Making
time to write isn’t easy, but as search engines have evolved, blogging
has become an increasingly important means of getting greater exposure
for your business. You may want to rethink leaving “update blog” at the
bottom of your to-do list.
So
how do you come up with the kind of quality content that’s actually
going to attract readers to your business blog? Here are 6 simple tricks
to try.
1 - Know your target audience and their interests
The
first rule of blogging is that you can’t be everything to everyone. If
you want to have any kind of success, you need to focus on a niche
area—like tech, lifestyle, or marketing—that relates to your business.
If you’re not sure what kind of posts you should be writing, think about
who your target audience is and what kinds of things they’re interested
in.
2 - Answer a question that’s been on your readers’ minds
These
days, most people turn to the Internet when they have a burning
question. By answering commonly asked questions about your industry,
you’ll provide a service to those people looking for answers and
establish yourself as an authoritative voice. If you’re wondering what
people have been asking, search popular Q&A sites like Quora and
Yahoo! Answers.
3 - Offer a practical how-to guide
Has
your business supplied you with the knowledge to perform tasks that
your readers want to learn how to do? How-to guides are always popular,
especially if they offer suggestions for how to do things more
efficiently or less expensively. If you’re looking for ideas about how
to make a how-to article more than just a numbered list, the popular
blog Lifehacker has some great examples.
4 - Incorporate images and videos to add visual appeal
Large
chunks of text quickly scare most web users away (no one wants to read
what looks like a novel on their computer or smartphone screen), so
break your paragraphs up into small chunks and try incorporating images
and videos into your posts to make them more accessible. Don’t think you
have the time to film and edit videos for your blog? Try creating fun,
6-second looping clips using Vine.
5 - Tell stories that readers can connect with emotionally
Blogs
aren’t meant to read as if they were generated by robots. Add a human
touch to yours by sharing stories that are relevant to your business.
For example, you might write a post about how you decided to start your
own business, or how you recently encountered and resolved a problem in a
creative way. The global cycling site Tour d’Afrique has one of my favorite storytelling blogs right now and is definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for inspiration.
6 - Show your personality—and sense of humor—in your writing
This
goes back to the not-being-a-robot concept. You don’t necessarily need
to bill your site as a humor blog (in fact, you probably don’t want to
if your site is business-based) but you should let your own unique voice
shine through in your writing. A casual, conversational tone typically
goes over well in blogs. The more your readers feel like they’re
interacting with a real person, the more likely they are to share your
blog and keep checking back for new posts.
Blogging
doesn’t need to become the sole focus of your business, but try setting
aside a bit of time each week to write one new post. If blogging
doesn’t come naturally to you at first, the best way to get better (even
though it sounds like a cliché) is to keep practicing. Eventually,
you’ll get more comfortable with your writing voice and start to figure
out what kind of content your audience wants to read.
Credit to Jennie Wong.
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