Blogging is mainstream now. It’s been with us for the best part of the last 30 or so years. It’s gone from an obscure practice in certain corners of the internet to birthing legitimate internet heroes and heroines. Business blogs have also helped many businesses reach their customers at a level that no other idea would have. If you have a business blog and are wondering how to make it work or you are thinking about starting a business blog we have some tips that will help you make the blog effective.
Create a personality
Blogging isn’t just about what you say but also about how you say it. Blogs are versatile like that. A business blog for a bank should not have the same personality and feel like a business blog for a florist. So you want a unique personality that speaks about the way you do business. You want to go a little further than being unique, you want to be the right personality. Make sure that the blog personality matches the experience people will have when doing business with you. Find the right voice and expression that matches your business.
Be consistent
It doesn’t matter how much you post. I will always favour more frequent posting to less frequent posting. I wouldn’t let a week go by without posting. What I will say is to be consistent. If you are going to post once a week then make sure it’s once a week and set a time for it while you’re at it. People are creatures of habit and once you provide them something they enjoy they will expect to see it with consistency and regularity. While many would like to post when they feel like posting your audience would prefer some regularity to your posting. Do not confuse posting and writing though. Write when you feel like it but post on a schedule. As a blog, you are there to serve those who are into your posts and anyone who thinks you posting more often is too much isn’t for you. So don’t be limited to posting weekly. Do it daily if you want. 3 times a day. Just keep its quality.
Quality over quantity
Seen many bloggers worry about the length or lack of in their posts and I believe it doesn’t matter how long or short the post is as long as it does what it’s supposed to do. And what is it supposed to do? Introduce, entertain, educate, explain, remind or whatever the goal of a particular post is. So don’t get tied up in thinking about how long the post will be. I find that if you say all you need to say and nothing more the post tends to be the perfect length. If you’re worried about length you’re worried about the wrong thing. Have you comumunicated? Have you answered all relevant questions? Would this make sense to anyone but you?
Use the comments
Firstly you must allow comments on your blog. The internet is a two-way street and people enjoy that about it. One of the things I continue to try to remind people of is that business could always be broadcast to the public. While the internet has made it cheaper and given businesses wider reach that is nothing new at all. What the internet and social media in particular have brought that’s new is the ease of two-way communication. So not only should you allow comments on your blog but engage the comments too. It goes a long way to turning the blog into a community in the words of Beaton Mabaso. That’s what blogs are meant to be.
The book will be judged by its cover
If blogs were books and their titles covers, then these books would be judged by their covers. Having powerful content is great but most readers, especially first-time readers make their decision to read based on the title. So you want striking titles that explain very quickly to readers what they will get out of the blog post. “10 ways to secure your passwords online,” tells you exactly what you’re in for. The best titles address the reader directly where possible. Titles that include “how-to” are also very effective. Remember to also consider keywords that are popular in your area or industry. This not only makes the blog appealing to readers but also to internet search engines.
A good business blog engages the community while educating and informing on relevant matters. These tips will help you turn your business blog into just that.
