Just like how there's a right way to do things, there's also a wrong way to do things. With business blogging and learning how to blog, there's a right way to do it, and a wrong way to do it. Since I've already discussed a few tactics to make your business blog awesome, today I'll talk about bad blogging and essentially show the ways a person should never, ever blog. Consider this a list of bad blogging practices.
So, four ways on how NOT to blog:
- The Quote and Run - Thank you to Nolo's Legal Marketing Blawg for putting a name on this one, but the Quote and Run is when someone just posts a link with a sentence like, "look at this" or "this is cool. That's fine for Facebook or Twitter, but not a blog. A quote and run is also when someone posts the first paragraph or few sentences of an article, only to link to the rest of it at the bottom. That's syndicating, not blogging. Blogging requires the creation of original content, even though once in a while it is okay to report something or to share something you've already written. Just make sure that you add your own commentary or introduction to it.
- Like a 5th Grader - I feel like I've said this before, but I'm not sure where. Anyway, make sure to read through your posts before you hit publish, or at least double check on the grammatical stuff. There are grammar freaks out there who will point out a misspelling or the wrong "there/their/they're." But, most people will just see that and walk away, assuming that you don't know how to write. Fifth graders make those kinds of mistakes. Yes, mistakes will be made from time to time, just make sure you don't make the ones that are easily fixed, or shouldn't even have been made in the first place.
- Worrying About Unique Content - Not that I'm condoning copying and pasting, but you shouldn't write with this idea that you have to have anything and everything in your own words not be like anyone else ever. I've come across too many job postings that say they will run everything through Copyscape, which I think is wrong on so many levels. Sometimes, it's great to pull a quote or paragraph from someone else, as long as you cite it appropriately, because there are times when someone has said it better than you can. A quote or paragraph from someone else can strengthen the arguments in your writing by adding a credible source. Other times, it's not something that ought to be put in your own words, like a book title or statistics. Giving credit where credit is due shows that you do your research, but it also shows that you acknowledge the fact that you don't always know everything. It also shows that you're not making things up from the top of your head.
- For Money - Blogging for the purpose of getting rich quick is like becoming a teacher for the money. That's not how it works, and that's not why you should be doing it. Yes, it is possible to have your business blog generate leads and provide an excellent ROI, but that doesn't happen overnight. Yes, it is possible to monetize your blog and make money from it, but if that's all your going for then you'll forget the things that make a blog worth monetizing in the first place, like quality content and content promotion. If you're not providing your readers anything good, nor are you taking the time to give it to them, then how do you expect to make money?