A technical blog usually covers a specific craft with posts that cover techniques for carrying out tasks involved in the craft.
For example, one could create a technical blog about pottery. Pottery is the craft. The blog posts would cover the various techniques involved in the skill of pottery.
We often think of technical things being in areas of high skill requirement. We often think of technology. In modern times it might be coding or programming. It might involve algorithms and software. It might even require knowledge in artificial intelligence and reality.
Think of a technical college. In these schools there are specific programs that prepare people for certain career fields. These fields might include machining, graphic design, medical, legal and much more.
In a way, a technical blog can take the same approach as a technical college. Taking on a specific craft or field and providing step-by-step instruction on how to perform tasks involved.
If you feel that a technical blog is the right form of content marketing for your organization, here are a few tips for starting an ongoing technical blog…
1. Identify Your Broad Technical Field
You probably know this already. But it’s important to give it some thought to make sure you’re thinking about it correctly.
Perhaps you manufacture specialized tools for automotive mechanics. You want to create a technical blog that teaches auto mechanics about tasks involved in their profession. You may even want to teach aspiring mechanics and even some backyard mechanics about the craft.
The broad field is Auto Mechanics or Automotive Technician or similar.
2. Consider Categories
Within the broad field there will be a number of categories. Identifying these and using them on your blog will help you organize the blog content you’re going to create and it will help readers find the content they’re looking for.
In the auto mechanic or technician example, categories may include the various parts of the automobile. One category might be air conditioning and heating. You could write an ongoing number of posts in this area and perhaps a mechanic that is getting a lot of work in this area could find your category and consume the knowledge they are looking for.
3. Schedule
When creating any blog, including a technical blog, it’s important to separate the brainstorming from the research and writing. The more you separate things, the more likely you’ll be to finish posts consistently.
Create a schedule. It can be a basic spreadsheet with due dates and publish dates. Titles for posts along with notes and resources that can help the person creating the post.
The person doing the writing may not be the person with all the knowledge. It might help to have someone with the knowledge provide notes. Even if they are given the topic and then recorded on a voice memo sharing their thoughts.
Or perhaps you can have someone video them performing a task. You can use the video for technical content and use that video to help the blogger create the blog post on that topic.
For example, the topic might be How To Troubleshoot The Air Conditioner On A Vehicle.
Get the notes from the person with knowledge. Create and publish the post.
4. Responsibility
We got into the responsibility a little bit already. But it’s important to note that the person with the knowledge likely doesn’t have the time or the interest in doing the writing. So the blog will never last long unless you bring on a writer to actually do the writing.
The writer may or may not have extensive knowledge in your technical craft. You’ll have to work out a system where you or someone on your team can provide information that will help and that the writer can turn into blog posts. They can do additional research and expand on your information.
And what you’ll find is that over time the writer will become pretty knowledgeable on the topic. You may even be able to provide less and less input.
5. Assessment
It’s good to assess the content that you’re publishing. However, it usually takes at least a year of blogging (at least weekly) to start seeing results. You can begin seeing what posts are doing better than others. From this, you can see what categories are doing well. It can be a sign to expand in those areas.
But with technical blogging it’s still good to provide posts in all areas that you deem important.
Air conditioning might be popular one year in the auto mechanic field, but the next year it might be electrical systems and the year after that tire replacement.
You want to make sure you have it all covered while also noting the areas where people seem to be most interested.
Conclusion
Think of technical blogging like a technical school. You’re providing information that a reader can use to accomplish a task within a technical field. It’s about the technique needed to accomplish the task. You’ll have a lot of how-to information. You might have a lot of photos and images. You might even accompany the posts you create with videos.
Technical blogs can be some of the most successful. With the right approach it can be a great way to bring attention and notice to your business and its blog.
Use these tips to help you begin.