Blogging for Fun & Profit: Build Your Business Blogging Skills
So, your business has decided to leap into the blogosphere. Great! There’s no shortage of reasons why blogging can benefit your business. However, the world of business blogging may still feel like uncharted territory. What should your blog discuss? How many posts should get published, and how often? Just who the heck is going to read this stuff, anyway? This blog about blogging (a meta-blog?) is intended to help you hit the ground running with tips on creating timely and fresh blogs that meet the needs and engage the minds of your readership.
Lay the foundation
A great blog starts with a great plan, and the planning stage is where you first answer the big questions that will determine what you write about, who you write for, and why you’re writing in the first place. Before you fire up your typewriter, be sure to nail down answers to the following questions:
- Start with buyer personas—who will be interested in what your business has to say? What are their pain points, and how do your products or services address and resolve them? Targeting your content to a specific readership makes it more likely to be seen (and shared).
- Develop a list of keywords relevant to your buyer personas. What kinds of search terms will they use when looking for solutions? Knowing your keywords and putting them into use can optimise your blog to be found, guide your writing process and keep your copy consistent.
- How often will you write? The fresher and more frequent your content, the more you’ll have to offer to your readership, and the more Google’s page rankings will look favourably on your website.
- Set measurable goals in both the short and the long term. Are you looking to grow your email list and cultivate new leads, or are you focused on making your brand’s voice trusted and authoritative in your field? Whatever your goals, ensure that you have reliable metrics for measuring your progress.
Pick your topics
Are you drawing a blank every time you sit down to write? It may be easy to simply write a product feature or fluff up a sales pitch, but it’s important to remember that the point of your blogs is to provide value to your audience, not to sell to them. Look at your buyer personas and their pain points or problems, and assemble them into categories. These categories and their relevant personas will focus your writing and guide your use of keywords to optimise the SEO boost that the post provides. From here, you can begin to address some general topics.
Another great source of blogging inspiration is your existing customer base. Think about the kinds of questions from customers that you answer regularly. Many represent common pain points and can easily become full blog posts. For every customer who comes in or sends an email with a common question, just imagine how many there are tapping their query into Google in search of an answer!
For example, a furniture store might write a blog on the difference in durability between leather, vinyl, and fabric upholsteries or the different types of mattresses and their levels of support. An informative post that answers and visualises questions and gives your readers information that they can act on will rank higher on search engines and position your business as a source of information that readers can trust.
Content (not copy) is king
Getting the copy down is one thing, but your blog will be as dry as a bone without engaging content to supplement that copy. The content that your copy supports, more than anything, is what sets your blog apart from your competitors and drives the solution to your readership’s problem.
It’s best to make your own, but plenty of resources exist for those who don’t collect data or employ a design team.
- Statistic Visuals
Provide relevant and substantiated statistics in graphs and infographics—these add credibility to your posts and can provide shock value when used properly.
- Header and Sub-header Images:
Use visuals to break up the text. The text of headers and sub-headers can often be incorporated into a relevant image that draws the reader’s attention and invites them to read further. A well-chosen graphic or photograph can break up the monotony of plain text and add a visual further away from the information the audience receives.
- Screenshots/photos:
Use screenshots or photos to demonstrate your solution. Remember that you’re here to provide value, not to sell. Like reading a long ad, getting to a blog means you won’t return for anything live or authoritative. The more your readers can learn from your post, the more likely they will return inspired to test what you’ve learned immediately in your Story.
Tell compelling stories (and write snappy titles). Narrative is a powerful tool; we’ve known how to use it in sales and marketing for a long time. The same goes for your blogs. Framing the movement from conflict to resolution as a journey makes your audience more receptive to the information you have to share. It puts it within a familiar and memorable framework.
Start with choosing a narrative voice. Anecdotes and stories about your business can use a first-person voice to draw readers in and demonstrate your unique way of overcoming challenges in ways that others can learn from and put into practice. A second-person voice (like the one used in this blog) allows readers to visualise themselves acting out your solutions as you offer them. In contrast, a third-person voice is suited to communicating stories about how your business has been part of another customer’s success.
Leverage your buyer personas and their challenges to tell stories that will engage your audience and show how your business fits into their lives. Your posts don’t have to read like a novel, but putting your info into action will help transform your blog from a lecture into a success story.
Sharing is Caring
You’ve written something you’re proud of, so be sure to put it out there! Share your new blog on your business’ other marketing channels, and put the work in to gain readers other than Googlers and regular visits to your site. Leveraging your business’ social media following to widen your blog’s audience has the added benefit that a new post that a follower finds useful or interesting is always easy to share with their network. The more readers that come to see your business as a trusted source of information, the better!
Your blogs can (and should) also link to one another. Where there’s an overlap in the information, or your blog posts address similar issues, have them link to each other! An engaged reader will always be ready to find out more, and demonstrating that you have more information is never bad.
Sharing is Caring
Finally, and importantly, bring things home with a call to action. Have you ever gotten to the end of an interesting article, how-to or blog post and been inspired to test what you’ve learned immediately? While the point of your blog isn’t to sell, it’s important to give your readers something to engage with that allows them to take action and apply their new knowledge. Whether it’s more content, a link to a product or promotion or a contact form, your readers will have a way to act on their inspiration, and you will have a way to track engagement and turn readers into leads.
Did you know…?
- Blogging can boost your income; in Australia, 9% of bloggers earn between $1,000 to $10,000 monthly from their blogs. (ProBlogger)
- Blogs are 63% more likely to influence purchase decisions than magazines. (Content Marketing Institute)
- 70% of consumers discover a company through their blog rather than ads. (Demand Metric)
- Small businesses with blogs generate 126% more leads. (Tech Client)
- 61% of consumers have made a purchase based on a blog post. (Content Marketing Institute)
FAQS:
1. What are some key benefits of blogging for my business?
Blogging can work wonders for your business in multiple ways. It helps drive website traffic, improve your SEO, position your brand as an industry leader, and develop better customer relationships.
2. How can blogging generate income for my business?
Blogging can generate income through advertising revenue, sponsored posts, and affiliate marketing. Moreover, driving traffic to your site and enhancing your online visibility can indirectly increase your sales and revenue.
3. How does blogging influence purchase decisions?
Your blog can significantly influence readers’ purchase decisions by providing valuable content and establishing trust with your audience. It allows you to demonstrate your expertise, share insights about your products or services, and address customer pain points.
4. How can blogging help small businesses generate more leads?
Regularly posted, quality blog content can improve your website’s visibility on search engines, making it easier for potential customers to find you. Additionally, blogs can provide a platform for capturing visitor information and converting readers into leads.
5. How can consumers make a purchase based on a blog post?
When you create content that is valuable and relevant to your audience, it can influence their purchasing decisions. If a reader finds your blog post helpful, they’re more likely to explore your products or services, increasing their chances of purchasing.
Conclusion
Stepping into the blogosphere may initially seem daunting. Still, with a clear plan and a commitment to providing value, your business can harness the power of blogging to boost visibility and engagement significantly. By understanding your audience’s pain points and leveraging targeted keywords, your blog can serve as a reliable source of information, fostering trust and enhancing brand reputation. Remember, it is not just about putting words on a page; it’s about crafting engaging, informative content that resonates with readers and addresses their needs. So, feel free to tell a compelling story, share invaluable insights, and create a narrative that aligns with your reader’s journey.
Next Steps
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