The Internet has given today’s marketers and business owners an outstanding opportunity to attract more traffic to their company’s website, generate/convert leads and increase sales. And while content creation can be achieved through many different tactics, it’s blogging that should be at the top of your list.
While many businesses understand that they need to be blogging, what they don’t understand is that blogging takes time commitment and dedication in order to attract new business leads and improve your site's rank in organic search. In other words, you can fail miserably with your blogging efforts! Here's some pointers.
1) Do Your Research: The first and most important step that you must consider before writing your blog post is doing research. Make sure you fully understand the topic. See what others have written on the topic and gather the most important details to ensure a successful outcome. Be sure to remember that one of the top goals for your post should be that your audience benefits from your content. After all, you are the so-called subject matter expert for this particular topic, and your audience is likely to reward you by sharing your content.
2) Keep It Short and Simple: When writing your blog post, be sure to keep in mind that less is more. While you do want to convey to the best of your ability all of your main points in great detail, it’s best to keep your post short and simple. Longer posts tend to lose your audience’s attention faster than posts that are shorter and to the point. As a rule of thumb, keep posts to 750 words or less.
3) Write Effective Headlines: An effective blog headline can mean the difference between a blog post that generates leads and one that's never opened or found in search. When writing the headline, remember to be descriptive and catchy in 70 characters or less. Be sure to include one primary keyword phrase within the headline, while conveying action through the use of actions verbs. Remove any jargon or vague language that would otherwise confuse the reader.
4) Be Conversational: There’s no better way to connect with your audience then to be conversational. Your audience will be more receptive to your content if you write like you speak. Content that speaks to the reader is content that readers can ultimately relate to. Be careful when taking this approach into consideration so as not to sacrifice grammar and punctuation for creativity as this can damage your credibility.
5) Include A Call-to-Action: Reward your audience for reading your content by including a call-to-action (CTA) offer such as a free eBook, whitepaper or tip sheet. Remember that the placement of your CTA is key. Be sure to include it at the end of your post to ensure that your audience will read your entire post and not just click on your CTA. And while it should be placed at the end, it’s important that your business includes additional static CTA's in your blog side rail. If the reader chooses not to read all of your content, he or she will still have the opportunity to click through on some of your company’s content offers.
While this list does include 5 simple, yet effective, ways for becoming a better blogger, there are additional steps businesses can take to ensure success. To learn more about blogging and content creation, download our free tip sheet: “10 Ways to Keep Your Blog Stocked With Great Content” now!
Topics: Content Marketing
