Some insight into a dreaded task… But we want to help make it easier!

 

 

Blogging is a great asset for an effective business, but sometimes writing it isn’t always practical given the demands on your day-today schedule. You open up your Google Docs, and draw a blank, because sometimes the fear of sitting down and writing an entire blog will take up too much time and energy, sends our brains into procrastination mode, and we shrug it off until the next day. Or, it reminds us of going back to school, where the nostalgia of writing book reports, and forced research papers start to haunt us, and not in a good way. Writing blogs doesn’t have to be a nightmare though, you just have to remember a few key points to help get you through.

Take some time prior to any of the writing, and brainstorm your topic a little more. Get organized, write down what you know and what your message is, and be careful to weed out the fluff. If your blog is about how landscaping increases curb appeal and can help you sell your home, you probably don’t need to discuss the HVAC inspection process in great detail. Ask yourself, what is engaging about my topic, who is my demographic, who is my audience, why would they be interested in this? Make a list of the points you want to make to keep you on track, and remember that your blog needs to have information that is useful to your readers.

With that being said, let’s talk about SEO. Do you know the best practices for SEO regarding what you’re writing about? What keywords are going to maximize your search, and how do you use them? For example, your keyword should be in your first and last sentence. Based on your topic, someone reading your blog, what would they originally be searching for? Being proactive and thinking one step ahead of your audience will help you in crafting and effective blog post.

Your blog isn’t a sales pitch, and you’re not trying to persuade anyone into buying a product or service. It’s typically going to be honed in on useful information, tips or answers that could be beneficial to your readers. Being knowledgeable, and providing useful information to your audience will sell your service in and of itself. Results drive sales, and when you’ve got killer content, time is of the essence. You’ll draft it up, send it over to your colleague for a once over and editing session, and it’ll be on it’s way.

When you’ve finally begun creating your content, you want the finished product to be a hit. Don’t forget some crucial steps in building your blog that will help you along the way. What’s your title, is it something the industry you’re targeting is going to be searching for answers about, is it gripping from first glance, or is it a straightforward to-do? Don’t be afraid of creativity, and using a unique voice that you want your audience to understand. How we communicate with our readers is the starting point for how we keep them interested.

Lastly, use encouragement; people seeking answers, probably don’t know everything about what you’re explaining to them, or they wouldn’t scour the internet for the answer. This can make us feel inferior as human beings, and you want to relate to the people you’re speaking to, not intimidate them.

Step 1. Hook your reader with an engaging topic or headline.

Step 2. Stay on track, be insightful and informative, not salesy.

Step 3. Remember who is reading.

Step 4. Aim to educate.

Don’t immediately resort to that gut wrenching doomed feeling you get when your boss asks for a blog post by the end of the week. Use these tips to stay on track, and cross that blog of your never ending to-do list. Eye on the prize, and best of luck in all your blogging endeavors!