Writing blogs is what I teach people about every day. Why they should be writing blogs, what they should be writing about, where they can fit them into their never ending to-do list and – most importantly – how they can be valuable in our information-saturated world. But is blog writing worthwhile for business?
I love teaching people about this as I have found it to be incredible challenging in my life to create a blog, yet when I have applied myself, created, tested and learned the art of blog writing, the rewards of visibility and then receiving client business have been immense.
Effective blog writing builds your professional online presence, engages your customers, and boosts your chances to attract new business. But it’s not as simple as pressing publish. Consistency, personality and value are essential factors that make or break successful content.
If you have a blog, or are considering starting one and not sure where to begin, here are the 3 key steps explained.
1. Be consistent
Pick a frequency and ideally stick to it. Get the balance right in your life and business commitments. Rather than rush into it, look at what you can manage, allow 2 hours to get a blog post completed. When I first started blog writing, I committed to writing every day. I did this for 207 days straight. My business and life commitments increased, so I then went to weekly and then 2 twice weekly. Currently I blog weekly and I’m getting good traction. I have clients who blog monthly and also achieve good results. Blogging consistently allows your audience to build a familiarity and connection with you and your business.
2. Be personal
Don’t make content for content’s sake, stand out from the crowd: put you and your experience in the mix. After all, you are an original. Two million blog posts are being created every day.When you provide a angle that reflects your own point of view, you give yourself a chance to stand out. Tell stories based on your professional experience. Content that integrates personal stories is much more memorable, authentic and adds a dynamic of trustworthiness to your online presence. After all, people like to do business with people, especially those they know.
3. Be Valuable
Ask your customers what they want to hear about. This is one of the most powerful things you can do. Give them what they want and you will be rewarded for it. When we like something, we enjoy it, return to it and often recommend or share it. The same goes for online content. Our online content, including blog posts, are received in a saturated media environment. We don’t just compete for attention with other businesses, we compete with entertainment and content from our customers’ entire social network. Ask yourself, Who am I talking to? Why should they spend time reading this post? Am I offering them of something of value? The more valuable your content, the more likely it will generate engagement in the form of discussion, comments and online shares. This builds content visibility that is free, maximises your time investment, and organically grows your readership.
How will you apply consistency, personality and value to your business blogging strategy?
