“I’d love to blog … but I could never do that.” It’s amazing how many people are still intimidated by the idea of blogging. Yet for many B2B and B2C brands, blogs still serve as digital content hubs — solving problems for your customer community and positioning your expertise in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
But what do you do if your team members don’t want to be a part of the blogosphere? Believe it or not, there are many ways to blog without blogging at all. Here are a few tips to get your team off the bench and onto your blog.
By Any Other Name
Some are merely intimated by the label ‘blogging’ and will automatically respond better if you ask for their article, their update, or their story rather than a ‘blog post.’ Words matter — choose wisely and you could see better results.
Lower the Bar
Your subject matter experts (SMEs) got to where they are today by demonstrating exceptional mastery in their area. You wanting a blog post from them could sound an awful lot like someone wants them to write a scholarly paper. Remind them that your voice online can be more conversational and brief. Above all, let them know that you just need a rough draft and that you can clean it up for their final review. This can go a long way toward putting them at ease and getting something you can work with.
Just Email Me
Along the same lines of labeling the act of blogging differently, consider using the communication channel still preferred by most — email. Many busy professionals including your SMEs have days chocked full of meetings and can barely get their core tasks done much less that post you keep hounding them about. On the other hand, they’re on email all day. Why not just ask them for an email update when you need a post? I had a client once who sent daily recaps via email that were easily edited into blog posts.
Speak the Speech
Dictation has come along way from the days of calling someone from the steno pool in. Apps like Dragon Dictation and others work wonders but really you don’t need anything more than the voice command on your iPhone. Easy dictation tools in the hands of your content experts can help more blog post drafts make it back to you for that final spit polish.
Say It with Video
Easier still is simply cornering that elusive SME behind their desk for a video post. Often this is information that flows trippingly off their own tongues if you ask them but has trouble making it onto the page. The added bonus of video? Take the extra time and employ a service like Transcribe from Wreally to convert your audio into valuable text, which makes Google’s search engine spiders happy and helps your audience find your content.
Whether you have busy scientists or fast-paced consultants on your team, drawing on their expertise to create compelling content can be an effective marketing tool. The challenge is how to mine this valuable resource.
How are you making it easy for your SMEs to provide you with content? What “mining” tips can you share?
