This past month our clients have been very interested in discussing ways to reach more customers in the coming year. As a firm believer that a blog is the heartbeat of a company, this topic has come up repeatedly. So, I came up with a document to help them understand what goes into a blog post. This is very basic and I am sure there are many among us who have much more to add, but hopefully this is helpful for anyone struggling to start a blog or keep a blog current.
Title – Catchy titles appeal to us as marketers, but keywords make the difference for getting found in search. Consider the topic and what the target reader would type into Google to find this helpful information.
Tell a Story – Include a beginning/middle/ending – did a customer have a problem that you solved? Explain how. But please…
Be Concise – Shorter is better. Online readers have short attention spans so make sure they know it’s not a long read from the moment they arrive. If your topic requires a lot of information, please consider making it a series.
Body Should be Easy to Navigate – Easy to read is key! When possible, use bullet points, bold words you want to catch the reader’s eye, etc.
Include Visuals – Seeing is sharing! Always try to include visuals such as photos, videos, info graphics, logos, etc. Even a stick figure will do.
Include a Call to Action – What would you like the reader to do? Visit your website or share this post? Make sure you make it easy for them to do this.
Related Posts – Always, always, always try to keep a new visitor on the blog. We include 3 related posts below all blogs to invite them to keep reading about the topic that helped them arrive there.
I hope these basics help you get motivated to post a blog today! I’d love you to post a comment here if nothing else. Thank you and Happy New Year!
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