Basics of Business Blogging
Attracting legitimate customers will take time and effort. We’re talking about the type of customers who genuinely want to incorporate your brand into their lives, and quite possibly, stay for the long haul. Fortunately, a great time and place to begin is today in the exact spot where you’re sitting.
The goal is to create quality content that provides valuable information customized to tackle a specific ailment in people’s lives. Once your content proves to be helpful, you will gain trust in the reader. That’s why it’s important to clarify the purpose of creating content as a business strategy: to put the needs of the audience first.
Greet the right person
Describe the audience to whom you want to reach. What do you want them to take away from it? If you’re unsure, you must figure it out first. Then on a piece of paper, create a profile of an imaginary person you’d like to write this blog to. Consider the following demographics in creating your profile: age, highest level of school completed, location, job industry, job title and role duties.
Swap places
Ask yourself what experience you are creating for the reader. Focus on how the reader will be receiving your array of words, then direct every part of your blog to communicate with your specific persona.
Empathize with the person you’re writing to and remember to Keep It Simple, Sir. (K.I.S.S.).
Determine which goals the reader is most likely trying to hit in making their business grow. Lay out the challenges and objections that may interfere with achieving these goals, and break it down to simple strategies with real life examples or data.
In addition to understanding the reader, there are key factors to consider in the structure of the article.
Optimize for readability and SEO
According to an online source called the Social Media Examiner, keywords you want to place at the forefront of your SEO campaign are the ones that intersect:
- Keywords that are most relevant to you/your post/blog/website
- Keywords highly searched for (find this on your Google Keyword Tool)
- Keywords least used by your competitors
Avoid using fancy words, especially if you wouldn’t verbalize it to your friends. In other words, use plain language so that it’s easier to understand, and relate to. Wrap up your article with an eye-catching, creative title to stand out.
Look Back
Be sure to re-read your writing and polish your masterpiece. Great writers do not give up after one draft. You could take a break, leave it to sit then return to it later. Or you could ask a peer or supervisor to review your work. It’s generally better to request approval, or an OK – rather than suggestions. Otherwise the basis and voice of the writing piece can be altered in a way that does not connect all the content pieces of your work. As marketing veteran, Ann Handley, says, “If the customer loves your content, so will your boss or client. But the inverse isn’t necessarily true.”
Hire a marketing agency
Try to spend time daily creating valuable content for your audience on your platform. If you are unable to do this due to time constraints, consider hiring a marketing agency. For example, Marketing Eye provides repetitive, strategic marketing that includes content creation, marketing plans from beginning end, and marketing advice stemming from years and years of experience. Check out why companies want to outsource their marketing arm to save time, costs and brainpower.
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