What is a Blog For?

When it comes to blogging there is no magic formula for the level of success. It really comes down to interesting content, regular well-written posts that people find informative and engaging and to a degree; luck, especially if a social media aficionado announces to the world that they have ‘just found the coolest thing’!

Managed correctly a blog can be a powerful marketing tool to build an audience, inform people about products, expertise, knowledge and services, and ultimately bring potential customers to your brand.

However, before you begin it is important that you want to bog, you enjoy blogging and want to increase traffic to your website. A blog needs to be something you are interested in and something you want to write about. You also need to decide what your blog is for, what you want to get out of it and the ultimate goal.

  1. Is it to write educational and informative content so that prospective customers can find it?
  1. Perhaps your goal is to increase your exposure and drive traffic to your website to elevate your position on Google?
  1. Do you want to write something you are passionate about?
  1. Maybe you wish to prove you’re knowledgeable and have experience about the industry you are in?

 

If your blog is designed to attract prospective customers to your website, then think about publishing some reviews and comparisons of products and services. Or write an article about the history behind something. Your goal is to appear knowledgeable and become a go-to resource for your audience. In time they will trust your research, ideas, experience and come back on a regular basis.

Image courtesy of johneengle.com

Image courtesy of johneengle.com

 

If you would like to sell your consulting services, think about writing an article or a case study on a project you have completed.

If you want to appear knowledgeable on one particular area create a blog series on one topic broken into several parts, or a ‘how-to’ guide for instance.

The important point is to define your objectives and create a blog to meet your goals. Having a successful blog is about getting into a rhythm. You do not need to write something everyday, just post regularly – at least once a week – and people will look forward to the next article.

10 Fundamentals for Successful Blogging [Infographic]!

 

Your post’s don’t have to be the length of war and piece, your post can be anything you want it to be. Just make sure it is interesting, creative, practical and something that will earn people’s interest with engaging content. Once you begin to build your audience it is then up to you to keep them entertained.

The following list offers a few suggestions for theme of your next post.

  • How-to’s and tutorials
  • Lists
  • Resources and history behind something
  • Cheat sheets, check lists and to-do’s
  • Reviews and comparisons of products and services
  • Controversial posts
  • Info graphics
  • Podcasts
  • Video’s
  • Interviews
  • Guest posts
  • Blog series – posts on one topic broken into several parts
  • Personal stories
  • Reports

 

Happy blogging!

 

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The Power of Blogging

Up until a few years ago blogs were viewed with some skepticism, they were, in essence, a place where people posted photo’s of their last vacation and wrote never ending reviews about a ‘great’ restaurant they had found.

Blogs, it could be argued were ridiculed and were not taken all that seriously.

However, today the blog has transformed itself into a powerful marketing tool, to build an audience, inform people about products, expertise, knowledge and services, and ultimately bring potential customers to a website.

According to a report on Hubspot (an inbound marketing software company), companies who post up to 15 posts per month generate 5 times more traffic to their website than companies that don’t blog at all.

English Baking in America Website

A good blog has become one of the best ways to attract new visitors to a site, and inform people about a brand. Thereby creating a platform to turn strangers into customers – this is known as inbound marketing. The goal is to write educational and informative content so that the right prospective customers can find it. Once you have a regular traffic, your viewers will become promoters of your business, more people will come to your site and our friends at Google will place you higher on their search engine, which is especially effective for small businesses.

Don’t get me wrong, a blog doesn’t automatically provide you with a magic wand to suddenly obtain a huge amount of new business overnight. I have sat in meetings with clients when the sheer mention of a blog has filled their eyes with terror, with a look on their face that says, ‘not a blog, now I have to spend hours a week writing something nobody will ever read. I will post it on my website in the hope that someone, somewhere will find it’.

To a point that is true, however like most things it takes time to build momentum and attract an audience. Despite the myth blogs have of sapping all your time and energy they can be written in a couple of hours, they don’t have to be the length of ‘War and Peace’ (200-800 words is just fine) and if posted regularly weekly or bi-weekly, they can actually have a positive effect on your business.

blog-slide-2-resized-600

Graph courtesy of HubSpot.com

I started writing a weekly blog for a client a year ago. To begin with the results were mediocre and traffic was slow. However 6 months down the line word began to get out, views increased, and on Facebook alone the posts are regularly seen by over 3000 people on a weekly basis (I believe one week the most popular post reached over 11,000). Just imagine how many additional people that has brought to the companies website and exposed them to the brand.

There was no magic formula for this level of success, just interesting content and regular well-written posts that people found informative and engaging.

My point is this; a blog can be a powerful tool. There are some excellent blogs available on the web and once you find one you like and trust a good blog can become a go to place for research, facts and helpful information. Many people spend time researching their field and sharing their knowledge –for free. The goal isn’t to ask for money, but by sharing their knowledge and becoming the ‘go to’ source of information, the results speak for themselves and a business can reap the rewards.

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