Blogging is a powerful tool that you can use to market your business and publicise your expertise in your field. The biggest benefit of blogging on a regular basis is that it will allow you to create more awareness about your products or services, right across the Internet.
When you start blogging, you need to make sure that you stand out from the millions of blogs out there and that your blog attracts and converts as many visitors as possible. Here are some quick tips to help you on your way to make blogging more effective for you and your business.
[rb_numeric_block number="1" title="Make sure you have a well designed blog and easy navigation"]There are two things that usability studies have show to annoy people when they come to a website. 1) Poor design that does not allow them to concentrate on the article (too many flashy images or adverts) and 2) Not being able to find what they were looking for. If you need assistance from a web designer to make your blog look great and work well, maybe I can help. Just ping me an email.[/rb_numeric_block]
[rb_numeric_block number="2" title="Focus on a particular niche or topic"]When you are blogging the best thing to think about is being niche. Focus on an area of your expertise, passion or life and be consistent in your delivery of content around this area. When you do this people will subscribe to you blog, follow you in social media and recommend you because you talk about a particular subject with authority. Start talking about something they are not interested in and your readers will switch off.[/rb_numeric_block]
[rb_numeric_block number="3" title="Choose a blogging service choose one that suits your needs "]There are 100’s of different platforms to choose from. You can use WordPress, Blogger, Posterous or Joomla, to name but a few. Which ever one you choose, do it on the basis of what you are wanting to get out of it. Posterous allows you to email a blog with attachments that get automatically formatted into the post. If you are after total flexibility in terms of design and functionality, then WordPress could be your answer.[/rb_numeric_block]
[rb_numeric_block number="4" title="Publish regularly but only if you have something worth posting "]Make a posting schedule and follow it. Write at least once a week, more if you can, and remember that the key to success is to update your blog constantly. Don’t just post for the sake of posting, write something that people are going to find useful and helpful. Then they will keep coming back. Think about problems that you audience might be having and how you can help fix them. Think about needs and desires that you can help satisfy with your knowledge and insight.[/rb_numeric_block]
[rb_numeric_block number="5" title="Headlines are very important "]Sometimes a headline can tell the whole story. At other times it can elude to the content of the article and be clever in it’s proposition of the content you are publishing. The one thing you have to remember though is that a headline’s main job is to gain the attention of your reader. It’s all about getting them to open the blog post and engage with it.[/rb_numeric_block]
[rb_numeric_block number="6" title="Link your blog to ALL your social media networks"]Syndication of your blog content into social media means that you will open the door to many more people outside of those that find you blog in the search engines. It is also good for your SEO (search engine optimisation)… but that is a blog post on it’s own. For now, just take it from me that it is a good idea to be sending it out into the social media universe to attract more people to your blog or website. If people find it useful, they may also send it on to their social media connections and you immediately increase your reach with your content.[/rb_numeric_block]
In summary…
There are dozens of more tips and advice that I can give on blogging for business. At the end of the day, the only element that will truly matter is your content. Your visitors’ decision to take action will ultimately depend on what they read. In order to convert visitors into buyers, subscribers or advocates for your blog, you must effectively convey your point and then have a call to action. This may be as simple as “Add your comment below” or “Subscribe by doing….”
Blogging built my reputation as an Internet marketing professional and was one of the reasons I was able to leave my job to become self employed again. Build your reputation and start positioning yourself as an expert in your niche today by setting up your blog and get going.
Social Media and Blogging Insight Day
If you don’t know where to get started and the whole thing baffles you beyond belief, take a look at my Social Media Insight Day on the 26th April 2012 that I am running with blogging Queen, Alison Neale and Video guru, Jay Blake.
Alison will be going into more detail about blogging, will help you to plan your blogging and maybe even get you started in a practical workshop on the day.
Spaces are limited and are being booked up as we speak. Don’t miss out.
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