Yes, blogs are still a thing. What started out years ago as a personal space for people to write about their lives and share recipes has completely transformed into a business marketing tool. Blogs can still be used on an individual basis, but they have grown far beyond that.
This is the age of the content marketing boom, and businesses are utilizing blogs for a variety of reasons in all kinds of creative ways. Many of the internet’s most popular sites are blogs such as Business Insider, Gizmodo, and Mashable.
And it makes perfect sense why businesses are flocking to it. Blogging is a free tool to connect with customers, establish your brand identity, and set your business up as an industry leader.
Over 75% of internet users say they read blogs regularly, which means they are still very relevant and worth your time. But therein lies the rub: time.
Maybe you just need more time to write content, or maybe you’re completely new to the blogging game and need time to learn how to do it. Where are you possibly going to squeeze more time out of your day to do that?
Take a deep breath. Think calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean. Blogging doesn’t have to be complicated. You already have plenty of content ideas in your head, you just need help getting them out.
Let’s take a look at why blogs are beneficial and how to implement some new ideas into your blogging strategy. You’ll understand quickly what all the hype is about, and you’ll be wondering why you didn’t start blogging earlier!
Long gone are the days when blogs were just a place to unload your thoughts and feelings. They have grown into an important business tool that can transform the face of your company when used properly.
Putting carefully crafted and well-planned content on your website is always beneficial. It provides value to your visitors and gives search engines more material to evaluate. There is a bit of an art to this with some details you need to pay attention to on the backend.
Once you decide on blog topics, think through some of the keywords and phrases that are most important to that article. What will people search for to find a blog like yours, and which phrases are getting the most traffic?
Use these keywords to structure your blog, adding them in where appropriate in the page title, meta description, subheaders, body text, and image alt text. “Where appropriate” is the key phrase here. Don’t go overboard and flood the piece with keywords just because you can.
Blogs are also an opportunity to build up your link reputation. Search engines take into account which words in your articles are hyperlinked, where they’re linking to, and how many inbound links you have coming to your site.
Search engines rank websites based on their credibility and how valuable users find their content. Creating blogs with thoughtful structure and strategic links will drive readers to them and tell the search engines that you’re worthy of moving up in the ranks.
Not every piece of content you produce should be a sales push. While that works in certain contexts, blogs are a chance for you to expand on your knowledge base and provide value to your customers.
Even if you think you don’t have any information to share, trust us, you do. Blogs should be educational, giving people information they didn’t have before they read your article.
If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas, think of this. What is something your customers can do right now to make their lives better with or without your product? A bakery might write a blog about sugar alternatives to use in cakes. A data software company might write an article about the most important analytics for small businesses to track.
Sharing knowledge about your industry positions you as an expert. And when people know you know what you’re talking about, they will start to trust you. And when people trust you, they will start believing in your product, building a loyal customer base that continues to grow over time.
What brings it full circle is the call to action (CTA) at the end of your blog. What should readers do now that their minds are filled with all your expert information? You can’t leave them hanging. You can, however, point them to a product page, another blog, a video, or your contact form so they can continue their journey with you.
Your brand identity should be evident everywhere a customer goes – on your website, in your emails, and on the phone. Blogging allows you to expand on that and give customers a sense of your true personality as a company.
The tone of voice, grammar, and words you use should all be purposefully chosen to communicate with a certain type of customer and tell them who you are. Whether you’re funny, serious, witty, or technical, these elements should be consistent throughout all your content, so customers know what to expect.
You can also have fun with the blog format. Not everything has to be paragraph after paragraph of text. Although you hope people want to read everything you have to say, most of them want something skimmable. To keep readers engaged, try mixing up your content to include things like lists, infographics, and tips and tricks.
The potential that blogs have to raise your business to the next level is unlimited. However, before you write a single word, you need to have a solid understanding of your customer base and who you’re targeting with these blogs. You also need to be confident in your brand voice and how you’re displaying your business to the world.
After that, start by brainstorming some topics and creating outlines for each one. Writing will go much faster if you already have a structure in place.
If you’re feeling lost or just looking for a fresh take on your blog, consider using a service like ContentBacon! We don’t just write blogs for you. We have a variety of services designed to up your content game, including blogs, email marketing, and social media. We understand how transformative the right content can be in building a brand, and we will be there to help you every step of the way.
Learn more about why content marketing is revolutionizing business and contact us today to get started!