8 Tips For Thinking Like a Real Blog Editor

Posted in Content Marketing|6 Comments

According to a MarketingProfs and Junta42 study, producing engaging content tops the list of challenges for content marketing; producing enough content is second. This is also true for (corporate) blogs.

You have to act and think like a magazine/newspaper editor. “Indeed, you were given this great responsibility without being mentored how to become a great corporate blog editor,” I wrote two weeks ago. “Most likely the senior management in the company doesn’t even know that editing a blog is usually a full-time job and requires a really dedicated person, even better, a team.”

before we needed a blog editor — Think like a news editor. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This post is about what it means to think like an editor. You’re in service of your readers, who happen to be (potential) customers of your products/services. This is how you can boost your business in the long run.

Here are 8 tips for thinking like a real blog editor:

1. Consistency
Your corporate blog shouldn’t be just a series of random posts. Rather, think of it as a coherent publication. As someone who’s responsible for your company’s blog, you make sure content as well as style and tone of writing are consistent throughout the blog and they reflect and communicate the values of your brand.

TIP: Think of your blog as a coherent publication.

2. Editorial Calendar
An editor plans well ahead, so he/she can make their blog a coherent publication. Editorial calendars originate in traditional print media. “An editorial calendar is basically a fancy name for a blogging schedule,” says Bostjan. You can’t allow yourself to be in a situation when you don’t have a clue what will be posted the next time or next week. You should plan content well in advance.

TIP: Plan content well in advance.

3. Integration
#2 can work when your blog isn’t an isolated medium among a number of other channels your company uses to communicate with their customers. Thus an editorial calendar is much more than just planning blog posts. It should include all other channels: social media, marketing campaigns, new product launches, corporate events, any speeches … Only then will your blog make sense and only then will you be able to plan accordingly. It’s about the big picture.

TIP: Integrate your blog with other communication channels of your company.

4. Observer
An editor should be well informed with the company’s target audience (buyers, customers) as well as their pain points. He/she should know what’s trending, even outside of their niche. “Everything is potentially a great idea for your next post.” Act as a harbinger of what’s to come. This is how you’re going to make your blog relevant.

TIP: Observe the world around you and always be on a lookout for new ideas.

5. Mingle
An editor knows where he/she can get relevant information and ideas for their blog. You should know who or what to turn to, who to talk to. You’ll discover most blog ideas among the people you work with, especially among those who have direct contact with customers. Here I wrote how to talk to your coworkers to generate ideas for blog posts.

TIP: Talk to people who can supply you with relevant blog ideas.

6. Creativity
A great editor also constantly thinks how to convey information or ideas to their target audience. You should make an effort to spice up your blog by using different genres, by using multimedia, etc. Of course these decisions should be based on solid knowledge of your target audience.

TIP: Make a dynamic exciting blog.

7. Why
Let me quote Robert Rose: “Our content marketing should be focused on delivering value to our audiences beyond the product or service we provide. It should ultimately answer the question of ‘why’ our consumers care about us.” Always have an answer to ‘why’ questions: why you’re writing a blog, why you’re posting a text on a particular topic, etc. A great editor always knows why he made a specific decision.

TIP: Don’t do anything unless you know why you’re doing it.

8. Measure

As a corporate blog editor you have to measure the effectiveness of the blog; therefore, you also have to think like a publisher and CMO. You have to make sure that your blog achieves agreed-upon goals (business, marketing goals). Then, you have to adapt according to the results. A company (hopefully) pays you for this job (yes, it is a job), so you have to make sure it brings in results.

TIP: Measure the success and adapt accordingly.

Next week I’ll write about how to edit a blog post.

Are you a blog editor? What other advice would you add to the 8 above?