Start a Blog Conversation About Soda

If you’re a big brand like Coke or SunChips, your brand is being talked about and you need to address the topic head-on, and only then spread out to more general conversation, says Gary Vaynerchuk in his book The Thank You Economy. On the other hand, he points out, if you’re Sally’s Orange Soda and no one’s talking about you, you need to do the reverse, meaning that you create a general soda conversation first.

Since most of the business owners and professional practitioners for whom we Say it For You writers are creating content fall closer to the Sally’s Orange Soda end of the spectrum, I found this Vaynerchuk observation particularly apropos.

Kevin Phillips of Impactbnd.com has some good ideas for business blog topics that fall into the “general conversation” category, including:

• comparisons and pros and cons
• how-tos and tutorials
• classifications
• laws and regulations
• myths and misconceptions

What starting general conversation topics for blogs does not mean, Phillips is quick to explain, is providing amusing, interesting material that has nothing to do with your company’s field of expertise. The important things, he learned, are 1 .answering the questions the audience is asking and 2. asking yourself what the root problem is that your products and services help solve.

An interesting tidbit of information can form the nucleus for a “general conversation” provided that

a) the new information relates to something with which readers are already familiar

b) your reason for including that information in your past is readily apparent.

Suggesting new ways of thinking about things with which readers are already familiar makes for good general conversation fodder as well.

At some point, content writers must remember, all that “general conversation” about soda needs to lead back to Sally’s Orange Soda, positioning that small company as the “go-to” place for information and services.

If you’re a giant, you can start the blog conversation with you, is Vaynerchuk’s message. If you’re Sally, start a more general, informational conversation, but bring the readers “back home”.