Posted on May 18, 2011 - by Kwame

The business blog- Do’s and Don’ts

Today’s article is a guest post by Paul Wallisan from webprofits.com.au. Paul Wallis is an award winning professional freelance writer, working in the US, Canada, Australia and Belgium. He’s published 13 books on lulu.com and some of some of his other work can be found at Digital Journal.

The business blog is unlike other blogs. Business blogs are valued for different reasons. They’re like an SEO search result, geared to motivated readers who want information value and quality. This is a far higher standard than “hobby” blogs, and it’s also a potentially tricky situation for bloggers.

There’s no sugar to be put on this situation: If the information doesn’t measure up to the audience requirements, you can expect serious consequences.

I’ve put together some Do’s and Don’ts to help people avoid those consequences.

The Don’ts for business blogs

This list is a little long, but you’ll see where it leads:

• Don’t recycle information: Old news is just that, and it’s appreciated accordingly. If you want peace and privacy, recycle business news. If you want readers, stay current.
• Don’t dumb things down: Ever. It’s insulting and it’s lousy writing technique. You’re writing to professionals. If they need information beyond your text and the links, they’ll ask. (Even worse, if you dumb down enough, you’ll get real idiots, not real readers. You’ll be writing kiddies investment news, etc.)
• Don’t touch trashy business opportunities: The great new Get Rich Quick In Your Dressing Gown thing is long dead (like a billion years ago), and it’s staying that way. Steer clear, because your reputation will go with it if you don’t.
• Don’t use spiel if you’re selling a product or service. Business people can spot it a mile off, because they’ve heard it and seen it before and usually didn’t like it then, either. If you’re really trying to sell something, stay original.
• Don’t get naïve or “clever” with sponsored materials: If you’re writing for a sponsor or supplier, say so. “I got this very interesting new (whatever) from (whoever) and…” This means your association with both product and supplier is clear, and you’re staying honest with your readers, which is always appreciated. You’ll be suspected of doing an ad if you don’t, anyway.
• Don’t imitate other business blogs: This is real “planned suicide”. It means you’ve lost the brand battle before you even start. Even if you can do it better than the other guy, you’ve compromised your own brand ID and have gone from unique selling point to joining a crowd of look-alikes. You might as well start looking at funeral plots.
• Don’t defame anyone: This modern audience is chronically, permanently, allergic to businesses that defame other businesses (competitors) just to gain trust. Avoid doing this and other mistakes, and never be purely negative and destructive as if you were writing a political blog.
• Don’t forget case studies: As simple as this may sound, case studies on business blogs are a very good way of earning trust from first time visitors. Case studies in the form of interviews work even better. Works better than regular testimonials. Don’t forget to it.

The Do’s for business blogs

This list is much shorter, but also very direct:

• Do be original and stand out: Following directly from not imitating other blogs, make your blog the one that really shows the way with better material, better media and better ideas. You win, they lose.
• Do check your facts: With this audience, you need to write like a journalist to the extent of checking information and verifying your points. If you don’t, expect to be haunted in very unambiguous ways.
• Do be professional: “Cute” doesn’t cut any mustard at all with the business crowd. Professional, expressive, articulate, insightful, and all the other professional characteristics will.
• Do what others are not doing: Experiment with your business blog. Try new ways of promoting your blog, increasing subscriptions, etc. Try and think of how to make your blog fun and sticky. Include some tutorials here and there, host weird competitions, do what others are not doing.

The bottom line

Emphasize your standout skills and always use your best quality as your benchmark for publishing.