Blogging helps you connect with existing customers and attract new ones, no matter what you’re selling. Here are 7 tips to help you create an effective blog that your customers and prospects will love.
It’s no secret that blogging is a crucial tool for modern marketers. In fact, a recent report reveals that B2B companies that utilize blogging obtain 67 percent more leads than those who don’t. Whether you’re marketing your products to customers or other businesses, a blog lets you connect with your audience in a more personal and engaging way.
Here are seven tips for creating an effective blog that’s sure to keep current clients interested while encouraging new ones to give your company a shot:
1. Be Creative
It’s not enough to post a new blog to your company website each week. Savvy marketers come up with new and creative ways to cover familiar content. When brainstorming titles, strive to approach your content from a different perspective. Instead of crafting yet another blog about tips to entertain the kids during summer vacation, a pool supplies company might opt to write a humorous piece detailing ways to ensure your children destroy your home out of boredom. In other words, the blog would offer suggestions of what not to do, along with alternatives that will keep the kids busy.
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2. Incorporate Visuals
If you aren’t posting arresting photos and images with your blog posts, you are likely missing out on the chance to connect with potential customers. Not only do photos intrigue viewers when they click on your post but they also draw views on social media sites. Photos featuring people tend to attract more clicks than those of objects and landscapes. However, it’s important to avoid photos in which people appear silly or awkward. While it’s fine to use stock images, marketers should strive to include photos of their own products and services whenever possible.
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3. Check Your Formatting
Unfortunately, engaging blog content isn’t enough to secure a strong readership; to maximize page views, companies need to utilize formatting that helps users take in the content of your posts. Because reading text online can be harder on the eyes than reading printed copy, it’s important to use a clear font and clean background. Additionally, writers should incorporate subheadings and bulleted lists to break up large chunks of text and make it possible for users to skim a page of content in seconds. Finally, it’s important to make sure the call to action is clear. Let readers know if you want them to call for more information or click to access a sale offer.
4. Optimize for Mobile
A recent study shows that 48 percent of emails are read on mobile devices as opposed to desktops and laptops. Because many businesses send their blogs to customers via email newsletters, it’s crucial that marketers make this content mobile friendly. To ensure your blog can be read from a customer’s smartphone, take steps to boost site speed by removing slow-loading pictures and compress style sheets. And of course you should make sure that the site is responsive and that content can be rearranged in a way to fit a smaller screen. Finally, companies with highly popular blogs might want to consider creating an app to showcase their content.
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5. Offer Benefits to the Reader
The best bloggers make use of giveaways and freebies to lure potential customers. Along with providing informative content, marketers can use their blogs to promote contests, offer e-books and white papers, and announce special deals and savings offers. For example, an accountant could offer a complimentary e-book about maximizing deductions to readers who share their blog posts on social media. Contests and giveaways are also great for boosting your email subscribers. Offer a 20 percent off code for clients who sign up for your newsletter.
6. Befriend Other Bloggers
If you want to secure a wider readership, make an effort to befriend other bloggers. When you make friends with writers, you can comment on and share one another’s posts. Doing this allows both parties to access a broader range of potential clients. When making connections, start by reaching out to other bloggers in related but different fields on Facebook and Twitter. You can also share and comment on other bloggers’ content as a show of good faith. The goal is to form relationships that will benefit you both in the coming months.
7. Be Consistent
It takes time and effort to build up a loyal viewership for your blog, and the last thing you want is to lose readers because your output decreases suddenly. Once you’ve created an engaging blog and optimized the formatting for viewing on both desktop and mobile, it’s important to set up a regular schedule for posting. The goal is to create and maintain a timetable, so your readers know when they can expect new content.
The truth is that business owners who blog enjoy 97 percent more links to their websites than those who don’t take advantage of this tactic. Follow the above tips to establish yourself as an industry expert while boosting inbound links to your page.
