We’ve all heard it a million times: start a blog. When done well, a blog can bring in more visits to your company’s website, opening the door for more leads and more customers. It’s a unique space to show off your company’s personality and provide educational insight (and expertise) into your industry. Take the time to show off your construction business’ recent kitchen remodel with awesome before and after pictures or provide insider tips to boosting curb appeal with new exterior siding.
So how can you blog effectively? The first step is avoiding common mistakes so I’ve laid out exactly what NOT to do with your company blog to help you get started.
Mistake #1: Blogging Infrequently
Yikes. This is the simplest, most important and most common mistake. All great company blogs have one thing in common: they post frequently. I’ll be the first to admit it’s incredibly easy to overlook. It starts with postponing one post to focus on clients and pretty soon you realize you haven’t had any new content for four months. Don’t let this become a habit. You’ve probably noticed that the Suite 4 team made a New Year’s Resolution to become more proactive, and you can do it too! Start with one blog a week and build from there.
Mistake #2: Neglecting Quality Content
Writing on a regular basis means nothing if you don’t have something interesting to write about. People only read business blogs if they are actively engaged.
The first step is to make sure your blog is well written. Not a writer? That’s ok! Find someone within your organization who can do it for you. You can also make a voice recording, explaining the best way to prep a home for a remodel. All you have to do is transcribe your recording and you have a blog!
The next step to quality content is ensuring your blog is visually engaging. How quickly do you close out of window once you see it’s just a huge block of text? It probably takes me less than a second. Don’t encourage readers, and potential customers, to exit immediately! Adding images is an easy way to draw people in. You can also break up your text with nifty subheaders and bullet points to allow readers to scan through your article and make it to the bottom. Never underestimate the power of lists, after all there’s a reason Buzzfeed is so successful.
Mixing up the type of blogs you publish is also important to appeal to different types of readers. Follow a heavily visual post centered around an infographic with a video or a text-heavy article. Variety really is the spice of life!
Mistake #3: Ignoring Your Target Audience
What is the goal of your blog? You want to drive traffic to your site and engage with new leads. You want quality leads who are eager to start their buyer’s journey with you, even if they don’t know it yet. To do this, you need to cater your company’s blog to your target audience’s needs.
First, define who your target audience is. Who is your ideal customer? Write to them. One of the biggest common blogging mistakes is to only focus on yourself and what you can do. Instead, leave any mentions of your (amazing of course) products or services out. Address concerns or tips that matter to your audience. They will keep coming back to your blog if you provide important information every time.
Mistake #4: Not Optimizing Your Posts
So how is your ideal customer going to find your blog? Maybe they’ll type a/ crucial keyword into Google. You want to make it on that important first page. Before you write your blogs, do some keyword research. Place targeted keywords throughout your blog entice Google, and other search engines, to favor your page.
You should also optimize your posts to help move leads to the next stage of the buying process. Stick a call-to-action at the bottom of every blog with the next reasonable step they should take after reading.
Mistake #5: Keeping Your Blog To Yourself
You can’t rely on Google alone to get the word out. Be your own best advocate by tweeting your blog link and putting a post up on Facebook. To many blogs go unread because no one knows about them. Don’t abandon your precious work once it’s published!
So what should you abandon? Your third-party blogging platform. If your blog is on a site like blogger, you’re not getting the most out of your posts. Transfer all still-relevant old posts to a page that’s a part of your existing website. The best business blogs are a seamless, integrated, part of the larger site, not a link to a new one.
When reading a company’s blog, take note of what works and what doesn’t. Following these blogging best practices will help your business gain more attention and be seen as an industry leader.
For more blogging tips, take a look at these articles:
How to Write Great Blog Articles That Get Opened, Read and Shared
A Simple 3-Step Blog Post Formula Anyone Can Follow
Do you have a company blog? Put a link in the comments!