One of the reasons so many independent brands have trouble keeping up an engaging blog is because they don’t understand exactly what role their blog should play in their overall marketing strategy. If your blog is underperforming or you think it’s boring to read, here are a few ways to supercharge it and start bringing in the traffic that will lead to more sales.
1. Be transparent. No brand is going to be perfect for every customer’s needs, and they know that. What they want to find out is whether you’re the best fit for what they’re looking for. If you pretend that there are no potential downsides and that every customer is universally happy with your product or service, that’s only going to trigger suspicion about your integrity. The more open you are about what your products do and don’t do, the more likely people will be to trust what you’re saying.
2. Help visitors with their research. You know how people use the internet when they want to make a purchase – they find out how many different companies provide the thing they’re looking for, and then they start ranking them all according to suitability. As counterintuitive as it may seem to talk about your competitors on your website, doing so shows that you’re not afraid to acknowledge the competition, and it keeps visitors on your website longer, allowing you to steer the narrative.
3. Make their choices easier. Do you offer several versions of a product, or a few products that solve similar problems? Make some comparison posts outlining the similarities and differences, so that customers can make a confident and informed choice about what to buy.
4. Write some in-depth reviews. This is where you can go beyond little product blurbs and really show your expertise. Demonstrating your knowledge of your products and how they work is a great way to build trust with your blog readers, and it helps open up a conversation for further discussion and questions you can answer. Establishing yourself as an expert is one of the chief functions of a blog, and writing (honest) reviews goes a long way toward that.
5. Be upfront about costs. For most consumers, cost is a factor in just about every purchase they make. Trying to downplay that aspect will make you seem evasive, and once they find out just how much they actually have to shell out, you’ll have lost a customer. People want to know how much they’re going to have to spend to get the results they want, and you’re going to have to have that discussion at some point anyway, so your best bet is to be honest and upfront about it from the beginning.
Overhauling the way you create your blog content can transform it into an informative resource, an entertaining read, and most of all, a highly effective marketing tool!
Cogo Interactive is an award-winning digital marketing agency specializing in online marketing strategy, web design, SEO and social media marketing. We work with clients in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC and nationally.