Source: Adobe Stock

Welcome to the third in our series of blogs on blogs –where we’ll explore some “familial” ties between types of blogs you will want to read and follow, all to keep your creative instincts sharp, and hip with the latest trends.  It is always important to keep a finger on the pulse of what’s happening outside the walls of your office and in your industry. Luckily, there’s this little thing called the internet that lets us delve into craters of the universe we wouldn’t otherwise be privy to.

If you haven’t read our first few entries, click here to catch up on some mind-blowing stats that prove without a shadow of a doubt that blogging ought to be an essential part of your marketing plan and here for a look at five essential elements that ought to be a part of your blogging plan. Our next entry will cover some kick-ass ways to jump-start your creative juices to create compelling posts.

The best ideas are often adapted and grown from improving on someone else’s vision. And there’s no harm in following what others are doing; actually, it’s a must. Considering you have a unique selling proposition, use that to outdo and outshine the best of the best.

Now, let’s take a peek at types of blogs that are helpful in growing your business.  They fall into four categories that are affectionately named for your favorite family members (ok, maybe not a fave in each category, depending on the latest family drama – but we digress).

Add these types of blogs to your reading list. We’ll use a generic example of a health coach to illustrate our familial guide.

• Brother blogs – These are like-minded folks who share a similar focus, audience size, and demographic as your growing business. They can also be a great strategic partner to hook up with for collaborations and guest posting. In our example of a health coach, this Moss Wellness blog offers quick hits for healthy living from food tips to lifestyle hacks, all in a few sentences. Then for longer-form reading, the author expands on similar topics to improve your life from simple fitness strategies to delectable healthy recipes.

• Aunt blogs – These live in your same niche but have the size of audience you’d like to grow to. What are they doing that’s working? Identify what you can improve upon and take it up a notch. Like we said earlier, look for inspiration to improve upon an already solid concept. The School of Applied Functional Medicine (a larger organization) offers clinical tips on their blog. They have a much broader audience and a high level of expertise. As a health coach, resources like these are great to reference in your own writing for added credibility.

• Cousin blogs – Reading you enjoy from a separate but globally-related genre. Aimed to inspire with ideas you can use in your own niche or life in general. We love this one as it says it all in their tagline – “simple wisdom for complex lives.” The Tiny Buddha can get you that spiritual kick-start to illuminate your coaching endeavors.

• Learning blogs – No matter their field, any small business owner can draw insight into their own practices from experts on topics such as bookkeeping, human resources, or marketing. A health coach still needs to market smartly to entice new clients. Follow a few helpful blogs like Jill Celeste’s to learn more about marketing yourself and blogging for business.

Whatever your fancy – sports, fitness, pop culture, gambling, travel, or something completely off the grid – we know there are some relevant blogs out there for you.  Bookmark them. Like or follow their social pages. Sign up for their email lists. Then be sure to schedule some time to actually read and learn from them!

Here’s a  ninja trick from us blogging guru’s – sign up for Unroll.com and roll up all your blogs into categories for easy reading later.

Still need some help with expanding your blogging universe? We’re hosting a two-day blog writing retreat in September 2017 for eight individuals to research and plan a whole years’ worth of blog posts and then write their first month’s posts. https://ripcordcomm.lpages.co/blogretreat/