Business blogging, when done well, it can be great for your business, raising awareness of your brand and encouraging traffic to your website. If it’s not done well it can have some pretty damaging effects.
The fact is that it’s so easy to start a blog, meaning everyone and anyone can unleash their thoughts and opinions into the world. It’s a brilliant tool for getting your message out there and promoting your products and services, but it only takes a quick google to realize that there are plenty of bad examples of business blogs.
Follow these tips to ensure your business blog doesn’t become one of them!
Start Right
When starting a business, make sure you do your homework:
- Define your branding. Your brand name and your logo will make your blog memorable, so spend some time making a good choice.
- Determine what topics you want to blog about. If you have no clue what you are writing, then why even bother to write the topic.
- Research the target market to discover a potential niche. What can you write about that no one else in the industry is discussing?
- Ask people in the niche through forums and groups what questions they have about this niche, so you can address your target market’s main concerns.
- Write 10 blog posts in response to the 10 biggest challenges your prospects have. Addressing their concerns is all that really matters in building the blog, otherwise might as well write in a diary.
Share your blog everywhere. Let people know about your blog, and remind them regularly. Capture emails, so you can build a devoted following as well.
Check and then check again
It might sound extremely simple, but poor spelling is the cardinal sin of business blogging and it’s also the most common one.
At the very least, poor spelling and bad grammar make you look unprofessional; at the worst it can mean your message is completely misunderstood. You also can’t just rely on good old spellcheck either.
For example, you need to know the difference between here and hear, its and it’s, their and there. Make sure you’re consistent too – bouncing between British and American spellings can be very jarring for readers who are used to one or the other.
Unless you’re writing for an exclusively American audience, it’s best to stick with British English as it’s the internationally recognised language of business. It also goes without saying that swearing has no place in a business blog, no matter how cool your company is.
Set up Your CTAs
The goal of a corporate blog is usually to generate leads and sales, so make sure your blog has your main CTAs set up.
Avoid selling your products from within your content but make sure your sitewide CTAs invite your readers to subscribe and check out your business. If you have a business phone number, add it to your headers and footer and make sure it is clickable.
Make sure to set up email marketing channels to create additional conversion funnels.
Keep the content relevant
Rambling posts are of no interest to anyone. Create useful, relevant and snappy content that solves readers’ problems or makes their lives easier. That way, when they have a similar need or issue, they’ll turn to you and your blog.
Don’t stray from your chosen topic either. Do you own a tech business? Write about the latest developments in your field, don’t start talking about your favourite band. Readers can go elsewhere for that sort of content, so find your niche and stick to it.
Strike the right tone
Nobody likes a show off. Don’t write long, rambling blogs about how great your products or services are. Instead talk about how they are being put to good use by you customers and show them how great your business is, instead of just telling them.
Set a schedule and stick to it
There’s nothing worse than clicking on a business’s blog and seeing that their last post was three years ago. It makes readers instantly lose confidence in the company or gives the impression you’re not tech savvy.
Either way, it’s not a good outcome. Create a month-by-month calendar for yourself and factor in different events throughout the year that are relevant to your business.
It doesn’t always have to be written blog posts, you can submit videos, audio clips and photo content, but keep it fresh and keep adding new content.
Promote, promote and promote!
If nobody is reading your blog, then what’s the point? You need to tell people about your latest posts and get people to the site in the first place. Share links on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Add the blog to your email signature and talk about it at work events. In the beginning you can always mention that you’re currently building up content, but the sooner you start promoting it the better.
The main thing to remember is that your business blog is an extension of your business, so stay professional, stay relevant, stay dedicated and you can’t go wrong!
Ann Smarty
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