As of 2011, there are roughly 165 million blogs in the world. That’s a 5,500% increase in blogs since 2004. How can one blog stand out among millions? How can you get people to actually read your blog? For businesses struggling to keep readers engaged, the answer is developing a multi-author blog. A blog featuring multiple perspectives attracts a variety of readers and produces more cutting-edge and relevant content.

How does a multi-author blog help? Let’s start with the basics: It all begins with content marketing. Content marketing is the process of creating important content and distributing it through the appropriate outlet; the goal being to engage and make an impact on as many people as possible. By applying the content marketing model to your blog you can establish a community of followers as opposed to a small niche.

Blogs are one of the most effective outlets when it comes to engaging consumers. They can have multiple purposes such as educating others, building relationships, creating opportunities, telling stories and sharing insight. Having multiple authors for a blog enhances the reader’s experience and keeps them coming back for more.

How to do it yourself:

Recruiting: Recruitment is the first challenge to overcome when developing a multi-author blog. For your business’ blog, it’s key to look within your organization to find employees with the writing skills and motivation to contribute to your blog. Try to recruit authors with different areas of interest and expertise to keep content fresh and to avoid repetition. Selecting authors who are excited and passionate about blogging for your business is the best way to ensure that your blog is exciting and engaging! Once you have determined who the authors of your blog will be, you can begin thinking about content.

Content:  Interest = content. It is crucial to appeal to the consumer you are trying to engage. Figuring out what is on the mind of your target audience is a key element in creating content. Once you have this information, create content that both addresses these worries and peaks interest.

Composing: When composing each blog post, it is important to: 1. Have a clear goal; 2. Determine author guidelines including length and format; 3. Assign one editor. These guidelines will help you maintain structure and consistency throughout the blog.  Paying attention to the little details will provide more credibility for your blog!

Tying in Social Media: There is no point in using social media if you have nothing important to say. After deciding on a good topic and publishing the blog, use social media to attract readers. Twitter and Facebook are a main source for readers to get the information they are seeking; ensure that you use these channels to release and publicize your blog.

For a business, taking the time to establish a multi-author blog may seem daunting, but the benefits are endless. Because of the variety of perspectives, multi-author blogs attract people of all different interests and backgrounds. Going back to the questions of how to make a blog stand out and how to get people to read your blog, the answer is simple. Create a multi-author blog. A multi-author blog creates a sense of community in the complex web of the internet. Providing readers with an online community will make your blog stand out and stay relevant, allowing it to truly be one in a million.