Who Are You Writing For?

Writing for your own enjoyment makes total sense on a personal blog.  However, when you are writing for a professional website you should be writing for an audience that has a professional relationship to you.  Regardless of whether you are writing for peers, employees, clients, or vendors you need to speak to your audience for them to engage with what you say.

Writing in the second person helps.  The real world is not like grade school, and you will not be marked off for acknowledging that you have a reader and that they have personal and professional interests that make them more interested in certain points of view.  Cold logic is insufficient to sell a brand or product, it must fulfill a need that your audience can identify with.

What Should You Write About?

There are two main options you should have in mind, something that’s new, or something that doesn’t get old.  If there is a new development within your field, or a current event which has brought about a noticeable change, address it, especially if you have a chance to be the first in your network to do so.  It’s good for your professional contacts to see that you stay on top of the changing world, and online publishing is one of the fastest ways to respond.

If there are no cutting edge options, then rotate through various perpetual concerns.  Look at regular columns, and recurring magazine articles to get an idea of what sort of issues can be addressed in this manner.  (While it is not my thing, I can’t think of a single time I’ve gone through a grocery checkout line without seeing at least one magazine boasting that it has “five tips to drive a man wild.”)

Why Are You Writing?

You had better have an answer, or your lack of direction will show.  If you have a mission statement or project goal, those are good places to look for inspiration.  Whether your purpose is education, marketing, sales, or something else entirely, you need to own that objective.

Where Should Your Writing Appear?

It is a good idea to have something on your website that captures your own voice.  This might be the overall tone of the site, a dedicated blog, or even a personal greeting page, but anyone who visits your site should leave feeling like they know who they’re dealing with.

Once you move beyond your own site, it becomes a matter of comfort and efficiency.  Persistence is more valuable than volume when dealing with social media.  Regardless of whether you use Linked-In, Twitter, Technorati, or any of the myriad other forum, blog, or chat sites out there, a stable and ongoing presence will give you more insight into your audience than virtual barnstorming.

When Should You Write?

The short answer is, “every day.”  If you are unsure what to write about, then write a page of excuses (and don’t publish them).  Because persistence is important, it is better if writing is a habit, and not a special event.  But the best time to publish is in the morning, towards the beginning of the week, that’s when people are most likely to take the time to read and/or respond.

How Do You Write?

Don’t be bashful. We’d love to hear what you have to say!