Thursday, April 5, 2012

What to Blog About?

Create a content calendar.

In the world of business, families, school, and so many other things, people have adapted to calendars; on their phone, at their desk, on their computer, even through sticky notes on their car windshield. Calendars seem to make things easier. Less stressful. Less intimidating.

Content Calendar
So when faced with the impossible task of blogging, some people will run scared and not even try. And some will start off strong, only to waver after 2 or 3 weeks. We know you’re busy. We know you’ve got better things to do besides stopping to put your genius into words. But blogging can be your escape. Like the working mother who has to schedule dinner and a bath into her life just so she doesn’t forget to take care of herself. Schedule blogging into your life, and give it the importance it deserves.

You have a website because you want people to visit. You care about the design of your website because you want people to stay. And Insurance Website Builder gives you an easy-to-use blog because we want people and search engines to come back.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again—Content is King. Blogging is the easiest way to satisfy this straightforward desire for fresh content. But it must be done in accordance with SEO efforts. And it must be done consistently. Here is where a calendar comes in.

Create a list of events that will give you an excuse to write something. Date these events and pick the ones you deem most fitting for you to target. Decide what type of content you can produce for each of these events. Don’t worry about keeping your ideas 100% business related, that’s what news events are for along the way.

Like I said, we know you’re busy. So to help you start brainstorming, here’s a handy (& long) list of events to get your gears turning:

Your Products
  • New product launches
  • Product upgrades / relaunches
  • Announcements about big new clients
Your Business
  • Anniversary of the company
  • Company conferences
  • Other events / meetups
  • Publication of non-commercial content (new Whitepapers, etc)
  • Announcing new job openings
  • Announcing new hires / senior personnel changes
  • Mergers and acquisitions
Industry News and Events
  • Annual Reports
  • Industry Awards
  • Industry Conferences (esp. those you will attend or speak at)
  • Industry Exhibitions (esp. those you will attend or exhibit at)
  • Industry / Partner Events
Niche Events & Celebrations
  • Niche occasions (eg: new driving laws, new insurance guidelines)
  • Widely recognized events (eg: ‘National BBQ Month’)
  • Events just made up for PR (eg: ‘National Pool Party Week’)
Politics & Community
  • Local / regional / national election cycles
  • New laws / bills
  • Opening / closing of political seasons
  • Annual budget announcement
Holidays (Federal & Unofficial)
  • Christmas
  • New Year
  • Easter
  • Independence Day
  • Mardi Gras
  • Diwali
  • Ramadan
  • Hanukkah
  • Valentine’s Day
  • Halloween
  • Mother’s / Father’s Day
  • April Fool’s Day
  • Friday 13th
  • Feburary 29th
  • Pi Day
  • St Patrick’s Day
  • Chinese New Year
Seasonal / Calendar Events
  • First day of Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring
  • Summer Vacation / Back to School
  • The Equinoxes and Solstices
  • Start & end of daylight savings time
  • Tax Season
Historical Celebrated / Well-Remembered Events
  • Look for 10th/25th/100th anniversaries
  • Tragedies (natural disasters, plane crashes)
Once-in-a-Lifetime Events
  • Halley’s Comet
  • The last NASA shuttle launch
  • Royal Wedding / Coronation
  • Solar eclipse
  • Turn of a century
War & Conflict
  • VE / VJ Day
  • Remembrance Day
  • Independence Days
  • Famous battles (Bosworth, Hastings, Normandy Landings, Dunkirk, Stalingrad)
  • Terrorism memorials (7th of July, 11th of September)
  • Internal conflict (eg: Bloody Sunday, various Civil Wars)
Annual Sports Events
  • NFL Playoffs & The Superbowl
  • NBA Playoffs
  • March Madness
Non-Annual Sporting Events
  • Ryder Cup
  • Olympics
  • Soccer World Cup
Calendar courtesy of distilled.net

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