A lot of people can generate blog content quickly and easily. There are a number of tips and tricks they use to do this but so much of it all sounds the same. That’s because they’re blogging on auto-pilot.

Content creation isn’t just about volume. It’s about value. If you’re just generating tons of content that looks, sounds, and reads like what everyone else is producing you can’t stand out from the crowd.

I’ve been guilty of it too. Some of the indications I’ve seen in my own blogging include:

1. Bandwagoning – Joining in the chorus of praises or pundits that love/hate a person, place, thing, or idea. You’re not adding your own voice if the majority of what you post is quotes from other blogs with comments like, “Me too,” or “I feel the same way.” Restating what others have said but in your own words is unoriginal. It might drive traffic to your site but that traffic won’t stick around long because people want to hear your opinion.

2. Daily/Weekly Challenges – I’ve seen a lot of these challenges online. They’ve been around for years. Writing to fulfill a pointless challenge doesn’t help. You might start of strong but somewhere during that challenge you’re going to start getting lazy or uninterested. The next thing you know, you’re searching for content the morning of your challenge date and throwing something out there just to meet your self-imposed goals.

3. Blogging to Generate Traffic – I don’t get a lot of traffic to this little blog of mine. I intentionally try not to blog just to generate traffic. I want my content to be fun, entertaining, honest, and helpful. I don’t actively search for keywords or try to create fancy titles to get people to click on my links. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with these strategies, per se, but if the focus of your content creation is to drive traffic to your site and not be helpful or entertaining I see no purpose in it.

Those are just a few things that stand out in my mind that I’ve noticed when I’m blogging on auto-pilot. I don’t bemoan some of the traffic generation tactics I’ve seen online. I just wonder whether or not it helps. Providing solid content and engaging with readers will do more for your personal brand than attracting thousands of clicks and views.

I’m choosing to build an interactive audience not a bunch of drive-by readers. You can’t do that if everything you put out is just the same tired things everyone has read 1000 times.

What do you think? Sound off in the comments below!