An overused content marketing mantra is, “Think like a publisher.” Well, I say, “Think and act like a newspaper/magazine editor.” Therefore, you should start thinking of your blog as a niche news site.
We are a junkie society. Hence, we prefer websites that offer a seemingly endless variety and quantity of regularly updated relevant content. Ask yourself, why you regularly check news sites, such as TechCrunch, New York Times, The Guardian online, Huffington Post and many more.
Blogs are among the most popular tactics by B2B marketers. According to the latest study on B2B content marketing by Content Marketing Institute and Marketing Profs, blogs are used by 65% of marketers. Only social media and article posting are more popular than blogs.
Moreover, blogs are used much more frequently than the year before. They’re especially popular at companies with 10 – 99 employees.
Taking all of the above into consideration, there are several steps that you can take towards making your blog a leading news source in your niche:
Recognizable visual identity
Your company’s visual identity should be recognizable in the visual identity of your blog.
At the same time make it look like an online magazine or newspaper. It should give an impression that fresh content is published regularly and that there is a lot of relevant content to browse through.
Regularly published content
Make sure to always publish at previously defined time. Train your readers to expect a new article at a particular time of the day/week. For extra articles, use them in a “breaking news” sense. The goal is for you to become a leading news source for your niche.
We expect constant flow of new or in-depth articles from magazine or news sites. The same applies to blogs. This doesn’t mean you have to publish tons of new articles a day. Instead, decide what works best for you – staff and time-related – and publish as much as possible. One caveat: although the quantity seems to matter, be careful it doesn’t trump the quality of your articles.
Blog is a Newspaper
Edit your blog and articles as a great newspaper editor would. Do not publish only op-eds and how-to articles, mix them with news-like articles and in-depth analyses. Once again, become a thought leader and news source in your niche.
Variety of authors
Newspapers and magazines feature a variety of authors. Many of them represent a particular newspaper. You know what to expect from them, what kind of article, what topics they cover, when they’re usually published.
And then there are guest authors, usually carefully selected to further establish the newspaper/magazine’s credibility, even to introduce the medium to new readers they otherwise couldn’t/wouldn’t.
The same applies to blogs. Include as many authors as it’s necessary and manageable. An author or a few of them can represent a particular category (section) on your blog. For example, Swizec is our best and most popular author on all things technical.
In addition, do not forget guest bloggers. They’re a great and effective addition to your blog; select them carefully.
Clear editorial policy
Your blog needs a great editor who makes sure articles follow the long-term marketing and communication strategy of your company, that they’re consistent in tone and message, that they’re readable and shareable, and that there’s a regular flow of new articles – following the editorial calendar.
What’s your take on blogs as news sites? Is a corporate blog basically another name for a niche news site?
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