Have you read any blog posts this week about the Olympics?
I’m not talking about the posts that report on the great stories from the games. I’m talking about blogs that really have nothing to do with the Olympics, but they discuss the games as a way to bring more interest to their blog.
In general I want to say I’m all for using current events as blog strategy. Your business blog readers pay attention to major news. Readers are interested in the news that affects them and they want to know how recent events impact their lives.
These trends are interesting for business blog posts. If there are things happening in the world that can relate to your industry it makes sense to leave comment for your readers. It’s interesting and gives current context to the blog.
Another form of blogging is comparison blogging. Perhaps this week you’ve read something like:
What Michael Phelps Can Teach You About Being a Top CEO
Not many people can really pass up that headline. People are interested in reading about Michael Phelps and CEOs are interested to learn how Michael Phelps can help them become better at their job. If these posts are done right they can actually take something that is happening in the news and really turn it into something valuable for a targeted audience.
Current news posts and comparison posts typically generate lots of traffic right away when they are published. Comparison posts that focus on figures and people that have timeless qualities are also good for the long-term.
I’ve done a ton of comparison posts in the past. With Hunting Business Marketing it was a formula I had a lot of success with and because of the success I kept on writing the posts. I would write really strange posts like articles about business and Kevin Costner and business and Alan Jackson. People like reading comparison posts because it can help with understanding of specific concepts.
I think comparison posts also get into storytelling a little bit. People might not fully understand a business concept, but when it’s told in the context of how a famous person did it then it becomes easier to understand.
Current events posts are also something I like to write about. I’m kind of doing it with this post right now. The Olympics are happening and people will find this post because it relates to the Olympics and people are clicking on Olympic-related links right now. But that is a fleeting thing. Comparison posts about current events are also fleeting.
It’s important to have a balance with your blogging. You can compare things and you can use current events and even mix the two, but also include some posts that are more long-term focus. You don’t just want traffic today. You want traffic for the long-term.
Image Credit: Olympic Rings