There are, generally, two categories of blog posts that you will use in your business blogging efforts: the informational blog and the storytelling blog. Though these two variations achieve the same results (connection, demonstrating expertise, and solving problems) their content engages readers in different ways. Knowing the difference between these two, and knowing when to employ one over the other, is vital to your voice and how you connect with your audience.
Writing the Informational Blog
What is an informational blog? The main point of an informational blog is to communicate important information. The structure includes how-to instructions, a discussion on a particular subject, or a list of causes and effects. These blogs can be about anything, as long as they are providing information that describes a subject to the reader.
Why do you write an informational blog? The point of an informational blog is to give information readers want to know. For a business, writing an informational blog is the perfect opportunity to answer your customers’ questions and display your expertise.
How do you write an informational blog? Start your brainstorming sessions with these questions: why do your customers need your help? What is the knowledge you have that they don’t? Once you have landed on a topic, say “How to Write an Informational Blog”, lay out your content in a digestible, organized way. The more you can sort and group information in your blog, with numbered steps, headings or graphics, the easier it will be to understand. Use design tools to help—that doesn’t just mean pictures, but text tools like ALL CAPS, italics, and bold styles to make your information stand out.
Writing the Storytelling Blog
What is a storytelling blog? Though you can tell a story about anything, not everything you tell is going to be a story. I define storytelling blogs as those that follow an individual thread and illuminate that journey to the reader, be it the journey of a company or the journey of one person. In a story, you are describing a series of events; it is not quite a gathering of facts as you will leave out many in order to tell a more compelling, clearer story. Mini-bios seen on websites describing someone, an author or a president of a company, is a gathering of facts—where they went to school, their accomplishments, their work, etc. A full biography is a story. Though biographies are jam-packed with facts, they are set in a background of geography and social context. A biography follows the thread of one person’s life in that time and place in history—that is, telling a story.
Why do you write a storytelling blog? For business blogging, you will write a storytelling blog when you want to connect more personally with your readers—you want to expose them to an experience. At Fresh Figs Marketing, I have written many storytelling blogs for a client who wanted to share their customers’ experiences of having a dog. Every dog parent has a story about how they came across their pooch—a series of events that led up to taking the lovable canine home. Many readers can relate, and those who have never had that experience are given a taste of what it is like
How do you write a storytelling blog? Compelling stories are difficult to craft, and sometimes trying too much can produce blogs that sound indulgent, over-the-top, or artificial. So write intelligently and honestly. Stay true to your company voice, and whatever your story, tell it with the chief aim of being clear. You don’t want to lose your audience in any meandering descriptions or complicated storytelling.
Understanding how you want to serve and connect with your customers will help the most in deciding which category you should write in. If you are looking to help your customers find the perfect vacation spot, write an informational blog. If you are trying to tap into your customers’ shared love of lizards, write a story about how lizards impacted someone’s life. Let your customers drive the types of blogs you write.
If you need help with your blogging endeavors, Fresh Figs Marketing is here to guide you through the process. We have the writing skills and digital marketing experience to create quality blogs to help you spread your message and provide value to your customers. Contact us here, or call (860) 670-6595.
