Ahh, the age of the internet and having information at your fingertips. Organizations know that customers want to find the information they are searching for within minutes. A robust and diversified blog that highlights your expertise and provides your customers with the support they are searching for is a clear solution.
- In 2017, 66% of marketers reported using blogs in their social media content (Social Media Examiner).
- B2B marketers that use blogs get 67% more leads than those who do not and companies who blog, receive 97% more links to their website (Hubspot).
- 47% of buyers viewed 3-5 pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep (Demand Gen Report, 2016).
Before you dive into writing your first post, here are five tips to help your blog stand out from the crowd.
Set a Foundation for Success
Do your research
Who visits your website today? What are they looking for? What are their pain points? When are they most likely to make a decision? Understanding your audience will help you create valuable content. If your competitors have a blog, make sure that you review their content and determine what works for them. What are their most and least engaging posts? Learn from what others have already done to avoid making the same mistakes.
Plan
Develop a quarterly content calendar for foreseeable events. The best part is, you don’t have to start from scratch. Platforms like Smartsheet offers free templates to help you plan accordingly. By thinking ahead, you can develop resources and articles for upcoming events, product launches, and holidays you know your audiences are interested in.
Develop a framework
Just as every essay has an introduction, body and closing paragraph, your blog posts should follow a flexible framework. Your headline should catch the attention of readers and the introduction should draw them in to read more. Negative space is important when reading online, so try to keep paragraphs short and sweet.
Curate Valuable Content
Write for substance
Your blog content should clearly connect with the mission of your organization and the business objectives of your website. Think about opportunities to showcase the products or services that your organization provides, or link to partners and trusted sites to build your authority. This will increase your SEO ratings and develop credibility among your readers.
Identify the experts
Are you strapped for time? Ask for help by inviting thought-leaders and industry professionals to contribute to your blog. This brings a fresh voice and perspective to your content and attracts new readers from your expert source.
Engage with your Readers
Solicit feedback
If you’re looking to generate new content for your blog, reach out to your readers for new ideas. Running polls, reading comments, and sharing on social media platforms offer opportunities for you to learn what content is resonating with your readers, and what may need to be benched.
Value their time & opinion
If your blog has a comments section, monitor and reply to comments regularly. Your readers are more likely to develop brand loyalty when they know your organization values their time and opinion.
Be Flexible
Rely on different mediums
Traditionally, blogs are laid out in an article format and include images, so it is easy to scan. But don’t be afraid to break the rules by including gifs, uploading videos, or interrupting the text with audio clips to provide your readers with a more interactive and memorable experience.
Focus on quality over quantity
While your blog content should be substantial, great content doesn’t always mean long posts. The key is to create well-written content that is meaningful and valuable to the reader. Diversifying your content by including helpful checklists, quick fact sheets, and graphics may not necessarily add to your word count, but will provide immense value for your readers.
Let Your Brand’s Personality Shine
Show why you’re different
Give your readers a reason to keep coming back rather than Googling the next best solution. Show your organization’s personality through the blog’s tone, layout, or content. By putting your best foot forward and being authentic, your readers will continue to come back for more advice.