By now, you likely know the importance of blogging for your business. If you don’t, check out our recent posts on 10 ways blogging can help your organization and how you can become a thought leader through blogging. Blogging is a necessary part of any content marketing strategy and, as MarketingHub explains, the key to a successful blog with a strong ROI is to create content that people actually want to read. If you need help writing a blog post, here are five steps you can take.
1. Teach your audience.
The first step in any writing assignment is to answer the question, “Who am I writing to?” Then, think about what that audience wants to know, what they already know, and what they don’t know. One of the many benefits of blogging is to serve your audience and help them make informed decisions. If you don’t know what your audience wants, ask them! Invest in market research, send them a survey, or conduct a poll on social media. Any level of research may provide you with a better understanding of your target audience so you know how to cater content to them.
2. Get personal.
One reason bloggers and social media influencers resonate with consumers is their ability and willingness to share personal details. Organizations shouldn’t be afraid to get personal about their brand with their audience, especially in a blog. Tell your audience who your brand is, what you believe in, and what’s ahead for your business. Think about what is in it for your audience and what they gain from hearing from you.
3. Share topical thoughts.
Tie your content into what is happening in communities across the country, or around the world. How can your service or organization solve a problem? How can public issues or topics that are being discussed online or in the news be connected with your business? Think about the big picture and link it to your brand.
4. Be thorough.
Spend time explaining to and giving your audience information that will make them smarter. With blogging, one of your goals should be to keep your audience connected to your business and serve them information they can use or should know. In doing that, be detailed and offer as much as you can so your audience knows they can rely on you and have a positive experience with your organization.
5. Use SEO strategy.
Utilizing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) resources will change the way you produce content and determine what you should and shouldn’t include in your blog. They can tell you what words or phrases you should include in your title and the body of your post, as well as the backlinks you should acquire. SEO strategy has the ability to not only enhance your writing, but it will help get your work noticed and increase website traffic.
Bonus
If you’re running out of material to blog about, here are some ideas:
- Describe your goals for the upcoming year.
- Make predictions for your industry.
- Share who your employees are.
- Introduce new hires.
- Make any organization announcements (ones that don’t require sending out a press release).
- Expand on an area of your brand’s key messaging.
- Describe and explain a service you offer and how it can solve a problem.
- Break down how your brand made a recent decision.
- Expand on a recent case study.
- Look at what is new in your industry.
Hopefully, you’re inspired to create some dynamic content to get in front of your audience. If you have a question for the TSN Team™, send us a message.
