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9 Easy-But-Important Tips for Writing the Best Blog Posts
Content is still king, as they say, so it’s essential to put effort into your blogging. Fortunately, the basic guidelines in this article can simplify your work.
People are already looking for information, services, and products online, so why shouldn’t your company be supplying it? Social media, landing pages, and other marketing tools have significant weight, but blog posts check off a bunch of boxes on the list, if done correctly, the most important of which is updating your website with fresh content. Take a look at these tips to see which you will try next:
1. Play to your audience.
First of all, you need to know who you are talking to and what they like to hear. Otherwise, you’re wasting your time. You may have fleshed out a buyer’s persona in your business plan, but remind yourself of the specific details and review your conclusions often so that you are speaking with the right voice about the right topics.
2. Write with appropriate search terms.
The best part of business blogging is that it links you to the topics your customers are interested in. For those folks to find you online, you have to remember to use the same words in your blog that they are using when they browse. Online tools can help you choose the right search terms.
3. Stick to the topic.
Outline the topics you want to cover that are relevant to the audience you are trying to reach. While a little personality can make your blog more approachable and memorable, you want to steer clear of topics that will be too controversial. And don’t forget to leave your reader with a Call To Action that will move them along the customer journey.
4. Use visuals.
Yes, a blog is words, but, people are extremely visual and they simply scan most content anyway. Great graphics grab attention and give you an extra second or two to catch a reader’s interest.
5. Give the people what they want.
Find out what's trending in your industry and write about that. Answer the most common questions people ask about your service or product. Write about your own business news or about a complementary business. When folks find information of interest, they are more likely to pass it along so your audience grows.
6. Post regularly.
It’s a common story: You start out posting once a week. Then once a month. Then you realize it’s been over a year since the last post. That’s no way to be a "go-to" source. Even more important than how often you post is how reliably you post. Figure out a posting schedule that you can stick to it. It’s good for your readers as well as for your website ranking.
7. Update your content.
There are many good reasons to go back and edit your previous content. Fix inadvertent errors and update broken links to other websites. Insert links from one article to another as appropriate, especially if they make up a series. Consider updates to outdated articles that are still getting a lot of views. These are easy ways to make the most of the effort you already put in.
8. Proofread, proofread, proofread.
You don't want to distract your readers with typos. Also, it’s hard to look like an expert if your posts are sloppy. Sure, everyone makes mistakes and it's easy to overlook little errors, but it's also quick to fix them. Make sure you do!
9. Respond to readers.
We don't recommend feeding the trolls, but make sure that questions, comments, and concerns are responded to in a timely manner. Engagement is rare, so encourage it!
Many business owners resolve to blog more in the new year, but it’s never too early to get started. Brainstorming topics, creating a content calendar, and defining your reader’s persona can all be done right now so that you’re ready to hit the ground running in January. But if you’re just too busy, outsourcing your blog might be the wisest course. The Sprocket Websites team would be happy to take care of it for you. Just give us a call!
Photo by Tony Schnagl from Pexels
This article is an update to “Tips for Writing a Great Blog for Your Site” dated 5/7/2014.
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Breanne Bannon
Breanne is a Content Writer, Social Media Marketeer, and Sales Associate for Sprocket Websites.
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