A blog is a powerful, long-lasting tool, and this article is about how to create a blog that engages people, gets high search ranking, is effective in attracting new customers, and strengthens your brand.
A Blog
- Brings your company closer to your customers
- Introduces you to people who are more likely to become your customers
- Makes your company show up higher in search results when people Google your kind of product or service
- Gives you high-quality content for your website, newsletter and social channels
- Unlike the relatively high costs of marketing, advertising and promotions, a blog can be done for almost zero $.
A blog is a no brainer. And here's how to make a great one.
FOCUS ON HOW CUSTOMERS USE YOUR PRODUCT RATHER THAN HOW YOUR PRODUCT IS AWESOME IN YOUR EYES
Think about what your customers are interested in (I mean, beyond your specific product). It's okay to blog about your company, product or service, but out of respect for your customers and your marketing budget, you need to find an engaging and helpful way to do so. And if you can't do it in an engaging way, then do it only occasionally and in a very brief way.
If you sell metal fabrication services or you're a mortgage broker, you shouldn't make each of your blogs exclusively about how many shapes into which you can configure steel or about the research you do to get your client the lowest possible mortgage rate. Pull back to a higher level to look at the role your product or service plays in the larger life of your customers. Mortgages are about home ownership, taking long-term debt, establishing credit, maybe living with a partner or a pet, learning to do renos, make recipes, or raising kids; all subjects that your customer might be interested in, thanks to the mortgage you helped them secure. Customers of a steel fabricator would probably be interested in the most unique designs being fabricated for architects, engineers, or even designers who work with metal.
COMING UP WITH TOPICS WRITE ON - DELVE INTO CUSTOMER PROFILE LIFE STYLE ACTIVITES
If you know your customers well (and as a marketer and communicator, you should know them well enough that you have created a persona of them) then you'll have a pretty accurate idea of what they're into, whether at their place of work or in their personal lives. Most customers I know are human and so it should be easy for you to understand what their lives are like so you can easily write about – and give them practical info on – something closely related to that thing they buy from you.
Are you a restaurant? You can assume your customers are into food or cooking, wine and even gardening (growing their own food). Are you a physiotherapist? You can assume your customers are into active living, activewear (clothing), healthy eating or fitness. Are you a hotel? I'll bet your customers like travel, learning about the great local businesses near your property, or books (your guests probably fly to your hotel) that they might enjoy reading on their next flight.
TOPICS ON HOW YOUR PRODUCT IMPROVES THEIR LIFE
Over time, the goal of your blog is to deepen your customers' understanding not only of what they buy from you but why they buy from you. Your blogs reminds your customers how that thing they buy from you allows them to enjoy a life filled with activities that your product or service helps them experience. Your content shows your customers not only that you get them, but that you are a cool part of their world. You are their "friend" with common interests and specialized expertise.
TIPS & TRICKS
Here are some tips to help write your blog so it's interesting for your customers, and easy for search engines to serve it up to people who've Googled that subject.
- Decide where on your website your blog will reside.
- Decide in advance what market this blog is targeting. Is it moms? New homeowners?
- Recent immigrants? Seniors on fixed incomes? Young dudes who visit fitness gyms? Dog owners?
- Decide on 3-5 key word/phrases that your blog must include (preferably in the headline and also early in the body text). It's more likely for search engines to serve up your blog when someone (even those who have never heard of your company) Googles those terms. Using my previous example, some key words might be: “mortages” or "homes for sale" or "real estate." In this blog I've put the key words "blog," "how to create a blog,” search ranking" and "customers" in my first sentence.
- Limit the use of passive voice (+/- 10% of your text).
- Try not to start consecutive sentences with the same word.
- Consider the use of subheadings if your post is over 1500 words.
- Paragraphs should be a maximum of 150 words.
- Sentences longer than 20 words should be kept to a minimum.
- If possible, include some photos to break up your text more and make it easier to read
- Include any potential outbound links, either to other pages on the your website or
- elsewhere on the internet.
- If including footnotes, use embedded links rather than just the URL – it looks cleaner
- Write it so that it;s comprehensible by the average person (the average person's literacy level is around Grade 8).
- Because a blog is merely a single tool in your marketing mix, decide how/if your other digital assets (website, Facebook or Instagram account, newletter and ads) will help promote your blog and get people to go read it. Hint: consider your social channels as "funnels" to send people over to your blog.
Now, you’re ready to get blogging
