After doing your research, writing, drafting, then re-writing a blog post for your business or organization, the big moment has finally arrived. You hit publish and your hard work is now shared with the world!
Huzzah! Doves are released into the air, fireworks explode majestically in the distance, and the users of the Internet flock to your post for your world-renown insight and expertise.
Ha. Yeah. That doesn’t happen.
We hear a lot of clients say, “we tried the blogging thing – no one read them.” And when people tell us that, we usually know why no one read them. Blogging/content marketing is like anything else in the marketing game; you get out of it what you put into it. If you half-ass it, you’re going to get meager results.
With that in mind, here’s how to get as much as possible out of your next blog post.
Your Blog Title Really Matters
The title of your blog might be the most important words of the whole darn piece. Choose them carefully. The best bet? Your title should solve a problem that your niche audience is trying to solve. It’s as simple as that – people are usually going to read something either for entertainment or information. Your organization probably isn’t in the entertainment game, so your posts should solve a problem that will make your readers’ lives easier. Choose a title that makes it clear that’s what your blog post will do.
Another tactic to think of is making your title similar to the search query your audience is likely to enter into the Google machine. If, for example, you want readers to know which American-made sweatpants are the softest on the planet, consider making your blog title “These American-Made Sweatpants are the Softest Ever – Here’s Why”
The search keywords, in this case, coming from your prospective reader/buyer, are “softest American-made sweatpants on earth.” Your blog title matches this long-tail search term, which increases your chances of being the top organic search result. Not only are you doing content marketing, but you’re also acing search engine marketing too!
Ask for a raise, you beautiful genius!
Quality and Quantity Matter When It Comes to Blog Posts
If your blog post promises to solve a problem, make sure your post delivers. Offer concise, clear solutions, metrics, or recommendations without burying them in a morass of copy.
Quantity is also a huge part of delivering an above-average blog post. Your post needs to be at least 300 words to make search engines happy, but writing a novel doesn’t help anyone either. Your blog should be long enough to deliver value and end there; no one wants to read a 10,000-word blog. No one.
This Isn’t the Field of Dreams
Don’t twiddle your thumbs and hope people read your blog. Share it on your social media channels, post it as an article on LinkedIn, as well on Medium. Wherever your audience hangs out, get it in front of them. Since it’s 2020, we’re willing to bet they’re hanging out on the Internet.
If you have contacts within your industry, send your post to them if you think they’ll find value in reading and sharing it.
Content marketing is an excellent way to build awareness for your organization. Blog posts, when done right, are a super cost-effective way to nurture relationships with customers, demonstrate thought leadership, generate leads, and create the vibe you’re going for your brand.
But, as we can see above, it takes work and some real thought to make sure you’re doing it right. Write quality content, keep it concise, and make sure you’re sharing your posts where your audience is most likely to engage. Do those things and you’ll see positive results.
And who knows, maybe a few doves and fireworks?
Want to learn more about content marketing? Get in touch. We’ll be happy to go over your digital advertising goals and see how we might be able to help. Check out this case study on our work with Floyd’s of Leadville.
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