You’ve probably never envisioned yourself as a blogger. In conclusion, you are a business proprietor and likely not a professional author. It is not a necessity to skillfully craft phrases in order to create interesting and attractive posts. Having a passionate interest in a particular theme is all that is needed to create a lucrative blog; this enthusiasm is something that is already within any determined entrepreneur. Blogging is an excellent way to amplify the reach of your small business and acquire the trust of your audience, making it beneficial for all parties involved.
An additional advantage of having a blog is that it is content that you fully control, meaning you have the full authority to create your blog however you see fit without depending on external sources. You will be in charge of all the content on the website, making sure the sound and look of your blog match your company’s underlying principles. Constructing a blog from the ground up requires a certain amount of effort, yet this article will guide you through the basics and provide insight into the different strategies employed by other businesses in blogging.
Why start a blog for your small business?
The 80/20 rule of social media states that businesses should only dedicate 20 percent of their marketing efforts to promotion of their products, while the remaining 80 percent should be dedicated to helpful and interesting content for their viewers.
Rather than pushing promotional material on customers, the concept involves providing them with intriguing, beneficial, or enlightening content to make their experience better. You likely desire to enhance the lives of your customers in some capacity, and having a blog is an ideal route to achieve this goal! Posting this material can not only bring in new customers, but it can also open up communication with your current fans, resulting in a more established virtual community. Blog articles can be adapted for use on social media, creating more content for your company.
Here are some reasons blogging is a good investment:
Highlight your knowledge
Patrons desire assurance that the companies they are purchasing from are reliable and dependable, and blogging can be a remarkable way to broadcast your expertise in the particular industry. Employees such as CEOs, founders, and other staff can share their knowledge and experience from their career paths with blogging. This will enable them to come up with ideas and insights for thought leadership.
Expand on your brand’s values and goals
At times, Twitter strings or Instagram Stories may not be the best format for expressing your organization’s purpose in depth. Blog posts can provide a great opportunity to thoroughly explore your business’s values and objectives as a business owner. You can use them to elaborate on your ambitions.
Document and share transparently
Managing a company is not a simple task, and it can be advantageous to document the highs and lows in order to help both the enterprise and its patrons. It could be helpful to publish a timeline displaying significant achievements of the company, periodic reviews of its operations, and an truthful account of the difficulties encountered in the business as well as how they were handled. Those who engage in the practice of “building in public” have experienced a variety of advantageous outcomes, including discovering a supportive network and increasing their company’s presence. The readers will be pleased by this straightforwardness and it may allow them to understand the people behind your brand rather than just considering it to be a business.
Include keywords in your post
Creating blog content with keywords pertinent to what you offer can help to bring more visitors to your website. This is a good way to strengthen your brand’s organic search results. Be aware that it can take some while before your content begins to rank higher in terms of SEO. Even so, if you are creating good quality content while taking into account how search engines work, your content should eventually begin to show up higher in the search results on Google and other sites. Are you eager to acquire more knowledge about SEO? Here are some programs which may be of value to you.
How to Start Blogging
Putting together a blog can be quite easy, but prior to beginning to write, there are some particulars to be addressed.
1. Choose a Content Management System.
There are a great deal of content management systems you can choose from for your blog. Here are just a few options:
- WordPress — WordPress is used in 41 percent of websites, and for good reason. The platform is simple to use while also offering more advanced features for those who need it. The basic version of WordPress is free, but most brands and businesses will probably require a plaid plan.
- Tumblr — While Tumblr may be known as a social media platform, the user-friendly interface is perfect for writing blog posts. It’s also a great choice if you want to infuse your posts with trending memes and a more casual tone. Best of all, Tumblr is free.
- Blogger — A free Google product, Blogger has been around since 1999 and has been credited as being a game-changer in the online publishing space. Blogger provides simplicity, easy-to-use templates, and can be linked with all of your Google accounts. A plus? Google Adsense can also be integrated into your site.
- Ghost — At Buffer, we use Ghost for our blog and appreciate its intuitive dashboard, built-in SEO features, and the platform’s commitment to centering content at the forefront. Ghost Open-Source is a free version of the site, while the more advanced Ghost Pro starts at $9 per month.
2. Generate ideas.
You might have a handful of topics at the forefront of your mind for your blog, but you are unsure of how to construct material systematically and consistently. It is not unusual to be at a loss for ideas about what to post. Fortunately, there are many different techniques to generate content for your posts. It’s a good idea to ask followers what content they’d like to see, so that they can point out any problems their customers are having. Query other members of your ensemble to offer ideas – even if their part is not precisely associated with advertising or public relations – may likewise give a close viewpoint on the blog. Finally, employing the use of a mental map of related issues and partaking in brainstorming activities can help you consider outside the norm.
Operating a blog may be like keeping multiple activities going at once, but you will eventually adjust to a smooth pattern of producing material. Beginning is the most crucial element, and keep in mind, you always have the capability to revise your blogging technique as you proceed.
3. Use images.
The online world is becoming more and more visual. Utilizing social media platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram has created an increase in the demand for photographs and their omnipresence has carried over into blogging. For the time being, just make sure you’re giving your readers at least one striking image to look at.Make sure your image is:
- High quality
- Properly licensed
- A teaser for the content
4. Edit and upload.
It shouldn’t take you longer than an hour to finish today’s job, yet it’s worth taking the time to sit and mull over everything you’ve already done. Today your efforts in creating an audience and your writing activities come together.
Edit
Review your post carefully and don’t be too hard on yourself, since this is your first blog.
Leaving a time gap between writing and editing your post allows you to have a more indifferent attitude to the changes necessary to enhance it. Come back to it several times during the day. Going through the text several times will lead to minor modifications and instill you with the courage to release it.
Ensure that you have checked for all spelling and syntax mistakes above all else.
Upload
By means of the information garnered on the third day of the CM, insert your article and set it up so that it looks the way you want it to.
Be sure to Preview before you consider the document finished. It is necessary to view your post after it has gone live to evaluate if any further changes are needed.
5. Publish and promote.
It is expected that you will have a blog post posted on your website by now. Congratulations!
Spread the word about your content to people who already know you by utilizing one of the channels that you are currently using. You can use a social network, a website, or some other medium to promote what you have created. Eventually, you’ll have the opportunity to extend your reach with your career advancement, but when it comes to launching your website, beginning with either Facebook or email is a sensible way to start off on the right foot and draw some attention to it.
6. Diversify delivery of content.
This is an easy method to maximize the visibility and utilization of your content. Different people prefer consuming content in different ways. People vary in terms of whether they prefer a visual or an auditory approach. Some may choose to listen to podcasts or watch video blogs. The optimistic point is that it takes significantly less time to utilize existing content to generate multiple forms of media.
Here are some formats you could try:
- SlideShare: Turn your blog post into a 10-slide PowerPoint presentation and upload it to SlideShare. Start with a cover slide, one slide for each of the steps, a page with a call to action, a link back to your blog post, and an “about” page for your company, product, or service with a link to more information.
- Video: Shoot a high-value video and upload it to YouTube and be sure to optimize your video with SEO keywords to generate maximum organic traffic. Place a link to the written blog post in the description of the video to make it easy for people to find. Once your video is uploaded, you can embed it within your original blog post and share it on your social channels.
- Direct mail: Have you ever thought about printing your blog post out and mailing it to prospects or a specific segment of your customer base? Although it’s old-school, it’s still a very effective way to get a message in front of people. Some of the most famous internet marketers in the world also use direct mail campaigns to drive traffic to their website.
- Join a blogger community like Triberr: Triberr is an incredible resource and community that was designed specifically to amplify content to targeted groups of people, called “tribes.” Register for an account, add your blog, find a tribe, and begin sharing your blog posts.
7. Stay consistent.
Your blog should be instantly recognizable. It is essential that your manner of speaking be distinct from others, as well as your posts should be unique as well. Think about your appearance and styling. If your readers appreciate the format of your articles and the topics that are discussed within them, it is likely that they will return to read more of your work. It is advisable to think about when you put out your posts; if those who view your page recognize the day you post, they can start to take your posts into their daily routine.
It is up to you how you want to appear online, but your choices will be based on what you aim to achieve with your posts. Here are two examples:
- Do you want to be digestible enough to feed the content desires of people on the move? Then break up your posts with subheadings, lists, and simple charts.
- What if you want to really examine a subject and provide analytical minds with a detailed study? Go long-form and include visual examples.
Whatever you do, be consistent. Your choice of text direction, justification, and headings can offer a feeling of recognition to repeat guests as well as an extension of your brand identification.
8. Be varied.
You should be aware of your unique field of expertise, but keep in your mind the assortment of readers who visit your blog. It’ll include passive browsers, complete strangers, and potential customers. Having in-depth knowledge in a particular field could potentially make you an expert or authority in that area. A guide providing all the details required would support your position as a specialist. A post about your festive gathering could demonstrate the traits that captivate people. Do not hesitate to combine business news with useful information.
Most people already have their favorite publications. Unless you are an expert at a certain activity or have a distinct approach, new visitors will not make a habit of returning to you.
By taking advantage of the workforce within your organisation and offering an arena for them to have their say, your blog can prove to be an invaluable tool. Express curiosity towards your coworkers’ projects and contemplate possible solutions while the two of you are waiting for the microwave to finish.
It is hoped that this article has provided understanding about how blogging can offer many benefits for your company, like creating more profound connections with your customers. After a few posts, the composition of blog entries should get easier, plus managing your blog will become a regular habit for you!
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