What is a blog? Ask three business owners this question, and the chances are you’ll get three different answers. When blogs first rose to prominence, they were little more than personal, digitized diaries. Today, the definition of a blog is much broader — perhaps too broad.
There are nearly 32 million bloggers in the United States alone. Imagine each blogger creates one post a week. That’s close to 1.7 billion blog posts being uploaded to the internet every year. And that is before you take into account contributions from abroad.
Getting your digital voice heard in a 21st century content gold rush is not easy. To demonstrate true thought leadership or even just answer questions for your consumers and clients, you need to shout loudest—in the right places, at the right times and in the best ways. This is where a professional writer can help.
Don’t lose heart. The blog isn’t dead. In most cases, it just isn’t being utilized effectively. We see these mistakes crop up time after time.
1. There’s no clear purpose
The most effective blogs deliver a consistent message in a particular field or subject matter while also reacting to real-world events and social change.
- Do you want your blog to portray your business or brand as a thought leader?
- Do you want to answer frequently asked questions through your blog?
- Do you want to build relationships with consumers to nurture an online community?
Some blogs comment on the news of the day, others offer takes on developments in their company’s industry, while still others choose to focus on general, evergreen subjects. Are you writing about popular, common topics for SEO reasons or trying to talk to a niche audience? What’s your tone, tenor, style and perspective?
Using a dedicated editor can help your company devise a purposeful editorial strategy and generate steady, high-quality content that serves the needs of your readers.
2. It’s not aimed at the right people
You might be producing a huge amount of potential value through your blog, but if the right people aren’t accessing it, you may as well be talking to yourself. Creating engaging and important digital content is only half the battle. To make your brand publishing strategy work, you need to get your content in front of the right audience at the right time.
In practical terms, this means finding suitable discussions on forums and the proper social media channels. It’s about strategically targeting the people you want, whether that’s creating awareness for those who are new to your business or delivering more in-depth substance for regular users and experts.
Utilizing the magic of SEO (Search Engine Optimization, or attracting the Google bots), good blogs can improve your Google ranking so that consumers and targeted audience can find you. It’s about turning readers into customers. This takes research, know-how and time.
3. It’s not part of a wider strategy
The blog is alive and kicking, with a fantastic future—as long as it’s part of a comprehensive content marketing plan. Every person and department within an organization has to be on the same page, whether that’s healthcare companies providing services or a local baker selling homemade cupcakes from their kitchen.
Video tutorials, email newsletters, e-books, white papers, web discussions, social media, and more must be part of a coherent brand publishing strategy. You need a mix of long-form, short-form, social and multimedia.
Consistency is key, but it’s not always easy when several people (or too few) are responsible for delivering on one strategy—or a lack of one. By outsourcing your content creation to PowerPublish, you can collaborate about your strategy with a trained editor while ensuring that your professional writer maintains consistency and tone.
Do you need a blog?
When you ask yourself, “Why do I need a blog?” if your answer is merely to rise to the top of Google search results pages, you’re likely to be disappointed. Millions of content creators around the world have the same goal. Most blogs are white noise, lost in the online ether.
Like any other form of marketing, effective lead generation requires leveraging good content to build authentic relationships with real individuals. Otherwise, you’re simply collecting names and contact information.
But content marketing is certainly not dead yet, and neither is the blog. Businesses are increasingly realizing that the true potential of blogging is still untapped, a promising opportunity for growth.
More than three-quarters of internet users read a blog at least once a month. But these consumers are more discerning than ever. To get their attention, you must provide real value. Instead of selling to these people, you need to build relationships with them.
Gone are the days of keyword-stuffed articles delivering worthwhile web traffic. To make your brand publishing strategy effective, you have to get up close, personal and creative with your target audience. The best way to achieve that is to promote journalism over marketing.
Create a blog strategy that works for you
So, how do you create a content marketing strategy that doesn’t simply yell into the cacophonous digital marketplace?
First, tailor your content for your customers. Identify their needs and provide something valuable: information, entertainment, answers to questions. Too many blogs are overly broad and unspecific.
Second, locate your audience on the internet. Where do your customers hang out, and what do they consume? Are they on Facebook, or do they actively participate in online forums? Effective content marketing strategies proactively seek out their audiences, wherever they may be.
Finally, content should be timely and relevant. If you’re first to the party with product data trends or consumer behavior, your content will get noticed.
Of course, all of this is easier said than done. It can be challenging to bring all the elements of game-changing content together or even know where to begin.
Reduce your stress about content and marketing in 2022 while accessing a pool of expert freelance writers who can develop blogs to improve your brand standing.