4 Tips To Creating An Oscar-Worthy Blog

1. Start With a Great Story

Just as every great movie starts with a compelling story, every great blog also starts with a strategy, narrative, or story to tell. Before creating a blog for your brand, you should spend some time understanding your story.

• What do you want to say?
• What do you want your customers to hear?
• What will be compelling enough to attract new and retain existing customers?

Attracting new and retaining existing customers is the ultimate goal for every brand and all marketing efforts including your blog should work hard to achieve that goal.

The Disney Babies Blog

Disney Parks Blog

One of the most well-known brands in the world is also a great storyteller at heart: The Walt Disney Company. Although their company blogs are not fairytales, they do have a distinct strategy and story line. Disney Parks Blog was created to fill the need of the Disney fans who need to be in the “know”. The blog offers a “behind the scenes” look at the Disney Parks giving readers up-to-the-minute information about such things as park hours, renovations, special events, and merchandise.

Conversely, as overtly branded as the Disney Parks Blog is, the Disney Babies Blog is a bit more subtle (as subtle as House of Mouse can get). While one is written for the true Disney geek the other is a source of inspiration for moms who happen to also like Disney. Certainly, the brand is well represented, but blog posts about nursery décor and popular baby names are equally present.

2. Casting Call

Once you have your blog concept, it’s time to cast it.

• Who will represent your brand to the audience?
• Will you have one leading actor or will it be an ensemble?
• Is your voice authoritative, humorous, maternal, or intellectual?

Your blog’s voice should be consistent with the audience you are hoping to attract. It should read and look like your brand.

Wegmans Fresh Stories Blog

Wegmans Fresh Stories Blog gathers an ensemble cast to reach out to its customers. Each contributor represents a different part of their business and their posts speak about their area of expertise. Their blog covers everything from a behind-the-produce look at the store, to recipe ideas, allergy advice, and consumer information. They also make it easy to navigate by creating a laundry list of clickable topics.

3. Trust the Editor

The leading lady may get all the press, but it’s the editor who really helps her performance standout. Just as in films, the editing of your blog is key to attracting and retaining followers. Editing is crucial in two ways. First of all, nothing says unprofessional as quickly and easily as a typo, misspelled word, or poorly constructed sentence. I confess to having a sore spot for the often misunderstood apostrophe and when I see “it’s” that should be “its” I cringe. You don’t know what will be your reader’s Achilles heel, so your best bet is to read and re-read your blog several times before publishing.

Even if the grammar police don’t cart your blog away, the verbose nature of your writing style may. As jjames writes in 12 Easy Ways To Improve Your Blog:

“most people have severe Web ADD and giant blocks of text will be not be appealing.”

Take out your scissors and trim words to keep your blog easy to digest and remember.

4. Connect With The Audience

Whole Foods Market

The best movies make a connection with their audience. They make them laugh, cry, and think. To achieve success with a blog and ensure that it is read and shared, you too need to create a connection with your audience. Your reader should trust you and what you have to say as a subject matter expert, whether it is because you are a brand representative or because you are a user of the product just like them. Whole Foods Market connects with their audience through their Whole Story Blog by focusing on their strength: food. Their blog leads with many fabulous photos and easy recipe ideas. They also strategically use links to connect their readers with their other social media channels.