Business Blogging: Covering External Stories – Good or Bad?

Business Blogging: Covering External Stories – A Strategic Deep Dive

In the dynamic world of content marketing, business blogs serve as a cornerstone for brand awareness and lead generation. Companies leverage them to showcase expertise, establish thought leadership, and nurture customer relationships.

However, the content landscape extends beyond the confines of your company’s internal knowledge base. Should you explore venturing outside your walls and embrace the vast terrain of external narratives?

Let’s embark on a detailed exploration of the advantages and challenges associated with incorporating external stories into your business blog strategy.

Unlocking the Power of External Stories:

1. Enhanced Credibility and Authority: Discussing industry trends, analyzing competitor strategies, or delving into relevant news demonstrates your company’s active engagement with the broader business ecosystem.

This portrays you as a well-informed and forward-thinking organization, boosting your credibility and solidifying your position as an authority figure in the eyes of your audience.

2. Cultivating Content Diversity and Relevance: While internal expertise is a valuable asset, incorporating external stories injects fresh perspectives into your content strategy.

This diversifies your blog’s offerings, caters to a wider audience with varied interests, and ensures your content addresses real-world issues that resonate with your target market.

3. Establishing Thought Leadership: By analyzing external events and offering insightful commentary, you have the opportunity to position yourself as a thought leader within your industry.

This transforms your business from a mere product or service provider into a trusted authority, attracting potential clients and partners seeking valuable insights.

4. Expanding Visibility and Brand Awareness: Highlighting external stories can act as a magnet for increased traffic. For example, discussing a trending industry topic could attract readers searching for information on that subject, potentially leading to conversions and increased brand awareness.

5. Fostering Industry Relationships: Engaging with external narratives often involves mentioning influencers, industry experts, or other businesses. This strategy can serve as a catalyst for fostering connections within the industry, potentially sparking future collaborations or partnerships.

Navigating the Challenges of External Storytelling:

1. Maintaining Objectivity – A Delicate Balance: When discussing external stories, objectivity is paramount. Avoid blatant self-promotion or negativity towards competitors. Instead, strive for balanced analysis and insightful commentary that provides value to your audience.

2. Staying Ahead of the Curve – The Constant Information Acquisition Challenge: The business world is a fast-paced environment where trends evolve rapidly. To effectively cover external stories, you need to dedicate time to continuous research and stay updated on current happenings. This requires a consistent effort towards information gathering and analysis.

3. Content Quality: The Cornerstone of Credibility: The quality of your external content is a non-negotiable factor. Inaccurate information or poorly-written analysis can severely damage your brand’s credibility. Always verify sources thoroughly, ensure content is well-researched, and craft compelling, informative pieces.

4. Legal Considerations – Copyright and Intellectual Property: Be mindful of copyright laws and intellectual property rights when referencing external content. Always credit sources appropriately and ensure you have the legal right to use any information or visuals.

5. Mastering Time Management: Integrating external stories requires additional planning and research compared to internal content creation. Factor in the extra time needed to develop well-rounded pieces alongside your regular internal content calendar.

Strategies for Successful External Storytelling:

1. Relevance Reigns Supreme: Choose stories that are genuinely relevant to your business and target audience. Don’t just chase trends for the sake of it. Focus on stories that resonate with your audience’s needs and interests.

2. Unlocking Unique Insights: Go Beyond the Obvious: Don’t simply regurgitate information readily available elsewhere. Analyze the story, offer your unique perspective, and provide valuable takeaways for your readers.

3. Maintaining Brand Voice: A Consistent Approach: Even when discussing external matters, ensure your blog retains your brand voice and personality. Consistency is key for reader engagement and brand recognition.

4. Leveraging Multimedia: Power Up Your Content: Images, infographics, and engaging videos can enhance content comprehension, increase audience retention, and make your external content more visually appealing.

5. Amplify Your Reach: Don’t Just Publish, Promote!: Don’t let your content gather dust in the digital archives. Share your external stories on social media, through email marketing campaigns, and industry forums to maximize their reach and impact.

Examples of Captivating External Storytelling:

• Industry Analysis Under the Microscope: Imagine a marketing software company analyzing a major competitor’s latest marketing campaign. The analysis could discuss the campaign’s strengths and weaknesses, offer insights based on their own marketing expertise, and conclude with actionable takeaways for readers.
• Trend Spotting: Decoding the Future: A financial services blog could break down a recent economic report, explaining its implications for businesses of all sizes and offering strategic advice for navigating the changing financial landscape.
• Customer Stories: The Power of Authenticity: A clothing retailer could feature an interview with a satisfied customer who uses their products for a unique purpose. This story could inspire other potential customers and showcase the product’s versatility.
• Expert Interview: Harnessing External Expertise: An e-commerce business could interview a shipping industry expert about the latest logistics trends and how they might impact online shopping experiences. This provides valuable insights for both the business and their target audience.

Beyond the Basics: Advanced Techniques for External Storytelling:

• Curated Content Collections: Compile a list of the most insightful articles, reports, or videos related to a specific industry trend. This showcases your awareness of current events, positions you as a valuable resource, and saves your audience time by curating valuable content.
• Data-Driven Storytelling: Utilize data and statistics to support your analysis of external events. Charts, graphs, and infographics can help visualize complex information and make your content more impactful.
• Engaging in Industry Discussions: Participate in online forums and industry discussions related to your field. This allows you to engage directly with your audience, demonstrate your expertise, and potentially discover valuable story ideas or trends.
• Case Studies: Analyzing Real-World Examples: Analyze successful (or unsuccessful) case studies related to industry challenges or trends. This provides tangible examples and valuable lessons learned for your readers.
• Live Q&A Sessions with External Experts: Host live Q&A sessions with industry influencers or relevant experts. This allows your audience to interact directly with thought leaders and gain valuable insights in real-time.

Measuring the Impact of External Storytelling:

Simply incorporating external stories into your blog isn’t enough. To ensure your strategy is successful, you need to track its impact. Track metrics such as:

• Traffic: Are external stories attracting new visitors to your blog?
• Engagement: Are readers spending more time on your blog due to external stories? Are they leaving comments or sharing your content?
• Conversions: Are external stories generating leads or sales for your business?

By analyzing these metrics, you can make data-driven decisions and refine your external storytelling strategy for maximum impact.

The Final Verdict: A Strategic Balance

Covering external stories in your business blog can be a powerful tool for expanding your reach, establishing industry authority, and ultimately attracting new clients.

However, it requires careful planning, objectivity, and a commitment to high-quality content creation. By following the strategies outlined above and striking a balance with your internal expertise, you can harness the power of external narratives to position your business for long-term success.

Remember:

• Experimentation is Key: There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Experiment with different external storytelling techniques and analyze which resonate best with your audience and brand.
• Data Drives Decisions: Measure the performance of your external content regularly. Use the insights gleaned to refine your strategy and optimize your content for maximum impact.
• Adaptability is Essential: The business landscape is constantly evolving. Embrace a flexible approach, be willing to adapt your external storytelling tactics as needed, and remain at the forefront of industry trends.

By strategically leveraging external stories, you can transform your business blog from a promotional platform into a valuable resource for your audience. This, in turn, will propel your brand forward, strengthen client relationships, and pave the way for long-term success.