Zoom in: why the scrapbook blog post works

Scrapbooking is one of my favourite hobbies. Now, I know this might not sound like the coolest interest, but hear me out. Over the past four years, I’ve attended no less than 15 weddings of friends and family (and a couple where I was an awkward ‘plus one’ who knew no-one but my partner). All of those weddings came with a lot of stationery, a lot of photos and a lot of free mementoes.

As I’m a bit of a magpie when it comes to keepsakes, I found myself hoarding all this gorgeous pearl-covered, lace-edged, sepia-toned wedding memorabilia in an ever-growing carrier bag, wondering what to do with it all. Each wedding had its own beautiful theme and happy memories I knew I’d want to look back on some day, so I decided to start a scrapbook of all these precious things. A scrapbook blog post does much the same job.

As we go through our busy working days, we constantly come across fascinating articles, social media posts, blogs and videos that we could sit and pore over for hours – but our workload prevents us from doing so. So, if you’re anything like me, you squirrel them away for a later time when you’ll need some quick inspiration – or that magical, elusive “free afternoon” when you can “get some reading done”.

A scrapbook blog post gives you the opportunity to create a collection of all those best bits you’ve earmarked in sidebars, bookmarks and email folders but never actually done anything with. Your readers will love you for having done all the hard work for them, and it will act as a blog post you revisit yourself for inspiration and ideas, all in one place. Here’s how to create it.

Why the reader will love you

If your reader is early on in the buyer’s journey – at the awareness or consideration stage – this is the perfect post style to help move them along. By “cutting and sticking” lots of different, reputable options from across the internet for them into one post, you’re helping them compare and review different products, services or concepts all in one place.

For ease, I’m going to stick with my wedding theme to illustrate how to use a scrapbook post! But the important thing to remember is that a scrapbook post works with literally any topic you could think of.

1. Infographics and illustrations

Using a scrapbook post means – as long as you include a link or credit to the original designer or website – you can use a wealth of beautiful visuals in your post without having to commission a designer of your own! Scrapbooks are visual beings so take advantage of all the gorgeousness out there on the internet.

Make the information really fun and interactive for the reader to use by including some of the best infographics you’ve found on the web, paying particular attention to how usable they are to your buyer persona.

 

“We were super impressed to see that you guys are planning your wedding in an average of 12 months – very organised. What REALLY surprised us though, is that 5% of you are getting the job done in less than three – you’re just showing off now because that is organisation.” – Hitched

2. Photography and memes

With social media sites like Instagram and Pinterest utilising the scrapbook format with such success, including links to some of your favourite accounts and boards is a fantastic idea. Not only are they visual, engaging and easy to use, but your reader will love that you’ve taken some of the stress away for them, introducing them to new online sources.

"Every year, 40 million people turn to Pinterest for guidance across the wedding-planning journey... Over time they move into decision-making mode and use their favourite Pins to bring their vision to life.” – The Knot

3. Video and GIFs

Moving image is the future of the internet – By 2021, Cisco Systems believes that video will account for 80% of internet traffic. From this figure, it isn’t just scrapbook posts you should be putting into your video content into, but across your blog. By using a combination of your own videos and video content found elsewhere – as well as the occasional funny GIF – you’ll be sure to engage the modern reader who increasingly expects their images to move on screen.

4. Blog posts, articles and beyond

If you read and loved it, chances are your audience will, too. The inbound methodology is all about helping and teaching your readers – not shoving your own content down their throats until they buy something from you. So share those fabulous blog posts, articles – even podcasts and TV shows – with them to help them broaden their perspective in the same way you have.

“According to Bridebook.co.uk’s National Wedding Survey 2018, the cost of getting hitched has hit an all-time high, up by £3,365 – or 12 percent – from £26,989 the previous year.” – The Independent 

5. Your own content

Whether it’s a social media channel, a link back to your blog or a specific page on your website, a scrapbook post is the perfect time to include a couple of links to your own content. Ensure the spread of sources you’ve included are wide enough that this won’t feel like a hard sell, but equally, it’s a lovely chance for you to direct readers to some of your most brilliant content.

Why it works for them and you

For them: This is a format which allows your brand to be seen as a thought leader in your industry. Instead of purely promoting your own products and selling to your customers, the aim here is to educate them, showing them what other people are saying about this topic.

It also shows that you’re dedicated to collecting research and material from other sources, determined to show your customer a spread of content which will help them, whilst broadening your own learning through research, rather than relying on pre-existing or outdated information.

For you: A scrapbook post allows you to consolidate and order all of your disparate ideas – it’s as helpful for you as it is for readers. In the process of writing it, you’ll come across all sorts of golden nuggets you’d forgotten about – the act of gathering these gems together, might even inspire another post or a lead magnet. It’s also a nice chance for you to promote your own channels without being pushy, including them amongst other useful links, rather than solely plugging your content.

If your ideal customer sees you’re willing to share good practice and interesting views from across the sector, not just promoting your own services, chances are they’ll keep coming back for more posts, more advice and ultimately a sale. So give the scrapbook post a go – and show us when you’ve created one, we’d love to see your first attempt!