It seems like every business has a blog nowadays. There are corporate blogs, personal blogs, food blogs, sports blogs; so how do you create a successful blog that will draw people in, keep them coming back and generate leads? There are some pointers you should follow if you want your blog to be successful (and who doesn’t) but it’s not going to happen overnight. You’ve got to be consistent in your posts, create fresh, unique content and you have to be prepared to market the hell out of your company. Are you ready to jump in the blog pool head first? Let’s go!
What is Your Niche?
First things first; you need to find your niche. What do you want your company’s blog to be about? Which kind of people you want to attract and to read it? You don’t want to just talk about your company or what you do, you need to find what your ideal readers will be interested in and focus on that. Also important, is to find your own voice, always bring something that will differentiate your blog from others that are in the same field. Once you’ve established that make sure you stick to it. Consistency is key when it comes to blogging.
In each of your posts, you want to try to engage the reader by solving a problem, answering questions or providing information for something they are interested in. There’s no rule to how long or short a blog post should be, but if you’re going for the longer post, you’ll want to try and break it up so that readers are able to scan the content quickly, if they want to. A typical blog post should be broken up by:
· Subheadings
· Numbered lists or bullet points
· Quotes and/or captions
· Bold fonts
· Line breaks
· Pictures
Formatting your blog in this way will prevent a reader from being turned off by big blocks of text.
Post Great Content Consistently!
The more often you blog the better chance you have of people finding your company. It doesn’t need to be everyday, you just want to be consistent in your posting schedule so you don’t leave big chunks of time between each post. Once your blog start to build an audience, they will look forward to your next post and you don’t want to leave them hanging for too long. You also don’t want to force content. If you don’t have anything to say, don’t just post something for the sake of posting. This will ultimately hurt your credibility. It’s like those people who talk but don’t really have anything substantial to say. No one can stand those people. Write with conviction and have a reason for your blog.
Headlines, Headlines, Headlines
The first thing someone notices about a blog is the headline. Did you know there are some people whose sole job is to write headlines? It’s an art form and it’s the first thing that will draw the reader into a blog. To put how important a headline is into perspective, Copybloggers suggests that however long it takes you to write a blog, spend half that time on the headline. You want to be sure though, that your blog delivers on what your headline promises. A great way to determine if you have a good headline is to ask co-workers what they think. Would they be drawn in by your headline? It’s always good to get a second opinion.
Promote Your Blog Through Social Media
Everyone is on social media these days and your potential client is definitely there, so the best way to get your blog out there is to use one of the many social media platforms available today. Utilizing hashtags is a great way to reach your audience, since a lot of people search certain hashtags that pertain to subjects they’re interested in. Know what platforms your audience uses and focus on those. Do hashtag and keyword research to find the best phrases for your content.
Utilize SEO
You’ve no doubt heard the acronym SEO, which is Search Engine Optimization. Basically, what this means is getting your blog to show up in search results by writing it a certain way. Since Google changed the way they optimize content all the time, you don’t want to drive yourself crazy by trying to keep up with them. There are a few things that search engines always look for that don’t seem to change:
· Avoid long URLs – Use headings to highlight important sections
· Use unique but brief page titles
· Make sure your blog is user friendly
You also want to add social media buttons to each post so that the readers can share your content easily on every social media platform.
Be Yourself
Dr. Seuss said it the best; “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” Despite there being a lot of blogs out there that talk about the same topics, each company is unique in their own right, and you want that to come out in your writing. Bring new and interesting subjects to your blog posts because that is likely what your audience will come to love about your blog. Showcase personality of you company while still being informative and people will start to feel like they are connecting personally with your brand. Be relatable and try to stand out as much as possible.
If you’ve got a passion for your business you’re willing to work hard at getting your blog out there, there’s nothing that can stand in your way, you’ve just got to want it!
Want help with your company’s blog? Contact us for a free consultation.