Visibility

If your business has decided to jump on the blogwagon, it’s essential to understand exactly what it is that you’re setting out to achieve.

If your business has decided to jump on the blogwagon, it’s essential to understand exactly what it is that you’re setting out to achieve.

Here are 8 great steps for you to follow building your blog strategy;

1.) Who Is Your Target Audience?

First, who are you writing your blog for? Do your target audience necessarily understand the technicalities that you want to highlight through your blog? Specialists within any industry (myself included!) have a tendancy to talk in jargon rather than in ‘real world’ speak. Is this the correct path to take with your blog strategy? Do you want to sell the features of your business or the benefits?

2.) How Are You Going to Promote Your Blog?

It’s all well and good having great workable content, how are you looking to attract new and repeat visitors to your blog? Naturally, quality content does take on a range of elements that go hand-in-hand with SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) techniques. But, without quality inbound links to your blog, the Search Engines will struggle to deem your content relevant. Think about your business partners who may see it as an opportune link to place on their own website. Are you highlighting your business blog from your company’s email signatures? Your linkedin account? Simple word of mouth techniques will assist greatly if your content is valid and worthwhile

3.) How Do You Entice Repeat Visitors?

Webusers, frustrating I know, have a tendancy to roam from one site to another. In all likelihood, a visitor may read one of your blog entries, think “Great idea!” and go off to put some of your thoughts into practice, or research further what you wrote about. The issue here? How do you ensure repeat communication with this visitor now you’ve lost them? The construction of your blog is a key ingredient in building a successful blog campaign. Make sure your designers are equipped with the knowledge that links to RSS feeds, email subscriber boxes and downloadable promotions are all within eyeshot of the first-time visitor. As soon as your visitor receives that warm cuddly feeling when they relate to your blog articles, capture their attention there and then… and give them more!

4.) Don’t Deviate From The Reason Your Blog Exists

Don’t be afraid to, in a subtle manner of course, pitch your business to your blog reader. Whether you’re in a mass market or niche industry, as soon as you’ve captured that readers attention, for all intents and purposes, they’re involved in a sales path. It’s all well and good to provide a resource for your industry, but don’t forget the key reason why your blog exists, to develop sales communication. There’s nothing wrong with finishing each of your articles with a simple “hope you found this article interesting… want to find out more about x? Email me at x@x.com or Call 01234 567 890“

5.) Monitor Your Blog Use

Simple analytic tools will allow you to build a quick picture of which areas of content are proving to be the most interesting to your visitors. Don’t necessarily look at the entry page for your blog, take specific interest in the page views that follow. If particular articles are getting greater readership, try to understand why, and look at how best to mix your article promotion. Keep note of which of your articles are being commented on the most – people love a good debate and whilst articles carry 5-10 comments initially, users will have a greater ease adding their own commentary. Use this to your advantage. If you don’t allow your users to comment, close your blog and focus on your current website.

6.) Engage In All Areas of Social Media

One of the simplest platforms for blog promotion is selfpromotion through the range of platforms available to you. Twitter stands out as an immediate ‘current’ trend and one all businesses should look to employ. My view on Twitter? If your business has gone down the path of running its own website, then there’s an audience for you on Twitter. Alongside areas mentioned above such as RSS and Email Subscription Feeds, let your blog readers know you’re constantly updating your Twitter account with relevant topical information. The ‘Blogosphere’ allows you to promote your blog through a range of great services such as Technorati, Digg.com, Sphinn and Facebook.

7.) Blog Management – The Clock’s Ticking

The most difficult aspect in justifying your blog strategy is time. Time to develop your blog, time to enhance your blog… and time to write your blog. Any blog should be updated at least once a week. Not only does this retain the interest of your present readers, it also shows new visitors that you’re serious. There’s a fine line between writing for the sake of it and writing within a specified time frame. Every time you pick up a copy of your industry magazine or discuss current industry topics internally, build these conversations into your blog articles. Your passion for your business while shine through and greatly enhance the trust and stature of your business online.

Don’t forget, if you’re on a roll with your blog writing then stagger the launch of each of your articles. We all know how great it is to press the “publish” button just as soon as your article is complete, but be patient.  If the article isn’t critically topical, then save the publication for a week later.

8.) Keep SEO Methodology At the Back of Your Mind

I see blogs each and every day that are written with the search engines as their primary target. They’re keyword rich and often times nonsensical. Write your blog for the human audience, not for the Search Engine ‘bots. It’s the reader you want to engage, not the search engines. If your site is built using an extensive SEO platform you will be granted the freedom to write your articles principally for your target audience. From an SEO perspective keep your article titles relevant to what you may feel your target audience would search for, but keep the grammar flowing! If you’re struggling to find ways of integrating SEO strategy within your blog, contact me and I’ll be happy to look at some sensible ideas for you.

Your blog, as an extension of your business website, gives you a fantastic platform to provide your potential customers with topical relevant information. This information, in turn, will turn your visitors into your customers using a sound and sensible blog strategy.

Before jumping in head first, keep the 8 techniques listed above in mind and you’ll soon be seeing the fruits of your blog labour!