Whether you’re looking to connect with your customers, create sharable content or improve your SEO, starting and keeping a quality blog can be a game-changer. Blogs are a great way to establish trust and credibility while reducing administrative overhead. Creating a blog that answers questions and features quality content increases conversion rates and builds your brand community. If you are debating about adding a blog to your business, here are a few tips to get you started:
Set your blog up
The first thing you’ll need to do it set up your blog. There are a variety of blogging sites to choose from: Wix, Weebly, Wordpress, Squarespace and many others. All of the blogging platforms are going to basically do the same things, but vary on their cost, features, maintenance and monetization options. While Wordpress (.org not .com) is a great option in the long run, if you’re not tech-savvy it might be worth your time to look into a few different options.
If you are adding a blog to an existing website, be sure to choose a blog platform that pairs well with your existing website. Seamless integration allows your consumers to effortlessly visit your blog for updates and information while pointing consumers who landed on your blog in the right direction.
When designing your blog, be sure to maintain brand consistency. Use the same logos, colors and fonts that your consumers are used to associating with your brand. If you don’t already have a brand style guide, now would be a great time to create one.
Make a plan
Once you’ve gotten all of the technical things sorted out, it's time to put on your creative cap. Before you dive in and start writing, it's important to think about the purpose of your blog.
Why are you writing a blog? While blogging is one of the best forms of content marketing, that shouldn’t be the only reason you start a blog. Consider the why behind your blog, whether that’s solving problems, improving your SEO, illustrating your expertise or generating a buzz around a new product.
How often will your release new content? Consistency is key. So, whether you decide to post every day, weekly or monthly, pick a schedule and stick to it. Give your consumers something they can rely on.
What is your brand’s voice? How are you going to match or create that voice in your blogs? Choose a tone that reflects your company’s brand and target audience.
Once you have a plan, move forward to generate ideas that fulfill the purpose of your blog. The great thing about blogs is that they are versatile - you can use them to sell products, answer questions and tell your story.
Create quality content
Once you’ve refined your plan, it's time to start brainstorming. Come up with topic ideas and keywords to target with your blogs. Since the internet is overloaded with information, a good place to start would be keywords that have high search volume and low(ish) competition. When writing your content, aim for every single blog post to be:
Well-Written - check over your blogs to ensure they are engaging and free from spelling and grammatical errors.
Researched - know what your readers are searching for, establish expertise and support your writing with meaningful stats/examples
Easy to Read - most people are not going to read your entire post. Use engaging titles, headers and lists to highlight your key points
Media Rich - use engaging videos, photos and graphs to grab your audience’s attention
Once you have your blog set up and ready to go, get creative posting unique and engaging content. While blogs are often overlooked, they are a great space for companies to provide answers, highlight product features and establish credibility and trust.