Every web user knows that blogs are a treasure trove of useful information. Blogs can educate, train, inform and entertain your target audience. Done right, they are a brilliant platform to add value to your brand and to build lasting connections with your audience.
Unfortunately far too many businesses today are making mistakes about their business blogs. When this happens, their blogs become lost in a dead space known as the blogging graveyard.
Business blogging is not a hobby. It is a strategy. There are conventions that you must observe if you want to interact and engage with your readers.
Different ways to Kill your Business Blogs
Here are 10 ways to kill your business blogs.
1- Not doing your Homework
You start writing a business blog without purpose. You don’t know who your target readers are. You don’t have a clear direction of what you want to achieve from your blogs. You don’t really know what a blog is. You just think it’s a good idea to write a blog because every other business is doing it.
Don’t do it. Don’t kill the blog in the womb.
2- Writing for Yourself
Yes, everything the experts say that it’s only about the customer is true. It is even truer in the blogosphere. Digital natives belong to the ‘Me’ society. If you want to reach them via blogs, you have to post things that they are interested in.
Your business blog is a strategy to grow web traffic and increase sales. You have to be strategic about how you use it. Seek advice from a professional blogging outreach service provider if you need help. The investment you put into engaging them is well worth.
If you really feel the need to rave on a random issue - use your personal Facebook account. That’s what family is for.
3- Not Writing Well
There is no greater sin in writing than poor writing. Have you tried reading a poorly drafted article? One that is full of grammar and spelling mistakes? If you can remember the pain, you will know that you shouldn’t be doing this in your business blogs.
Poorly written copies are the best way to kill your brand's reputation. Here’s a horrifying scenario for you to think about:
You've paid good money to get your website professionally designed and written. You have further invested in SEO strategies to increase your reachability. Then you post a poorly written post in your fantastic website with the good Google Search rankings. More people are reading your bad post. Fewer people are coming back.
There are many ways you can outsource the writing to copywriters, content creators or digital marketing specialists.
4- Writing too Generally
There’s no point in trying to appeal to the whole world. There is unlimited content available in the cloud, and your business blog article is not going to make any difference in saving the planet. Unless you are in the business of saving our planet.
A better approach is to write for your intended audience – whether they are existing customers that you want to nurture or new readers that you want to convert to customers over time. Do research first. Create a profile of your intended audience then plan the blog writing strategy to connect with them.
5- Writing Sporadically
Blogs have to be continuous and sustained to gain readership. If you start a blog, you must be prepared to post new material regularly.
Consistency works seamlessly with content to build a loyal following. You want your readers to think of your blogs as a dynamic platform where they can source information, acquire knowledge, learn new techniques, be amused or be entertained. Once they have connected with your blogs, they will want to come back for more. You cannot leave them waiting for too long.
6- Selling too Hard
The digital universe is already crowded with advertisements. If you want to sell hard, buy an advertisement. They come in many shapes and forms these days. Some of them don't even resemble an advertisement, but they are.
Blog readers are more discerning than you realize. They will know immediately if you are trying to hard sell to them. And they are not going to appreciate it. Keep to the topics that interest them, and they will come back. Hard sell to them and they will click away.
7- Not using SEO and Keyword
Search engine optimization is a strategy that can help you rank highly on Google search. Using proper keyword and phrases can help you rank higher so your blog articles can be found and read and maybe even shared.
If you are not engaging in SEO strategies, you could be losing out. SEO strategies are specific and direct.
8- Not Engaging your Audience
Blogs are not a one-way communication medium. Like other platforms, blogs work better if they promote two-way asymmetrical communication. Successful blogs create content that interest their target audiences.
When the reader likes what he/she reads, they will want to share it with their community thereby instantly increasing your reach. Word-of-mouth marketing is the best form of marketing because you have the endorsements of the introducer. Best of all, you do not have to invest financially to gain this recognition.
To avoid the blogging graveyard, consider creating online content that is interesting and varied. Use infographics and videos with powerful content writing. Provide mediums for the reader to post comments, share or like your articles.
9- Not Promoting your Blogs
If you are investing in SEO and social media strategies to get your website out to more people, why are you not doing the same for your blogs? Even if you do 1-7 right, if you don’t promote your blogs to their intended audience, your blogs will still end up in the blogging graveyard.
10- Final Word
If you are a busy business owner, you may not have the time to do all the things we discussed above. There are solution specialists who focus on blogger outreach strategy that you can approach to fix existing blog issues or to design fresh new tactics to help you reach your target audience.
For more information on how to improve your blog's reachability, contact GoForPost today.