Top Tips for Blogs that Build Your Brand…
Blogs are a powerful tool, making original thought and insight available for the masses to seek out when they need it most. Integrating a blog on your organization’s website helps you build a content-rich internet experience for your customers and potential clients. Not only that, because blog content is searchable, it also increases your website’s visibility and ranking in search engines. Blogs are particularly of value to professional organizations with knowledge to impart to their audience. Here are some blogging tips to help you build your online brand!
Make It Personal
While some blog posts are written in the third person editorial style, it is usually more valuable to use those personal pronouns “I” and “my.” Using a more personal voice will help you connect to your readers and will let your personality shine through in your blogging. But, while your voice is personal, make sure your content is a positive reflection of your brand and not solely a representation of your personal life.
Write When You Want To
Don’t just write when you should. In fact, if you are writing because it’s on your to-do list and not in your heart, your content reflect that. Write when you are in the mood to write, sometimes two, three or more posts at a time. Create a content library and then share the articles over time. It will help you achieve frequency goals, but keep blogging off the “chore list.” That being said… keep your content as timely as possible!
Don’t Think Too Much
Keep your blog content relatively high-level. Boil the content down to what is relevant, without overloading your readers. If you find that you have an abundance of information about a particular subject, there is a high probability there is more than one topic being discussed or what you are writing could be broken out into a series or shorter, more direct posts.
Keep an Inspiration File
My favorite part of blogging is developing new ideas for content. Not a day passes by that I don’t read something or see a new topic that strikes my interest. Sometimes it’s while I am driving in the car. Sometimes it’s at an event while I’m listening to a great speaker. Sometimes it’s even mid-meeting. Keep a running list – physical or electronic – with inspiration ideas for future content and reference that file often!
Learn from the “Re-tweet,” Give Credit Where It’s Due
Remember that when you blog, the goal is to produce relevant content and engage with your audience. If your blog centers around high-school sports and you enjoyed the local reporter’s recent post, go ahead and share that with your audience as well. Add your two cents worth to tie the thoughts back to your own and ALWAYS provide credit to your source. You would expect the same if a follower shared a blog post you crafted.
Integrate Multimedia Content
A picture is worth a thousand words. Enough said?
Avoid the Tangent
Keep it on target. Your blog content should always reflect the interests of your readers – or in an organization’s blog – your target market. If your blog centers on cooking, a post about the fare at the new local restaurant is appropriate. Your thoughts on buying a new car are not. Increase readership by keeping it relevant!
Quality Over Quantity
Is there a rule as to how often you should post to your blog? No, but I would definitely follow the quality over quantity rule of thumb. There’s no better way to turn off your subscribers, social media friends, followers, or potential customers by over posting. It’s annoying and time is valuable. Make sure you respect it!
Use Lists
Have you noticed that I like lists? We use lists every day in our lives – shopping lists, to-do lists, etc., helping us classify our thoughts. They are a great way to make your content scannable and break up body copy into a more digestible format. By using lists, you help the reader quickly scan the high-level points and dive into the content in more detail if desired.
Promote Your Posts
When you add content, make sure to drive readers to that new valuable resource. Promote your recent posts on other social media such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to increase traffic to your site.
Happy blogging!
For more information about enhancing your website content, starting a blog, or better connecting with your target audience, contact us at Ampersand today!
