“Your website needs a blog”, they said. “It’s great for SEO and you will create champions of your business. Your sales pipeline will be overflowing.”
A good blog is the cornerstone of a strong content marketing strategy but if you’re making these 7 mistakes, you might be wasting your time.
1. You don’t post often enough
One of the benefits of a company blog is the opportunity to engage with people interested in your industry. Publishing a blog post once in a blue moon doesn’t give people an opportunity to build you into their lives and they forget about you.
TIP: It’s important to be realistic about how much time you, or your team, have to create blog posts. Rather than blogging every day and running out of steam after a month, blog every week or fortnight.
2. You’re not helpful or interesting.
Stan Lee from Brand DNA recently said, “Your blog post is just one of 500 million being published that day.” Blog readers are discerning and they don’t have time to waste on blog posts that don’t offer them some value.
TIP: Use your blog posts to answer some common questions or inspire people by being a thought leader. Be generous with your knowledge and don’t be afraid to share some personality.
3. You don’t proofread your blog.
Spelling and grammatical errors will take you from hero to zero in a few seconds. Writing and editing are two different skills so make sure you leave enough time to create a blog post that represents the best of your company.
TIP: If you aren’t confident about your own proofreading skills, get your blog post reviewed by other people. Better yet, get a professional proofreader on the case.
4. Each post is a wall of text.
Content is important but the way you present that content will have just as much influence on how popular your blog is. A long page of copy can be a real turn-off so it’s important to make your post visually appealing and easy to read.
TIP: Use subheadings and lists to break up long paragraphs and stick to the one-idea-one-paragraph rule. Include images and leave plenty of white space for visual breathing room.
5. Your headlines are boring.
On average, 8 out of 10 people will read your headline but only 2 out of 10 people will go on to read your copy. If you want to attract readers who see your blog post in their reader or email, you have to have a great headline.
TIP: Write a few headlines and use your email-marketing tool to see which ones your readers respond to. Do they love list posts, opinion posts or how-to posts? Or perhaps a bit of controversy?
6. You never respond to comments.
Blog comments are the ideal location to generate more discussion around your blog topic and spark ideas for follow-up posts. After all, isn’t brand engagement one of the primary reasons to have a blog?
TIP: No one likes to be ignored so if your readers take the time to leave a comment, make the time to acknowledge it. Try and invite others to join the conversation.
7. You don’t promote your blog.
Your company blog can help you reach out and build profitable relationships with new audiences. That’s true. However, you’re wasting your time and effort if it’s your best-kept secret!
TIP: Share your blog posts across social media sites. You can also email it to existing clients asking them to share it with their network (if they found it useful).