Want a way to increase sales, position yourself as an industry expert, communicate with your customers, and increase traffic to your website? Well the answer is literally right in front of you – blogging! Blogging has become an important marketing tool that enables two-way communication, an essential interface in our current marketing environment. But before you start typing, here are five guidelines that will help your company get the most out of your blog.
1- Blog what you know
When writing a blog for your company, it is important to position yourself as an industry expert. Do you think that your company has nothing valuable to say? You’re wrong! If you’re a jeweler, try blogging about how to pick the stone that matches your significant other’s personality. If you’re a plumber, suggest the best brand for unclogging drains and say why. Running a pool company? Recommend a routine that will keep a pool clean without using eye-burning chemicals. You get the idea. All of these blog posts would lead an answer-hungry audience right to you! This information-based relationship will make potential customers confident in your knowledge and more likely to come to you when they need your services.
2- Blog consistently
There is no better way to lose blog traffic than to leave your audience waiting. Think about it; if you find a blog you are excited to read, will you want to wait months for the next update? You might check the blog consistently for a few days, but will end up aggravated if nothing new is added. Once you attract readers to your blog, you want them to keep checking it and to share your content with others.
3- Blog differently
We know, we know; the last two rules seem at odds. But they are actually quite similar. Just as much as a stagnant blog will make you boring, a blog without other types of media or interesting posts will do the same. Be willing to post videos from a company event, post pictures of your work or services, or evaluate a popular article related to your industry (and link to it!). Don’t be afraid to be (carefully) controversial if it will inspire readers to share your link or leave comments.
4- Enable and monitor commenting
So you have a new, active following for your blog. An easy way to get more out of the experience is to let your customer put in their two-cents. Of course, you will want to monitor this conversation by removing trolls and offensive comments, but more importantly engage your readers; they took the trouble to write to you! This interactive dialogue will not only give you an opportunity to further your positioning as an industry expert, but it will also allow for you to personalize the experience one user at a time.
5- Keywords! Keywords! Keywords!
Now why go to all the trouble of writing a powerful, informative blog if no one can find it? With so much information clutter online, keywords will help differentiate your results and help searchers find you. You may not get to the top of a Google search with broad keywords like “jewelry,” but a blog about “what jewelry should I get my girlfriend” will be more likely to put you at the top of the results.
These five guidelines are a great start to any blog. Interactive communication will help build a lasting relationship with your customers and grow your business. For more tips on blogging, be sure to check out our favorite book on the matter – “Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) that Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business.”