50 Tips to Make Your Company’s Blog Rock

I’m taking a few days of vacation time (before Patti Knight kills me) so we went through the 2010 most popular blog posts and updated a couple to run here again. Enjoy!

It’s interesting to go back and look at both what I was reading two years ago and where I was getting blogging ideas.

This blog post idea was shamelessly stolen from Jeff Bullas and “30 Tips To Make Your Company’s Blog Rock.”

I’m not sure I would change anything…but we could probably create a list of more than 52 ideas after an additional two years of blogging.

50 Tips to Make Your Company’s Blog Rock

1. Ask your readers what they want you to write about.
2. Let your readers pimp their own blogs in your comments section.
3. Ask questions.
4. Create contests.
5. Install the SEO All In One pack on your WordPress blog.
6. Use StumbleUpon and AllTop to increase your readership.
7. Create content for Associated Content by republishing your blog posts there (it helps with readership and news outlets will republish your content on their sites).
8. Comment on other blogs and news articles to show your thinking/expertise, but also link people back to your blog.
9. Make sure, when you use Twitter to promote your blog post, that you’re tweeting about it more than once a day.
10. Subscribe to SmartBrief newsletters, RSS feeds, and Google alerts in order to find ideas for new content .
11. Post and link your content Diigo or other bookmarking site.
12. Comment on industry news.
13. Comment on industry trends, where it’s going, and the emerging trends.
14. Provide solutions for your customers’s problems.
15. Write case studies about a client’s successful project.
16. Highlight how not to do things; attacking ideas, not people.
17. Create a video blog post by interviewing a successful client – this can a powerful providing authentic evidence of authority and credibility for both you and the client.
18. Write articles for the different types of customers that are relevant for each of  your vertical markets.
19. Brainstorm blog post topics with colleagues and management and create a list for future reference and planning.
20. Subscribe to the top industry blogs in your market, both company blogs and personal blogs for ideas.
21. Look through your latest news releases for ideas.
22. Enlist your colleagues to write on topics in your industry or market that they are passionate about.
23. Develop a series of “how-to” blog posts.
24. Turn the “how to” blog posts into short videos.
25. When you have a great idea, go straight to your “add new” button and write the headline and save it as a draft or write it down before you forget it.
26. Include a great iconic image at the start of the blog that catches the eye.
27. Place Powerpoint presentations on your blog by embedding links from Slideshare.
28. Run polls and surveys on your blog.
29. Create great headlines that catch people attention and makes them want to read the rest of the article.
30. Add credibility banners such as how many subscribers, number of hits, blog grade and any awards.
31. Provide “share this” buttons (please do this; there is nothing more annoying than wanting to share content, but having to work to do it).
32. Implement “subscribe” buttons via RSS and email.
33. Write in bite-size chunks and use bullet points so readers can quickly and easy consumption.
34. Break up large blocks of text with iconic and interesting images.
35. Take screen shots to place in your post using software such as Snagit to highlight points.
36. Be yourself even if it is a company blog. People want authenticity.
37. Optimize your blog for search engine optimization.
38. Promote and distribute your posts on to other social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
39. Make the blog easy to find on your company’s web page with a large bannner or button.
40. Have fun, mix up the types of posts, and add some humour occasionally.
41. When people write a comment, take the time to email them directly and thank them for the comment and if they ask a question, then answer it. You will find that this will create a WOW factor and spread the word about the blog.
42. Comment appropriately on blogs ranked by Google on the major key word or phrase you are trying to optimize for SEO. This will create a a link back to your site and linking is key to increasing your own rankings with search engines.
43. Write a blog post listing some important bloggers in your industry (such as the top five) and point out how they make their blogs successful and you might find they return the love!
44. Interlink to other posts in your blog when writing a post especially those that are relevant and have been successful.
45. Outsource content development for sections of your blog that are appropriate such resource sections.
46. Update an original post that provides more value to your readers.
47. Take readers comments and include and promote them in your blog.
48. Try your hat at a guest blogger or two, this could add credibility to your site , especially if the person is influential in his or her space.
49. In the meta tags for your photos, make sure the labels/words are what you want them to be – search engines can’t “read” photos, only the labels/meta tags.
50. Use video to engage different audiences.

What makes your blog kick butt?