Your blog can, and should, be both useful and fun, as long as it will suit your audience. That old saw, “If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right” applies to your blog. That goes double if your product is as prosaic as roofing materials or as arcane as foundation reinforcement.
Your enthusiasm can shine through easily through your blog, and similarly, your boredom and resistance to updating a blog will almost certainly do the same if it’s a chore. We uphold the idea that any topic can be fun.
Need inspiration? These folks found the fun and interesting in the mundane or dry:
- Confessions of a Funeral Director (Yes, that exists.)
- The Moz Blog (SEO and online marketing optimization… Tough topics.)
You invested in the world’s greatest advertising medium, the Internet, so don’t just sit there. Get your blogging juiced and spruced, and have some fun.
How Not to Have Fun with Your Blog
- Use your blog for flights of narcissistic fancy. If you think a blog is all about “me, me, me,” your readers will do the modern version of Dixie: “click away, click away…”
- Load up on the fake steroids of stuffed SEO and volatile adwords in the false hope that you’ll occupy a high spot on Google’s hit parade. In case you have been off planet during the last 24 months, that strategy not only doesn’t work, but the search engines will banish your site to the eighth circle of Internet oblivion.
- Instead of interesting, pertinent and focused subject matter and readable bullet points, use the directionless, confused shotgun approach. (No direction + no clear interests or opinion = confused, uninterested reader.)
Now, action! Here’s how to do it. Have fun, that is.
How to Have Fun with Your Blog
1. Tell a funny story.
The foregoing is an example of going for the “chuckler” vein and telling a story. The trick of course is in doing a skillful transition and making that gag relevant to the overall purpose of your blog. But it’s always fun to inject humor in your blog, especially if you’re one of those funny persons who love a laugh. Do make sure it’s pertinent to the discussion and overall tone of the blog, though.
2. Keep it conversational.
The writing part may be somewhat daunting, because writing has to be more organized and linear than speaking, for example. On the other hand, writing a blog is really like a letter to your readers with the purpose of educating them, so speaking to your audience in terms they understand is ultimately most important.
Keeping your blog conversational will allow your true enthusiasm and passion for your service or product to come through while staying accessible for the reader.
3. Plug into the social mainstream.
If you’re just an observer of the social media phenomenon, you’re missing out on the fun. You can extend the tone and lighthearted approach to your Facebook/Twitter business accounts. In fact, these would be great venues to test tones or voice among your readership to see exactly how far you can go and what your readership identifies with.
Do keep in mind the platform — LinkedIn has a slightly more professional feel, while others like Twitter and Instagram can be more casual in tone and more visuals-driven.
If your blog has the words, the music is in the social media — and you’re the conductor. Get connected.
4. “Social”-ize and build a community following.
5. Don’t forget those thousands of words that images and gifs are worth.
Again, content is the bottom line.
If you’re looking for writers who can get into your head and make your blog fun again, contact us.
