Many may ask what is the reason for blogging and of course, there are plenty. What we want to highlight today is the impact blogs have on small businesses and startups, and how they are used to help attract new customers!
Creating content is huge for building and growing an online presence. But it can be tough to set yourself apart from all the other blog noise out there. We will be going over seven popular ways you can bring your blogs to a whole new level. Keep reading to see how you can transform your blogs!
Create an outstanding outline
Creating an outline is a fancy way of saying getting a blueprint together. With an outline, you’ll be able to fully create and complete a blog that’ll take you to the next level. It should have a starting point, a middle, and a closing.
Outlines keep your blogs from you going all over the place. With each blog going to the next level, you want to execute your topic well. For example, if you were writing on how to make the best pancakes; this is a couple of things you’d want to jot down. You’d want to speak about the basics of making pancakes, then maybe adding more eggs for moist pancakes, possibly vanilla extract for more flavor, and so on. Now, without an outline on this, you may not know what’s more important, what’s trending in this topic, or what readers are looking to hear.
Research your competitors
Ever hear, “There’s nothing new under the sun” ? Yeah, it’s very true and it’s always important to note, that as small businesses your goal should be to take common or even popular ideas and put your twist on them. This is not possible until you take the time to research those around you. What you’re looking for, is what is trending that you can take and in turn, make your own for your blogs to hit the next level. Think of their tone vs yours. Their thought process, how they bring their points out, and so forth.
Have the answers & solutions
77% Of people regularly read blogs , so you must be providing information that all can benefit from. Don’t just provide blog posts of things that interest you, but try to provide relevant answers and solutions to frequent issues that your audience may come across. For example, although we offer health tips and advice, most of our blogs will offer help to small business owners and startups, especially eCommerce. Don’t hesitate to click the link above for more of our blogs!
Which leads me to the biggest point we could make-CTA’s! Call To Actions invite your audience into your space and allow them to participate rather than just reading a blog or a quick post for a couple of minutes. Taking the time to add CTA’s like we just did help you to see who’s reading your blogs. You will make an impact by asking personal questions and/or business questions as well. Let’s look at a couple of ways CTA’s help your blogs hit the next level for:
PERSONAL BLOGS:
- Typically starts with a touching story that is relatable to your audience
- Have a clear topic and ties it all together with the CTA
- Typically converts first-time readers to fans
- Creates domino effect thus adding to the social presence
BUSINESS BLOGS:
- Typically starts with a general story and analogy
- Goal is to convert first-time readers into customers
- Urgers the reader to buy/purchase from the company
- Creates partnerships
In both areas, CTA’s simply show you have the answer in more ways than one. You want your CTA’s to be engaging and fun! You want your CTA’s to also have your reader thinking and in turn, come to you for the solution!
Have solid titles/subtitles
It’s best to stick with true and informative topics that will benefit your small business.
Link only relevant + smart URL’s
We’re big on understanding words and why it’s important to use them, so URLs by definition is: a location or address identifying where documents can be found on the internet. It’s your social GPS basically, where someone can track where you’ve gotten your info from.
not only show your research but also allow you to partner with other businesses on social levels as well!
A couple of do’s & don’ts when it comes to URLs:
DON’T
- Overwhelm your reader. You never want to have too many URLs because the reader may get confused about what to read and may end up leaving your blog.
- Put unrelated URLs that have your readers frustrated. You never want to put links that’ll have the reader think you’re all over the place or sending them to things that have nothing to do with your blog. Your blog is yours, yes, however, the links should be backing up your blog in a way that your audience will say what your read makes perfect sense. They want proof in the pudding!
DO
- Have clear URLs. To irradiate, you want clear points to back you up. That is what URLs are for in this manner.
- Have CTA’s in your links leading your readers back to you. This is where the revolving door starts. You want your blogs to bring your readers back to your website, your social media pages, your online store — back to you in any way you can!
Use graphics that are eye-catching
Graphics (alongside the right wording and phrases) can bring your blog to life. For your blog to be taken to the next level, try to avoid pictures with words or a lot of distractions. Why? Because the title of your post will appear over this image. Never take pictures that aren’t yours. Ensure to check the graphics are free, this is how you’ll avoid taking down your blog in total.
Graphics help with a couple of things with your blogs- but mostly they add visually to your topic. Feel your topic is a bit cringe-worthy? Grab a graphic that’ll have your readers laugh! Is your blog on some very sad or heartwarming? Have a graphic that speaks just that!
When putting your blog together, make sure to save your pictures with the main keyword phrase you use in your post. Not, I repeat NOT a description of what the image is. This is .
If you are doing a blog on healthcare and marketing, for example, “healthcare_marketing_strategy” would be good alt text to add to your graphics, rather than something like “smiling doctor”.
Finally, size it appropriately. The dimensions will depend on the formatting of your blog. Keep in mind, your graphics are there to enhance your blog, not take away from it.
Always remember SEO
First off, you need to know your audience. Instead of guessing what your audience needs or wants, try to make data-driven decisions by doing industry research and rival studies.
Google and other search engines avoid sending searchers to outdated sites. When you constantly update your blog and post new content, Google’s algorithm recognizes that and sends searchers your way. Nearly 93% of all web traffic comes through search engines, so it’s crucial we have SEO implemented through our blogs.
In conclusion…
Blogs are an amazing tool for your business, and they can only get better when we use the right tools to take them to the next level. Using outlines, CTA’s, making sure you have solid titles, having your graphics on point and so many more implementations will get you there.
You want your blogs to stand out, in every way possible. Remember, you want to take what has already been said, and make it your own while providing new insights.
Originally published at https://www.bookmark.com on September 14, 2021.
