Blogging is something not every online business participates in, but you should. Why? Blogging allows you to interact with your target audience; it’s a great way to show people the ‘human’ side of your business, and search engines love blogs. If you haven’t set up a blog for you business, you may be missing out on a huge opportunity to engage with potential customers, share your thoughts and ideas, news, special deals, even poll your readers for their opinion on relevant topics.
A blog gives you the opportunity to increase search engine rankings as well. Content is fresh and updated often; users will share your posts with others on social networking sites – ‘tweet’ those posts they love. Other relevant blogs often link to your content when they find the topic valuable, interesting – even humorous. Through your blog, you can create strong links from your posts to the pages of your website.
Here are a few quick tips to help you blog successfully:
Never use ‘text talk’ in the content of your blog posts. Not everyone texts, so many people who read your blog wouldn’t have a clue what IMO or ROFL means. Use real words and numbers so that everyone can easily understand what you’re talking about.
Update your content often. A blog is meant to be engaging; your readers should want to come back frequently to see what you’ve added. Add a post when you have something interesting to talk about (at least 2 or 3 times per week), but don’t post garbage just for the sake of posting.
Be passionate and creative. Your blog should reveal a bit of your personality, written in a way much like you would talk to a friend. Put formality aside, and write in a way that captures the interest of your reader. Make it fun, informative, valuable – even controversial at times.
Use social media to drive traffic. Invite your contacts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, and other social media sites to visit your blog. Also be sure to use sharing icons on your blog so that your readers can share those great posts with their own friends and contacts.
Let others ‘guest post’ on your blog. Many successful bloggers invite others to write posts for their blog, as long as the topic is relevant. This brings a fresh personality to your blog – and helps fill in the gaps during those times you’re fresh out of ideas for a new post.
Post current news and events if it applies to the topic of your blog. This is another way to capture the attention of those who read your blog.
Today, blogging is as an essential component of successful online marketing. If you haven’t started, do it today. It’s that important!
Need help setting up a blog? You can use free services like Blogger or WordPress.com. Want to host your blog on your own domain? Use WordPress.org for a great CMS that will give your own domain an SEO boost. E.B.B. Interactive can help you with blog installations, blog design, and content marketing. Give us a ring at 877-232-0661 to discuss your specific needs!
