NEW MEDIA MATTERS: Think sharable content in 2016

If you have at last embraced the idea of blogging to build your business, this is the year you should step it up with the goal of creating content that is truly shareable.

Sharable content, whether on a company blog or on a media platform you have set up for your business like Facebook, Google Plus, Pinterest, Instagram or LinkedIn, is the small business owner's best bet for drawing attention to his or her product or service.

Let's repeat that: Sharing content is better than garnering great numbers of likes or members or fans or followers or any other quantitative goal you may think you need to successfully market yourself online without an advertising budget.

Let's review the basics of why and how this works, using a faux company blog as an example. Say you are a former human relations executive, an administrator or just a long-time staffer with lots of corporate or even small business experience. You'd like to offer an online service critiquing resumes then eventually build it into a real moneymaker. You could do this:

1. Title your blog something unique and clever that will draw a specifically targeted audience: Resume secrets of an HR pro, or a job hunters' resume primer.

2. Introduce yourself on the blog as a knowledgeable person within your field, but don't sound too stodgy. You want your subscribers to relate to you as a real person: "Stan Crumpet has 23 years of experience in corporate recruiting and human relations administration, and as such, has read more than 4,251 resumes. Stan offers a unique, insider's perspective on how the right resume can land you a key to the executive washroom. He and his dog, Munchkin, live in upstate New York."

3. Write short (300-500-word) blog posts with titles that carry a punch and allude to takeaways that will truly help your reader, such as: Get hired at Disney World after retirement, resumes for know-it-all millennials, five resume errors that will halt your job search by lunchtime, how your ego-driven ex-boss can become your best advocate.

4. Use key words that will identify you in an online search (i.e. resume, critique, job seeking, hired, boss, etc.), but vary your subject matter for extended reach. Note that two of the blog post titles above don't even mention resumes.

5. Above all, don't fail to ask your readers to comment on and share your posts with others online. Just ask! This simple request will get the word out about your services faster than building a 1,000-subscriber base.

Paige Henson is a local writer and a new media consultant for businesses and nonprofits. Her email address is paigechenson@gmail.com.

This story was originally published January 12, 2016 at 8:22 PM with the headline "NEW MEDIA MATTERS: Think sharable content in 2016 ."