When done right, blogging can elevate your brand and give you a distinct voice that rises above the crowd, no matter how good your competitors are. You can use blogs to present a message, but blogs are about more than that—a good blog will give you the opportunity to show viewers your values, your sense of humor, and your connection to the community, whether that community is local or online.
Not every organization or company has a blog, which is why maintaining a high-standard blog can do so much to set you apart. Even if you don’t feel as though your organization naturally lends itself to the format of a blog, With a few good tips on how to optimally write and manage a blog, you’ll start seeing increased customer engagement and other benefits!
Engage
“Blogging is a conversation, not a code,” according to Mike Butcher, and we tend to agree. While there are proven tips and strategies you can use to increase the chances of viewers clicking on your blog posts and interacting with your content, you shouldn’t look at your blog as a calculated piece of an algorithm. Instead, look at it as a way to have a conversation with your audience, and members of that audience who you might not otherwise be able to hear from.
Read the comments you get on your posts, and make sure you know the data behind your readership. Who is reading your posts most frequently? How can you appeal to them? Which demographic had you hoped would visit your blog regularly, but isn’t doing so? How can you draw them in? Engaging with your reader base means spending time learning the answers to these questions so you’ve got a responsive relationship. Blogs that pump out content without taking note of how that content is being received are unlikely to be successful long-term.
Remember that blogs are only possible because of your readers. Don’t treat them like a captive audience, or your readership will drop quickly. Instead, take their preferences into account and use your blog as a platform to have conversations that are beneficial to both parties. Whether this means adjusting the topics you write about or just your writing style, being flexible in your posts can be a great way to learn and develop your own strengths.
Make Blogging Part of Your Method
According to a recent article, 30% of digital agencies have no blog of any kind. Of the relatively few companies that do have blogs, 36% of them only post a few times a year. A tiny 7% of digital agencies post once a week or more. Blogs can really only be effective if they’re used regularly. Otherwise, you’re teasing your audience!
Imagine finding a blog post, reading and enjoying the content, and then checking the date only to realize the post is from last year and there haven’t been any new posts in that time. After this experience, most people will click away from the blog and forget about it. On the other hand, discovering that an interesting blog is frequently updated and the writers regularly respond to comments can be exciting. It means there’s a new source of interesting content that’s offering up new ideas all the time, and any viewer is much more likely to continue monitoring that blog and following their content.
When you have a blog, make a commitment to updating it regularly. The majority of the benefits you can receive from a blog are only available if you update it regularly, and if your customers can count on you to do so. As an added bonus, your readers will begin to feel as though they have a good sense of you, your organization, and what makes it tick. Remember, casual customers are much more likely to become repeat customers when they feel a connection with your brand.
Take Advantage of Your Resources
Blogging doesn’t come naturally to everyone, and that’s nothing to worry about. Even if writing and marketing aren’t your strong suits, you can maintain a great blog with the help of all the resources currently available. Greenstone Media, for example, can help you develop your clear brand messaging. After a few sessions with Greenstone, you and your organization will be able to succinctly deliver your message in a way that appeals to your readers.
Greenstone offers a wide range of other resources designed to help improve your blogging marketability, and plenty of other organizations can also help you write more engaging content, better headlines, and more. There’s no need to feel discouraged or intimidated by the idea of running a blog just because it doesn’t fit your personal strengths—by taking advantage of some of the many professional services available, you can continue doing the work you care about and are good at while your blog still flourishes.
Find a company that balances naturally with what your organization is already doing. For example, if you excel at technical explanations but aren’t confident in your ability to keep your readers engaged, find a service that has a proven track record of keeping viewers interested through longer, or more technical, pieces. By using external resources to fill in any gaps in your blogging strategy, you can have the best of both worlds.
The Takeaway
Blogging offers a unique way to present yourself to your audience. You can monitor the tone of your blog to give your organization a more professional feel, or write in a more lighthearted style to show your sense of humor. Since so many companies either don’t have a blog or very rarely update it, managing a current, timely blog can set you apart from the crowd. Look at your blog as a way to have a conversation with your audience, and you and your customers will both have a better connection as a result. You’ll be surprised at what a great connector a blog can be.
Finally, don’t forget to take advantage of your resources. You have access to a world of knowledge about blogging, marketing, and more, and you can use all that information to your advantage. No matter what it is you’d like to improve about your blog, there’s a resource out there designed to fit your needs, and you’ll soon be able to turn your blog into a launching pad for sales, business success, and more. If you need help implementing an effective sales funnel on your website, visit us at greenstonemedia.com to schedule a free consultation. We are excited to help you increase your traffic and increase the reach of your message!
