Great posts never die.
When you tell someone that you’re a blogger or that your business has a blog they will give you a funny look. For soem reason there is a negative connotation with blogging.
People think about TMZ and false information.
While that doe exist it’s the case for many blogs. There are tons of useful posts available in tons of industries and if you disregard it all you’re missing out.
I had the idea to go back and look at posts I read from about five or six years ago and see if they were still valuable today.
One of the great things about blogging is that you can write something today and have it benefit your business for years. We’re talking about traffic through search, social, bookmarking, email, etc. that lasts for years.
Blogging is truly a great long-term investment.
Here are five of the best posts I read years ago that still have value today.
1. The Ultimate Blog List: 101 Essential Blogs
Blog: The Future Buzz by Adam Singer
This post is from 2008 yet you can still find a ton of great business blogs on here. When you create large lists like this you’re providing a service to people.
First, people love lists. Second, people don’t have time to find these sites on their own. A list in one place is valuable.
I’ve created a few big lists including The Big List of Companies That Blog.
2. 5 Ways to Re-Purpose Content for Blog SEO
Blog: Top Rank Blog
This post is still relevant today. It’s incredibly helpful to business bloggers that struggle finding content. The truth is you’re already creating great content for other areas of business. Even when you’re talking to clients and prospects you’re using great content that would make great blog material.
3. Differentiate Your Blog or Die
Blog: Copyblogger
The post is short and sweet, but it gets to a very important point.
Your blog needs to be different. This is easier if you’re one of the first blogs in your industry.
There are two common ways to differentiate your blog.
First, include your personality in the writing. You are different from others so don’t be afraid to show that side of your company.
Second, write content that’s simply better. This one is more difficult, but with work you can do it in the long-term.
4. Newsletters and Community Building
Blog: Graywolf’s SEO Blog by Michael Gray
Do email newsletter still matter?
They did back in 2008 and they still do in 2013.
Even with all the new marketing over the years the numbers in email are impressive. This doesn’t appear to be changing in the near future so if you’re not working on building your email lists this year you’re missing out on money.
Use your blog to get traffic and use an email signup to convert those people in subscribers. Use the email list to convert subscribers into leads and clients.
5. Perfectionism is Bad For You
Blog: Daily Blog Tips
Back when I first starting blogging I had a tendency toward being perfect. I was far from perfect then and still am today. Back then I just didn’t realize it and it made me not publish posts.
Today I want to create quality posts, but not perfect posts. It’s always the goal to get better, but if you think you need to publish something perfect you’ll never publish anything.
Publish something. Get feedback. Improve.
That is the cycle for successful business blogging.
Conclusion
Looking back on these posts from a few years ago was really fun. You can see that there is quite a bit of value even with posts that are five or six years old. This should convince you that blogging is a long-term strategy that will be an asset for your company for years.
Think of the people finding these sites through these posts today. Those are new readers, subscribers and customers.