In Part 2 of my mini-series on small business blogging and how you can be using social media for marketing your business, I’m going to delve right into the nitty-gritty of blogging–content writing. There are incredible benefits to blogging for business, and in this mini-series I’m going to discuss all of the potential that excellent blogging has for your business and its online marketing plan.
I’ll share some valuable tips on how to shape your content writing.
Firstly,
You don’t need to be an English degree-holder to write incredible content for your blog. Rather, remember you ARE the expert in your field and by following these simple guidelines, you can bring your expertise to a large audience.
When you write compelling content for your blog and are using social media for marketing those articles, you are doing much more than just harvesting the power of SEO, although that is a large benefit when done correctly. Before I explore on how to reap the benefits of content in small business blogging for search engine presence, let’s first talk about how you should be writing content for your audience.
Creating Compelling Content for Your Audience
If you’re a business owner new to blogging, or need advice on creating interesting content that will compel your audience to read on and hopefully come back for more, here are some good tips to go get things flowing in the right direction.
Tell your audience a story.
It’s human nature for people to love and feel more engaged when we receive information via storytelling. Stories are found in conversation all throughout our day, from talking to friends or co-workers about what’s going on in our lives to reading novels or the newspaper, or even by turning on the television or going to the movies. We are interested in all those activities because we are naturally intrigued by stories. As an entrepreneur or business owner, there is extra advantage in your storytelling.
When you tell a story about yourself, about your market, or about your company, you will make your audience feel a sense of involvement. This is an excellent way to connect with people. As using social media for marketing is on the rise, it is becoming especially important to personally connect with your audience.
Engage other emotions and senses.
Not just involvement, but when many or any other emotions are conveyed and related to your visitors they are more likely to be interested in what you are talking about. Yes, even if it’s just about products or services.
That’s why they’re there anyways right? If you can subtly relate emotions and senses to them without exaggeration, you will greatly increase interest. You can talk about the way your products feel or look to stimulate senses. Strike up curiosity for your services. Accentuate the benefits of your products to convey happiness.
Become an authority.
There are many ways you can do this. First of all, make yourself an expert in your field and let your expertise be known! This is the foremost way you can make yourself seem authoritative. Offer advice and tips related to your niche that will help them DIY, understand concepts, or get extra information.
This might seem like you’re losing out on business, but in reality, by giving your visitors insight and ability to perform some tasks themselves, they will thank you greatly AND view you as an authority. Building your credibility this way will create you more business in the long run. Another very easy and effective way to build your authority is to use statistics and quotes from other authorities and experts. Make sure that when you do this, though, that you are giving credit where it is deserved and citing your sources.
Make your articles digestible.
If content is not easy to read or follow, visitors are likely to turn away or not fully read. Make your writing concise as possible. Say things in as few words as possible. Definitely make use of headers (essential for SEO), but also utilize bullet-pointed or numbered lists or simple and easy-to-follow ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’. When you read over your article, are you able to digest it? When you read it out loud does it flow? Do you run out of breath? Is it boring? Don’t forget to assess those things by reading–and yes, do it out loud!
Create an editorial calendar or list of blog topics.
If it’s not how to write your content that you’re worried about, but rather, what you’re going to write about in the first place, do yourself a huge favor and create a calendar for your blog posts.
Doing your work in advance, even it it’s just planning out what you’re going to write about. It will save you stress and keep you updating on a regular basis. Blogging can seem time-consuming or definitely get there if you’re not organized with your purpose of topic, but you can easily manage a couple blog posts a week with strategic planning for them. You can allow your managers or employees to get in on the action too, and offer their expertise and experiences. Many blogs have multiple authors, and this will divide your work load immensely, and create a diverse blog at the same time.
To help with brainstorming, start making a list of topics that are relevant to your niche. From there, expand your brainstorming thunder, and think about business conversations you may have had or challenges you’ve faced before. You can always scout your competition. Take a look at what industry magazine are writing about or how other experts in your field are blogging. Take a look at how your competitors are using social media for marketing their material. This can also show you how to better relate to your audience.
Use creativity and put your own voice and outlook into your writing. You can also ask others to guest blog for you–a great way to add to both the diversity and authority of your blog. There are endless ways to get new ideas for blogs, you may just need to do a little digging!
Coming Up: Using Social Media for Marketing | Small Business Blogging Part 3: Creating SEO Content for Google
The tips shared today are a handful of valuable guidelines that will prompt you into creating more compelling content for your readers. However, I did not even lightly touch on what it means to SEO your content for Google or how all this good content can be used–like using social media for marketing it to your followers.
There are many aspects of article marketing and blogging for business that relate to SEO. From getting your articles to rank in the search engines for relative keywords, to creating and submitting unique PR content to social bookmarking sites and article directories. From using social media for marketing and spreading your article links, to inciting your visitors to take part in the sharing too.
There is much to be covered about creating SEO content that Google will love. Stay tuned for Part 3 and I’ll show you all you need to know!
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