Most business owners know that they should have a blog on their website, but often once the blog is in place, there’s some hesitation or confusion about how best to use it. Filling your blog with content isn’t something to be done randomly – you’ll want to adopt a strategy to make sure that you attract readers and, more importantly, retain them as customers.
Consistency is probably the most important factor in blogging. Too many business owners wait too long between blog posts, causing readers to get bored and stop following the blog. Most blogs with a regular readership hang onto those readers by providing a steady stream of content – at least a post a week is recommended, and more is great if you have strong content ideas more frequently.
You also want your blog posts to be informative and/or entertaining. Don’t let the desire to post regularly tempt you to publish posts just for the sake of it. As you go through your work day, make notes of any interesting situations that pop up that might interest your readers, any problems that you solve in your line of work or tips that you can pass on. You’ll probably be surprised at how many interesting blog ideas you can come up with, and if the subject matter is not time-sensitive, you can even write several posts in one sitting and schedule them out to post at regular intervals on future dates.
Once you have a post published, the key to getting readers is effective promotion. This is where your social media accounts come in handy. Finding a balance is important – promote confidently, and be proud of your posts, but don’t spam your audience with incessant promotional links. Rely instead on quality content that others will retweet and share with their networks, as that sort of organic promotion is the key to growing your readership.
Blogging is a great way to create brand awareness and to establish yourself as an expert in your field. Taking the time to post informative, helpful blog content on a regular basis not only helps your readers, it also helps your business in the long run. Although building a readership takes time and effort, it’s an investment that will help improve your site’s search ranking, as well as giving life to your site by serving up dynamic content that’s perpetually being renewed.
How often do you find the time to blog?
