There are many advantages that come with blogging for your business, and it’s important to see the value in it before you start. Once you have an understanding of its purpose, it is an excellent tool to promote and provide information, advice and opinions as part of your company’s marketing strategy. While interesting content is the meat of an effective blog, what should also be considered but is often missed, is the way in which the content is delivered. What do I mean by this? If the content within the post is poorly written, boring, or unorganized, you may be wasting your time. After all, the whole purpose and effort behind a blog is to have it read. Essentially the readability of a blog is just as important as the blog itself. So what can you do to attract viewers to your content?
1. Tips: Now more than ever, we resort to the internet for answers to our questions. If you can provide suggestions or tips on how to approach something, or complete an activity, these are always widely viewed. Often people search the web for tips on a specific topic, therefore if your content includes relevant information that will solve their problem, you can bet Google or another search engine will direct them to you!
2. How-To’s: Whether it is in the form of step-by-step instructions or tutorials, when one is unfamiliar with a topic or product, they generally look for the best way to learn. “How To’s” break-down what could be complex content, into simple tasks that are easy to comprehend. Plus, if you want to get into Google’s good books, this type of post is favorable because it is viewed as original information, a key factor Google looks for, since the recent changes with the latest Panda algorithm update.
3. Current Affairs: Most people like to be informed when it comes to emerging trends, the latest news in their city, or upcoming local events. Having said that, if you’re writing on a topic everyone else is writing about, it’s easy to get lost in the crowd. Be sure to focus on news that ties in with your industry, to again reflect relative content. The best approach is to highlight a specific topic so that it’s unique and of interest to your target audience. You’ll likely gain a following, if you remember to spin the content in a way that’s relatable to your readers. Keep in mind that your competitors may be touching on the same subject.
4. Lists: Lists are always positively received. Multiple paragraphs of content can be daunting to process, and vital details are often missed because of the overwhelming feeling that comes with filtering through lengthy information. Generating lists helps to categorize your blog, providing an easy read for your visitors. It’s a quick and pleasant way for people to skim through information as they please, and more times than not it will help readers remember the material, meaning your blog made an impact! A list can be almost anything such as the top 10 tools to keep around the house, to the top vegetables of summer. Remember, the purpose of blog writing is to inform your readers.
5. Reviews: Today, consumers make many of their purchasing decisions based on reviews from family or friends. Advertisements may provoke initial interest, but the choice to buy is often derived from the opinion of a trusted and un-biased resource. Reviews can be done on just about anything! Like the above suggestions, the only rule here is to choose a product or service that your current customers or potential customers will find beneficial. If you begin constructing a review on a hit movie, but you work in the dentistry industry, chances are your blog will go to waste. Readers want to land on helpful information that reflects the keyword or phrase being searched.