We know - you don't have time, don't know what to write about, and don't think there's any value in having a blog. The truth is, blogs are one of the most cost-effective ways to bring brand awareness to your company and establish education and authority in your space. As a startup, there's no better way for consumers to better understand how you've differentiated yourself from other companies than by creating content with useful information about how you can help them.
Business blogs are critical for startups because they serve as lead generators, not only bringing new consumers to your site, but also subscribers who are likely to come back for more. Blogs are evergreen, meaning they can be repromoted and repurposed multiple times through various platforms and used in other types of content such as e-books or case studies. Today, we'll cover some of the basics to consider as you start your business blog, best practices to follow in order to make your blog a success, and four types of blog posts that will drive traffic to your site.
Determine The Right Content to Post
Once you've decided to create a blog for your business, you'll need to identify what type of content you'll be sharing on your blog and how often you will post. A good blog has a variety of content, including thought leadership pieces, contributions from guest writers or subject matter experts, tips and best practices, controversial posts that spark discussion, and every once in awhile, something fun. Here’s a little more about each:
1) Thought Leadership
Thought leadership is content from experts in your industry that have opinions and experiences to share with those who may still be learning about the product or service you have to offer. By establishing yourself as a thought leader or an expert in your field, you build trust between you and your customers or prospects, in turn making them more likely to purchase from you rather than a competitor. As you begin writing thought leadership pieces, ask your readers to comment on your posts. You want to open up your blog for discussion and create a community with shared interests.
2) Guest Posts
Contributions from other experts in your industry help round out your blog. Customers come to your blog not only to hear your opinion but to know that what you have to say is being reinforced by other by other leaders in the field. If you're able to get a major influencer to guest post on your blog, it's only an added bonus, as it will bring their followers to your site, inbound links, and if you do it correctly, additional subscribers.
3) Controversial Posts
Controversial posts are good for your blog to engage your audience. There's always a fine line here though, as you don't want to attack with an arguement and will need to ensure you're backing up your beliefs with accurate proof. You also must stand firm against your argument and be concise so there aren’t misunderstandings. When done right, controversial posts can be incredibly thought provoking and engaging, leading to something that may potentially go viral.
4) Something Fun
Try to mix it up every once in awhile and do something fun with your blog. Maybe post an infographic for others to share, or give something away on a holiday. To ensure you’re still creating content that helps build your list, make sure your offering is behind a gated form. Make the content fun and engaging and readers are more likely to come back for more.
Create a Calendar
Once you've decided on the types of content you want to include on your blog, start planning out an editorial calendar. One good way of doing so is coming up with content themes. You can do this monthly, quarterly, bi-annually or any other term that suites you. As an example, let's say your target market includes stay-at-home moms and it's the middle of spring. You could create a series of blogs about places to go with your kids during spring break, and complimentary content like DIY activities to do while at home with them. Your calendar can be something as simple as an excel spreadsheet, or you can use tools that can integrate into larger campaigns you’re working on with something like the CoSchedule marketing suite.
Edit, and Edit Again
Always have someone review your blog posts before publishing. There's nothing that will make you less credible than a small typo or grammar mistake in your written content. You can even use tools like Grammarly, an AI- powered writing assistant to help make sure all your i’s are dotted and t’s crossed. Literally.
Promotion
As we've discussed before, promoting your content is key to driving traffic to your site. You should promote your blogs wherever you can on social media. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are all great platforms to promote content as long as you use the right hashtags and images to supplement them with. Join groups on social media with similiar interests and post your content there as well. Ask thought-provoking questions to drive engagement to the content you’ve written. These are just a few best practices you can follow once you start your blog; there are so many possibilities once you get started.
Next week, we'll talk more about other types of content you'll need to create for your small business that will drive traffic to your site, engage your consumers, and help them solve the problems they are coming to you for.