Business blogging is a powerful tool which when used correctly, can impact your marketing significantly. Here are 10 recommendations on creating a successful business blog:
- Set Goals
Have complete knowledge about your content marketing, social media and blogging goals. Make sure the goals are specific, measurable and achievable. - Define Your Target Audience
Defining your target audience personas will help you create valuable content based on their content interests. Be consistent and appeal to their pain points. - Plan with a Content Calendar
Great blog posts don’t spring up out of the blue without proper planning. An established content calendar helps ensure regular, streamlined content flow through the year. - Create a Content Marketing Plan
Increase your visibility by creating content. If your content is good, increased visibility will translate into views and leads. Promote your blog through cross promotion initiatives on social media, your website and online paid advertising. Also incorporate social sharing buttons on your blog pages for increased distribution and engagement. - Assign Adequate Resources
A successful blog needs resources: to generate quality content, for creative work (images, design, formatting etc.), to work on the editing and marketing your content. - Work on Content Optimization
Your blog is a major contributor to your search rankings. Optimize your content by using relevant non-brand keywords. Integrate your blog’s URL into your company site URL which helps in branding and further search optimization. Also, make it easy for people to access your blog from your website and vice versa. Lastly, structuring your content into short paragraphs will help visitors read your content. - Brand Your Blog
Ensure your blog is consistent with your brand identity, including brand colors, logo, font etc. - Connect Your Blog to Relevant Product/Service Pages
Make it easy for blog readers to find your products linking your blog pages to the right products/services with a persuasive call-to-action and hyperlink. - Include visuals
Balance the presence of text on your blog with adequate visuals including photos, video and presentations. - Measure Performance
Track your blog’s effectiveness by measuring important performance metrics including the amount of traffic, leads and sales generated. Also measure the extent to which your blog is helping you cut costs in search and customer service.
