Targeting Your Blog Theme and Content By Diana Barnum What makes a good blog? Someone writing about something they’re passionate about, that’s an informal definition of a good blog. In other words, a good blog is when a blogger presents content on a specific topic or theme that comes across in basically one voice to the audience, communicating on a one-on-one level. Take, for example, a blog centered around the theme of dogs, not all animals, just dogs. It could present its content in a friendly pet-owner tone, discussing various resources for pet owners like healthcare guides, how to make your own dog treats and dog clothes, etc. Or it could present a more formal tone, like that of a military trainer with firm commands, sharing specific articles and tips on an assortment of dog training techniques. So how do you know which type of content to choose when determining the focus of your blog? Here are some basic guidelines. Choose Your Focus Choose a theme that you KNOW, one that you are passionate about and could write about at length. You’ll want to have plenty of contacts; individuals, companies, groups and / or associations in your field of interest. And you’ll want to have plenty of resources, tips and experience to discuss in your content. Note: To keep your blog going, hosting plus your time and effort – all take money to continue (unless you’re wealthy, money and time aren’t a concern or this is for a hobby or nonprofit (donation, tithing situation, etc.) So if money is a concern, don’t forget you’ll need to have a money-making avenue to keep the blog – and you (your time and efforts) - going. Plan ahead to make sure you’ll have plenty of affiliate, resale and / or your own products and services to advertise throughout your blog to generate income. All items need to coordinate with the theme, too. For example, don’t try selling, “How to Buy Real Estate” ebooks on your dog site. Vary Your Presentation When presenting your content to your audience, offer variety. Some people are more focused readers, others are better listeners, and still others are better ‘watchers’ or for example, prefer seeing video content instead of text. So if you only post articles – and lengthy ones, you risk the chance of alienating some of your possible audience. Write nice, short articles, sometimes offering a link to a web page with further details for those who may choose to read more. And insert audio / video clips and graphics; banners, affiliate products with an ad spot, or digital photos that coordinate with the textual narration, for example, to round out your content presentation. Show visitors photos of your dog. And let them hear her bark in audio snippets. Don’t forget news! People like to keep up with news in the field, so include some. Add a category and announce upcoming trade shows, for example. Pre-date & Update A neat thing about blogs is that you can pre-date your entries and work ahead in batches to load content once a week or however often you’d like. Plus you can go back in time and adjust old entries, updating ad spots, inserting audio / video links, etc. So keep your content fresh, posting frequently (daily or at least a couple times during the week), and round out past entries with updated content to keep it fresh for new and return visitors, too. So write a good blog, targeting your theme and content around something you’re passionate about, something you KNOW. And spice up your content with variety. Free "Vary Your Blog" Video Tips For a 2-minute audio / video / text presentation entitled, “Vary Your Blog,” click: http://presssuccess.com/blogvariety . The tips & production are complimentary from Content Propulsion Lab at http://www.ContentLabInfo.com , a Division of Content Desk, online at http://www.ContentDeskInfo.com . By Diana Barnum, president of http://movingaheadcommunications.com . Grab tons of freebies, tips and help at http://OhioHelpGroup.com and http://presssuccess.com/bookstore or call: (614) 529-9459.