Posted in Business, Top tips, Tools & Advice, Learning,
Blogging is one of the many social media tools that can propel your business out of obscurity and into the spotlight. However, a blog with shoddy content and ineffective management can easily become a scar on your web credibility. These tips can help ensure your blog reflects the success of your business.
The Internet is fluid; it provides us with continuous and instantaneous coverage of news and events and can become old very quickly. However, in regards to blogging, make sure your blog stays relevant to your target audience. Yes, news becomes old quick, but educating your viewers on key trends and how they can improve their business from a marketing and social media perspective can stay “current” for a long while.
You lose a viewer each time a reader checks your blog and finds that the content has not been updated; try and publish new content at least once a week. Content and views are typically proportionate. Thus, posting more articles most often leads to higher views and more readership.
Blogs created on sites, such as WordPress, allow you to monitor the number of views for your site, the number of views per article, and the number of visitors to your site per day. This tool can provide you with useful insight regarding your readers’ interests and most-viewed posts. Furthermore, you can also use Google Analytics which allows you to monitor your social sharing. This will help you to better understand what your users enjoy, what they share, and when. By using Google Analytics, you can determine what might be causing viewers to leave your page and then adjust your content marketing strategy accordingly.
Users must know that your blog exists. Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, and Google + are useful tools that can help to direct readers to your blog. Tagging posts and the proper usage of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will also direct traffic to your site. Investing time and a bit of money into your blog will also help your blog’s rise to popularity. Many blog building sites allow you to purchase unique themes and styles. Be creative – a visually appealing blog is the same as generating good content.
A central facet of blogging is the continuous creation of timely and high quality posts. Thus, the editing process should only be a fraction of the time spent on generating content. When outsourcing posts, be sure to provide your writers with clear parameters and expectations, helping them to see your vision of the post.
Allowing your readers to comment on your posts is great at informing you where you can change and improve your content. The creation of a comment policy provides you with a consistent protocol for yourself, your commenters, your readers, and your writers regarding the treatment of comments. Publish the comment policy on your blog so that it is clear. But keep in mind, negative commentary is inevitable.
Blogs can also be used to inform and are generally a mixture of news, opinion, educational, and special interests. Outsourcing posts to writers and contributors will not only save you time, but will also open your blog to a wider audience.
Targeting a large audience can be difficult and takes time. Don’t be afraid to email your site to colleagues, family members, and friends; just one person can trigger a sharing frenzy, allowing your blog to ascend into popularity. As your business grows, you can also promote your blog by becoming a voice of authority. This will help you increase the readership on your blog and build a solid network.
New ideas can revitalise your blog, while your consistent features bring consistent readers to your site. The people behind the best blogs welcome innovation, but appreciate the views that often follow the publication of staple posts.
If you are passionate about what you are writing about and your blog, be creative and, most importantly, have fun!