Whether you are a marketer who works for a corporation or run a one-man-show, you likely realize the importance and power of the blog. Effective blogging keeps readers engaged and interested. It is like telling a never-ending story that forever ropes in your audience. Leading corporations, such as Dell and Zillow, have crafted blogs that now attract millions of readers every day. To create equally successful blogs for your own business, here are 15 great tips for blogging that you should remember.
1. Don’t rush the process.
The process of writing is an art form and requires the luxury of time. As a small business owner, you may feel tempted to try to squeeze in a few blog posts every day. Doing this, however, will likely diminish the quality of the work that you create. You won’t be able to deliver the valuable content that your readers desire and that is depicted on blogs like Zillow. The blog posts on Zillow are catered to provide expert real estate advice to home buyers and sellers. It is a great example of what quality blog content looks like.
2. Get feedback from audience members.
Effective blog writers also develop a persona so that they can engage their audience members. They are willing to receive criticism from audience members and improve content quality as a result.
3. Provide audience members with behind-the-scenes interviews.
Your audience members likely have a genuine interest in the happenings of your company. Giving them a tour of your facilities or providing them with employee interviews can offer audience members a fresh look into your company.
4. Give audience members a voice.
Audience members want to feel as though they are being heard. If you run a newspaper company, you may want to give readers the chance to air their opinions on the manner in which news is covered or the topics chosen for coverage by editors.
5. Introduce your bloggers.
You should always make sure that your audience members know your blogging team. Some companies make the mistake of never introducing bloggers or explaining their credentials to audience members. Readers should understand the topics covered by bloggers, as well as the experiences or education that qualify them to speak on such topics.
6. Invest in advertising for your blog.
You can’t just expect people to find your blog in the masses of websites and blogs that make up the Internet. You will need to take time to promote your blog and spread the word about it. Google AdWords can significantly boost the ranking of your blog and is a great investment. You may also want to pay leading websites in your industry to feature your blog link as a way to boost traffic.
7. Feature Google Hangouts on air.
Hosting Google Hangouts on your blog will intrigue your readers. They will enjoy hearing the live perspective of a CEO or other special figure in your business. Blog writers can also transcribe interviews from Google Hangout sessions and post them on your blog.
8. Create audio versions of your content.
Part of operating a blog entails providing your readers with access to the most updated forms of content. Audio files can give your readers a new way to embrace content. They can enjoy hearing the voice of your bloggers. A blog post almost becomes a story form when you post audio versions of your content and make them available to the public.
9. Create organized blog posts.
Your blog writers should be familiar with mind-mapping and tools that can help them in the organization of their thoughts. If a blog post is not properly organized before it is written, then chances are that it will end up expressing scatter-brained thoughts. Your writers should be familiar with mind-mapping and take full advantage of it before creating a blog post.
10. Supporting blog posts with research statistics.
If you or a blog writer makes a broad claim in an article, then it should be substantiated with research. Adding a statistical graph or condensed outline of facts can add credibility to your blog.
11. Make your blog visually appealing.
It is important that you create an attractive appearance for your blog. Including stunning photographs in the banner for your blog can be one way to entice viewers. Also, make sure that you feature images of your company products in your blog posts. Images can break up lengthy sections of content and make it easier for readers to stay interested.
12. Reach out to readers via an email list.
You should always try to grow the number of readers for your blog. An email list provides blog writers with a way to keep in touch with readers and update them when new posts are created.
13. Use a catchy blog title.
Having a catchy blog title will make readers want to check out your blog. If you have a memorable blog title, such as “The Counterintuitive CEO,” people will be inclined to read your blog posts.
14. Capitalize on the success of your blog.
If your blog takes off and is successful, remember that there are numerous ways in which you can capitalize on the success of your blog. Major publications, such as Vogue and the New York Times, have published books on their popular blogs. You too can publish a hard copy publication when your blog takes off. This means that you can solidify your blog’s standing and also profit from the success of it.
15. Maintain a focused approach with your blog.
Your blog should always have a focused approach. Before you create a blog, there should be a defined purpose. You should have goals for the number of viewers you wish to attract. You should also think of the blog’s relevance in regards to boosting your sales.
Conclusion
These are 15 blogging tips that will help your business to become successful in the world of content creation. Your business can’t afford to miss out on the numerous opportunities that hosting a blog now proffers.
2 Responses
I have a particularly unsuccessful information blog. How would having an email list help me? Wouldn’t people who want to read just subscribe to the RSS feed?
Hey Mark, please consider what you have today (unsuccessful) blog can grow. That’s one of the reasons of having a blog isn’t it…to grow your readership, brand, authority, etc.? Keep in mind, growing a blog doesn’t happen overnight. I’m not clear why you can’t start an email list? After perusing your blog I can’t imagine why you don’t have an email list. Seems you have a log in feature, apparently people are interested in reading what you have to say. I would rethink your approach and consider using an email list to keep your readers coming back for more great information with a place to share their stories. As far as your RSS Feed is concerned, sure they can add it to their reading list, however, when using direct email you have a better chance of communicating directly with your readers. You can send them teasers, about an upcoming article or, an event that won’t appear on your blog for another week. There are so many ways you can scale an email list.