When to Go Off-Topic

January 21, 2010 | by Kim Taylor | Posted in Social Media

Time to blog, now what? This is something everyone has said from time to time. A great communication strategy includes a schedule for blogging, how often, what topics to cover, and how it all fits with your organization's calendar year.

At Balance Interactive, we tell clients that the more consistent you are with your blog posts, the more readers you will have. Additionally your organization will strengthen its relationship with members. It’s a win-win for all.

Then there comes the week when, for whatever reason, the topic you were set to blog about isn’t appealing.
 

To Go OT or Not

What about going OT (off topic)? Wait before you start blogging about anything and everything, there are a few things to consider before going OT:

• Consider your audience. 
• What about a guest blogger?
• OT doesn’t have to mean totally off topic.

Relating a recent personal experience to your organization might be someothing that could be considered a safe OT subject. Perhaps your organization has been praised in local or national media. In addition to a standard press release, talk about members of the team that helped the organization reach its goal. This type of post is a very safe OT and really may not stray far from your strategy.
 

Flexibilty

Then there are times when local, state, national, and world events sometimes will help to determine if OT is appropriate. The devastating earthquake in Haiti is just one example. If your association is helping with relief efforts, in some way, this is a good way to get the word out or simply provide ways to contribute to relief efforts.

Staying on topic, while the rest of the blogsphere is focused on a disaster or major event, doesn’t mean your blog has to go full blown OT for weeks.

• Explain why the blog post is different than what you would normally write and why.
• Tell your readers when you expect to resume normal blog posting.

Then get back to your social media strategy and schedule. The whole point of blogging is to reach out to your members and it's ok to show you are human.

Ways to Help

American Red Cross

Official U.S. Government Haiti Earthquake Information