My favorite football team is the Green Bay Packers.
I’m looking at my season ticket waiting list postcard right now. I’m #22,958 on the list. My parents put me on the list when my brother was born in 1987. I estimate I have about 20 years left to go unless they continue adding more seats.
I love the Pack and I follow the team news. One item that’s been making waves this year is the fact that a current player has started his own blog.
Davon House – Defensive Back For the Pack
Davon House is a third year player for the Packers. He’s been seeing more playing time this year and he’s doing well. It’s getting him noticed on the field.
Off the field he’s also been getting noticed for his new website and blog.
The site is Davon House 31.
The blog is on the same page.
It’s pretty cool that an NFL player or that any pro athlete is sharing insight and connecting with his fans with a blog. Many do it with social media, which is great, but there are plenty of advantages for doing it with a blog.
Number one, Davon is in charge of the platform. Twitter, Facebook and the other networks have limitations and you don’t know when they’re going to change the rules. You control things on your own site.
Number two, Davon owns the content on his site. When you publish something on Twitter, Facebook, etc. you’re giving away that content. Why not own it and share snippets on social media?
Number three, Davon is building a brand. You can do this with social media and he’s obviously doing it with his play, but Davon is creating a place where people will go to get information about him. He’s in control and with each post he’s building something that will have value in the future. We don’t know what he’ll do with the asset tomorrow, but today he’s building an audience and that is very valuable down the road.
Those are some things you can take from Davon’s efforts, but there are three additional lessons I want to share.
1. Storytelling Is Compelling
Davon’s posts are compelling and I think one of the main reasons they are is because he will tell a story.
In his post before the first game of the season he shared a story from his college days about the Colin Kaepernick, quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. This kind of story always makes a post better.
2. Share Insight Not Found Elsewhere
Obviously Davon is on the inside of what’s going on with the Packers. He can share the behind-the-scenes stuff that people will really find interesting.
It’s also great because the regular reporters don’t even get this kind of access. Davon can talk about things on his blog that no one else can except for other players and coaches.
In business, we often think that our jobs are boring and that the knowledge we have is of no use to others.
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
What you might basic can be very useful for your audience.
Use your position as someone inside your industry to share insight that people won’t get anywhere else. That will make your blog a must-see destination for your potential customers.
3. Discuss Topics The Audience Cares About
This one is tricky. Obviously you want to discuss things people care about, but it’s not always that easy.
Davon seems to have stumbled on a good formula. He’s had something to say about each of the games up to this point in the season. It’s only been a couple weeks, but he knows that fans are eager to hear from an insider what happened on the field and behind the scenes.
For business owners, the way to get know what your audience wants to hear is to comb through what they’re saying on forums and on social media. Look for the questions people are asking there and then create blog content to answer those questions.
Davon is doing a great job with his blog. I’m excited to continue to read his updates this year.
It’s another example of a great blog that should build his personal brand.