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Blog Better in 2013: 3 Things You Never Thought to Do

Mandy Pennington | January 21st, 2013
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With the arrival of 2013 came the flood of New Year's resolutions.

We're all going to write smarter, link better, analyze more, and debate less. Like every year, we start off with good intentions, but rarely do we have a to do list of HOW we're going to accomplish these goals. So, as I look at the dawn of another year, I've decided to take some action and be a bit more concrete. My goal for 2013: blog better.

I want my personal blog to be better. And the blog I edit to be better. And my client blogs to be better.

In the spirit of this resolution, I've brainstormed three things I can do (and we all can do) to blog better in 2013. Here we go:

  1. Be more visual. We know for a fact that good visualizations can mean more successful content. But beyond that, having great photos shows attention to detail (a.k.a. you care about this blog and this post and your blog community), plus, it encourages engagement. People are attracted to things that look good - and as a result, that can boost interaction. You can get comments on the content as well as the photo or graphic you use. More importantly, people can share it if they like what they see. It's basic nature - it has to appeal to the senses. Plus, there's the Pinterest factor (great images + social content curation/sharing = more traffic). This coming year, focus on creating great content - but also content that's visually appealing in both personal and social spheres.
  2. Be more human. My goodness, wouldn't the world be a better place if we all could just be human? It's hard though, to be human, especially in a world where one tweet or one post can make or break a brand. But, I do think there's merit to the idea of being human and authentic. We make mistakes, yes, but it's all in how we respond to them. You can be human and screw up and the world won't end. Not that I'm encouraging screwing up, but I in 2013, I want to see more bloggers be human. Share the REAL YOU. Be brutally honest. Make your opinion known. Don't be so crisp and rigid and safe. It's okay to be vulnerable - it encourages emotional connection which is at the core of good storytelling. And hey, if it doesn't go over well, it's a learning experience. Accept the failure with grace and learn from it.
  3. Be more attentive. This is a sin I'm guilty of. When you're working in SEO (or in any communication or marketing field, for that matter), it's easy to become distracted. We all wear multiple hats and have long to-do lists and sometimes, we don't give our projects enough time or enough attention. I do it. We all do it. But this year, make it a point to pay attention. Give your blog the love it's been missing. Make it a blog that YOU would want to read. Spend extra time reading and responding to comments. Plan out your editorial calendar a bit more. Give yourself a less stressful deadline to meet so that you can let the creative juices work the way you always wanted them to. Look at your analytics and give yourself time to figure out what's working and what's not. This isn't an easy task and as the year goes on and projects pile up, it'll be hard to stick with it. But it's well worth the effort.

Now, these are just three things on my to do list for blogging better in 2013. Have something I should add to the list? Share it - I'd love to hear it!

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Posted in Inbound Marketing, SEO, Social Media MarketingTagged Blogging, Blogs, marketing, new year, pinterest, resolutions, SEO, storytelling, writing

About the Author: Mandy Pennington

Mandy (Boyle) Pennington is the Director of Internet Marketing at Net Driven. She is also a published freelance writer, lecturer at Marywood University, and co-founder of NEPA BlogCon. She enjoys theater, not taking herself seriously, and all things food.

Net Driven

6 thoughts on “Blog Better in 2013: 3 Things You Never Thought to Do”

  1. Jeremiah Johnson says:
    January 21, 2013 at 9:27 am

    It sounds simple but we all don’t remember its the little things that make our blogs better. I know when I do stories about products I truly love people read those post better. Thanks for reminding us to be more human. It was a good read.

    1. Mandy says:
      January 23, 2013 at 7:44 am

      Glad that you enjoyed the post! And you’re absolutely right – the little things make a difference, just like in any other sort of interaction we have with other humans 🙂 The “body” language (e.g. look and feel of a site), attention to detail, the tone…it all plays in.

  2. Lauren Waters says:
    January 22, 2013 at 8:20 am

    Being more human (authenticity) is key. When words come form a detached source on a detached medium it becomes harder for the reader to feel a connection with the writer and the subject matter. Using visuals (and even video) can also help to increase the warmth and connection, apart from making your content more share friendly.

    Care to share a blog you think hits all three of your targets?

    Thanks

    1. Mandy says:
      January 23, 2013 at 7:56 am

      Great comment, Lauren! I completely agree with adding visuals. It engages more of the senses and can help us better connect.

      As for blogs that hit all three of the targets (be visual, be human, be attentive), there are quite a few! Here are some of my favorites – all with their own unique flavor:

      http://www.younghouselove.com/
      http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/whole-story/
      http://www.seomoz.org/blog
      http://theoatmeal.com/

  3. Midge says:
    January 22, 2013 at 12:28 pm

    Totally agree with you – that the world would be a better place if we could all ‘just be human’ with all the strangeness and complexities that comes with that. Not being afraid to show our vulnerable side, ask questions if we don’t understand and share what we honestly think rather than what others want to hear. When we are really showing our real selves that’s when the magic happens.

    1. Mandy says:
      January 23, 2013 at 7:58 am

      Absolutely! I love what you said about not being afraid to ask questions if we don’t understand. There are plenty of bloggers (and businesses) that don’t ask enough questions. It’s a sad thing, really, as I think it’s how we learn and get better at what we do. Thank you for the comment, Midge 🙂

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