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Man, do I get tired of the question posed in the title of this post.
Creating content has always been a good idea, if you’ve got a business, at least one that wants and needs customers, then you need to create lots of relevant content - a blog just happens to make the process a whole lot easier. So, stop thinking about it so much and start writing.
Write what? - everything that happens to you is content if you let it be.
Everything you think, say, read, see, smell, taste, hear, encounter - it’s all there waiting for you to turn into something useful for your business. All you have to do is apply it. Life practically vomits content fully at your feet if you just pay attention. Yeah but, yeah but, yeah but, - stop whining and start paying attention with this new radar and watch what happens to your brain.
It’s not enough to sit down in front of a computer and think - what should I write today, that’s why you’re stuck, it’s just too hard to create from scratch like that. You’ve got to start actively taking mental notes all day long. (I carry a pocket moleskin notebook, like the one pictured here, everywhere I go)
- Do this and all of sudden you will find that you can:
- Turn something you overhear on the bus into a lesson your readers can relate to.
- Fully explore the answers to questions your prospects pose over and over again
- Tell the story you read on another blog and make it fit a solution you provide
- Tell your readers all about the conference you attended
- Paraphrase the lyrics of song you heard on the drive home to drive home a point
- Share the moments of truth you discovered reading a new book
- Introduce visitors to a symphony that’s just right for the office
When you begin to look at content creation in this way you will start to filter much of what happens all around you in ways that matter to your clients and prospects - team that with getting your filtered thoughts down on a blog routinely and you’ll be amazed at how many ways you grow personally and professionally.
Comments
This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 5th, 2007 at Jun 05, 07 | 10:38 am and is filed under Blogging. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
John,
I couldn’t agree more. I also carry a small Moleskine notebook around with me and it has proved invaluable. Even writing something that seems obvious at one point in the day/week/year may not be so obvious at another time. I overheard this gem, “People are different.” “Hey, I know that,” I hear you say. But what does “people are different” mean?
If we don’t recognize that people see the world differently we fall into the trap of thinking they will look at the world in the way we do. So we need to ask questions. So what kind of questions would they be? This is the sort of thing my notebook is good for.
I have a paper conversation with it (a bigger size Moleskine). I ask my dumb questions and then let that sit: I let my question incubate and come back to it later.
It is remarkable how I then can come up with a new response, or at least something I can write about. And I write for a living as well as for the pure fun of it.
I think it was Oscar Wilde who alway took his notebook on journeys with him because he never wanted to be without something outrageous to read.
I came up with this term “Crepuscular Thinking,” It’s that time between sleep and wakefulness in the morning is where my creative ideas come from. I have my notebook by my bed.
The downside of this is that I am so sleepy, I can barely read my own writing. But the upside is, if I can read my scribble, I get some good ideas. I’ve never been short of ideas, my problem is only to sort our the wacky, hilarious, or useful. But what’s a wacky idea today, becomes a useful and even lucrative one tomorrow.
The notebook is an essential writer’s tool. Thanks for you post. I love the blog.
Christopher
John,
I have used song lyrics to launch products…
There’s a Sarah Evans (country) song called “Suds in the bucket” with a great line: “You can’t fence time…and you can’t stop love”
That song gave me some blog posts and sales letters to launch a time management seminar.
Content is there if you’re open for it!
David
Christoper,
I do believe that might be the first appearance of Oscar Wilde on this blog.
My real fun with the notebooks is to go back and read some of the entries I made years ago - I keep them all after I fill them.
I guess the Oscar Wilde Internet Marketing Guide is still to see the light of day.
Good idea about reading the old ones.
I tend to use them as a sort of writers’ sandbox. There are no rules. I can even write in sentence fragments. Well, maybe there are rules. I never say things like world-class value-driven solutions that maximize customer satisfaction throughout all touchpoints in an ever evolving process of excellence. If I did, my notebook would catch fire, and rightly so.
This post connects to personal branding very well. Everything you say and do will be used in your favor or against you.
Apparently John Jantsch over at Duct Tap Marketing Blog also gets asked this question a lot by clients: 1. But What Do I Write On My Business Blog? Next to that question, many business owners ask The Blog Squad: 2.
John, I think if you read magazines and blogs daily and listen to what your customers are saying you have all the content you will ever need for your blog. But I think your post points to the biggest reason small business owners don’t start blogs. The bottom line is it is not that difficult once you start thinking about what you are reading and hearing.
I find the simplest ideas for content is picking other stories and blog posts that I enjoyed and then specifically adapting the lessons or message of those posts for the niche audience of my blog.
“What Google’s Acquisition of Feedburner Means for Bloggers”
“Why Tony Blair’s Retirement is an Opportunity for SEOs”
Ok, maybe bad examples, but you get the idea.
Weekend Reading - June 30th
The Holy Crap Reaction to Competition —
When you spot another company in your market that seems to be doing exactly what you’re doing, don’t panic! Focus on your strengths and core goals and press ahead. (Thanks Demetrius for the lin…
Thanks for the great post - well said!
Hi John,
You have done a great job with this blog! I know when we first started blogging we were at a loss for content, and as soon as we realized LIFE was content, our blogs have done super!
Thanks for sharing this post with others around the globe!