turns out she never graduated college because she could not pass the required classes needed in English and Composition. She was ashamed and felt her writing was so poor that no one would ever want to read anything she tried to write.
After working with her for several sessions, I convinced her to send me a sample of her writing so I could judge for myself. Imagine my surprise when her first attempt at a blog brought tears to my eyes. She was a beautiful writer and has since moved on to have a successful blog and a large following.
Blogging is something every savvy business owner should be doing to expand their reach and share their message. There are entire websites and businesses devoted to lending support to bloggers to help them to monetize their message and gain fabulous media coverage. My guest this week on The Social Networking NewsHour was Melanie Gorman, the Senior VP of YourTango.com, a website that helps brands to use the internet to draw in a more attractive, interested, and successful client base.
According to Melanie, there are two types of blogs – branded content blogs and trending blogs. A branded blog provides content that is relevant to the audience you serve, your business philosophy and opinions related to what you offer your target market. An example might be a massage therapist writing about their different types of massages, services, and product lines.
A trending blog incorporates your industry’s current events and hot topics, positioning you as a business owner that is current and on top of relevant and timely issues in your field. The massage therapist who writes about new controversial regulations as they relate to healing professionals, siting a case study that analyzes the regulations, positioning themselves as the expert would be an example. Trending blogs put you in front of your audience as a professional who is in the know about what is affecting your industry as a whole.
Being able to curate your content and have a stockpile of educational-based marketing tips, techniques, information and expertise and being able to write about them regularly in your blog is imperative for success in the social media universe.
Which kind of blog do you usually write; branded or trending? How often do you blog? Please share!
Laurie Hurley is the founder of The Social Networking Navigator and blogs every Monday. She is a social media consultant and mentor.
6 Comments:
By Joanna 20 Feb 2013
Yes, as an author, mine is also a branded blog, though I suppose my reviews of recently published books might come under trending too?? I have reduced this year from blogging 3 to 2 days a week, simply to focus more on my other writing.
By Laurie Hurley 20 Feb 2013
Yes, Joanna – reviews would fall into the trending category. What kinds of books do you write?
By Susan Berland 19 Feb 2013
I think most of my blogs are branded. I’m currently writing once a week and one of these months, I hope to up that to twice. I’ve yet to monetize anything on social media but I have feeling with my new direction, that is going to change big time!
By Laurie Hurley 19 Feb 2013
There is nothing wrong with branded blogs. But, I think you also write about trending topics, too. Monetizing one’s presence on social media takes focus and continued efforts. I hope it changes big time for you, too!
By Adam 18 Feb 2013
Laurie, a really interesting read thank you!
I don’t blog as much as I’d like, but that’s down to being more client focused.
The weekends are when I have the most time to work on my blog and some other projects.
I’m not sure where I’d fit with the branded/trending blog idea.
I lean more towards the trending side of the scale.
Thanks!
By Laurie Hurley 18 Feb 2013
Thanks for your comment, Adam. I try to write my blog every Sunday night and base it on the content from my radio show guests, putting in my own two cents. I am intrigued by the branding vs. trending posts. I tend to be more branded, but am focusing on giving more trending info.