Are you thinking of creating a blog to promote your business but don’t know where to start?
In this guide, we will give you all the hints, tips and tricks you need to get going. There are several strategies to adapt depending on the type of business you are, from free-lance writers looking to showcase their work, to small businesses trying to get more brand awareness. No matter what your industry is, blogging can help you reach your goals.
Blogs are the perfect candidate for new and small businesses looking to increase brand awareness. For these firms, it is important to remember that your blog should be a place to provide insight into your brand and why it’s different to the competition. The aim is to gain trust through engaging, informative content not directly selling your product.
For example, if you own a bicycle shop, you can blog about the best cycling routes in the area, different styles of bike, basic bike maintenance and cycling clubs/events near your shop. This way, consumers begin to see your firm as passionate, knowledgeable and trustworthy which will turn your readers into long term, loyal customers
But isn’t Blogging dead?
You might be thinking, “ Blogs have been around for years, how can they still be worthwhile?” While social media has become more important to firms overall online campaigns, you are still limited by the number of followers, likes and shares you have. Blogs, on the other hand, are accessible to anyone in the world so long as it is relevant to their search. On top of that, for as long as the blog stays relevant, you can generate site traffic from a blog written 5 years ago! The same can’t be said for the fast-paced social media environment.
The 5 Steps of Blogging
(Those of you who have already started a blog can skip step 4.)
PLAN
You should choose a niche that is related to your business, for example, if you own a small hardware shop, maybe you want to blog about various DIY projects and the supplies needed. The blogs should be interesting and showcase your expertise. Do not take the route of feeling the need to be unique. If there are others in your niche it shows that it is effective. Your job in the planning phase is not to find something unexplored in your field. It is to find the niche that you can do better than all the others doing it. For this, research is key.
You need to pick something you’re interested in. If you don’t, you will soon find that your blog will be abandoned. To blog long-term, you must be passionate about your topic, it’s impossible to keep a reader engaged when you are writing about something you don’t enjoy.
Once you have found a niche you wish to explore, it is time to make your blog stand out from the crowd. Here is a list of suggestions to rise above the rest.
Get specific with your audience, maybe there are 20 competitors in the DIY blog scene but none of them target complete novice DIYers, this could be your niche.
NARROW DOWN YOUR NICHE
This is the more difficult of the two elements in making your blog stand out. Sometimes it may feel as though you are lowering your chances to appeal to a wide consumer base. However, too broad a stance will leave you with no loyal blog readers or people who can relate to your blogs. You need to get specific with what it is your blog about.
Maybe your DIY blog should narrow its focus to outdoor DIY such as garden and exterior home DIY. Although you are only targeting a subset of your chosen audience, you can build a better and more robust connection with them. You must always target quality over quantity. You also don’t have to stick to just one topic, depending on your niche it may be better to choose 2 or 3. We don’t recommend having any more than 4 as this negates the benefit of narrowing your niche.
Choose your blog name.
If you have already launched your business, just go with your business’s name to avoid confusion.
However, if you’re creating your blog first, here are some tips to help you decide. If you can pique curiosity in your reader they are highly likely to visit your site.
Here are our top tips for choosing a name.
1-Combine words
2-Check for synonyms of words in your industry.
3-Use a different language (only in certain markets)
4-Ask for help.
The most important in all of these is to ask for help. Write down between 10/20 ideas and then show them to 10/20 people that will give honest feedback. They may even provide a good suggestion. DO not choose a name that is difficult to read, spell, pronounce or is overly long. Before you start make sure the name isn’t already taken, it isn’t a problem in the beginning but can become one as your firm grows.
Next, you need to think about branding. Visualise how you want your blog for your business to look and what kind of impression you’d like to leave on your audience. Short, medium and long term goal setting is a crucial part of the planning process.
If you want to successfully blog for your business and grow it, you need to consider blogging as a long-term commitment. The benefits of blogging often take up to a year to be seen in full swing.
You need to consistently blog for your business. We recommend twice-monthly blogging initially, this strikes a good balance between time consumption and regularity. In time you should be aiming to blog once a week. Using an app to schedule your posting can be a great help to those who are just starting their company. We recommend posting on 2/3 of social media that best suits your firm. If you are unsure as to which these are, take a look at what your competitors are using.
SET-UP.
You now must set up a site for your blogs. The goal for your site should be to paint a picture of how you would like your brand to be perceived. Once you know how you would like it to look, it is time to select a suitable theme. We recommend using WordPress for all small business websites. You can seamlessly combine your blog and eCommerce site with their platform. They are also incredibly popular giving you access to a greater community for support, advice, and examples.
CREATE CONTENT.
Have at least 2-3 individual content items published the same day you launch your website. An empty website leaves a bad impression on anyone who visits. Your content serves as the bridge between you and your audience. Without it, you couldn’t build lasting relationships and loyalty. You also won’t be able to show your expertise. Without this, it would be difficult to gain the trust of your customers, especially in the beginning when you do not have many reviews.
When writing blogs, try to maintain the goal of answering your customers’ questions. Using sites like Reddit and Quora you can research the questions your target audience has. Then you must research. Using a combination of your personal knowledge in the field along with research formulate the most comprehensive answer to a specific question.
After this, you have two choices; write the blog yourself, or hire someone to do it.
Doing it yourself
Your post’s title should be less than 15 words and contain a key phrase you’re trying to rank for. Remember your title must grab the attention of the reader.
Write in a way that your readers will understand and do so in a conversational manner.
Do not overdo keywords in your blog. It is all too common you see a blog post stuffed full of the same three words on repeat, this used to increase google ranking for the post but now it actually harms them! We recommend that you answer the question at hand and try to avoid reusing the same keyword more than once per 200 words. You can also include a lead-generating call to action on every blog to use as a conversion tool.
Outsourcing Writers
If you plan on hiring someone, ask for samples. Check if your freelance writer has written on similar topics and has an interest in your particular niche. Order a small volume first! Many freelancers will offer big discounts for large orders however it is worthwhile requesting 2-4 first to test their compatibility with your firm.
It is vital that you check the samples for plagiarism, google will severely punish sites using plagiarised material. It is also a huge red flag to you as to the quality of their work.
PROMOTE.
Promoting your content is crucial. Your website is still new, so you can’t expect it to attract readers right away. No matter how much your blog it would be difficult to rank high if you don’t initially promote
Create a content and promotion plan for 2-4 months so that you can plan in detail and review several times per year.
Join FB groups where your target audience is and post about your blog there. Look for a better-known site and write an article for them on a topic you’re passionate about, linking back to your site.
EVALUATE.
What good is all the rest of this work if you don’t evaluate the progress? Continually optimising your content based on what your readers like will lead to higher conversions and benefit-per-blog. Remember to check the following when doing your assessment.
Create a schedule as to when you will do your evaluations. I usually coincide these with my plan as well as an annual review.
Do not review anything too new, a blog can take up to three weeks to be seen and catalogued by google but it usually takes about 2
Put together a filing system that allows you to track your performance and file for review.
When tracking performance, ensure you include these key Performance Indicators.
– How many blogs are live on your site
– Number of visitors to your site (total and per post)
– Number of subscribers
– Number of social media shares (total and per post)
ROI is the aim of the game. Maximising your ROI will optimise your conversions while minimising your inputs.
After assessing, reflect on your findings and carefully craft your next period’s strategy.
Conclusion
Be patient with the process. And don’t forget to enjoy it. If you are having fun writing it then your readers will have fun reading it! Remember to be consistent in your posting. You need to continually learn about new aspects of your niche and provide new information to your audience. If this blog didn’t answer your question, get in touch with us and we will strive to answer any questions you may have!
