Two Keys to Successful Business Blogging
July 13, 2009 by Achinta "Archie" Mitra
Filed under Content Marketing, Get Traffic
A business blog is very different from a personal journal or blog. Your family and friends are more willing to listen to your opinions and rants in a personal blog. Readers of a business blog have very different expectations.
The two keys to successful business blogging, at least in my opinion are 1) Consistency and 2) Focus.
Let’s take a closer look at both these keys.
CONSISTENCY – is very important for the success of your business blog. Don’t equate consistency with boring. There are many components to consistency.
Content – stick with topics that are of interest to your readers. If you go off topic too often, you may lose some followers who rely on you for their information fix. Nothing wrong in taking a controversial stand or a contrarian view, it can actually stimulate the conversation on your blog.
Branding – from the very first impression of your business blog, people are going to form their opinion about you and your business. Being consistent with the look and feel of your blog will stamp that brand in their minds. Don’t go changing the color scheme, fonts and layout as and when it takes your fancy. It can be distracting to your visitors if they have to get used to a new look every time they come to your business blog.
Frequency – how often you post to your blog is important to your readers. Get a feel for what your readers expect from you and stick with it. Sure, experiment until you find a sweet spot but do deliver on a schedule that satisfies your readers. Another thing you can do is email your list a weekly summary of new posts on your business blog. Encourage them to forward your emails to their colleagues and you’ll see your traffic grow exponentially from viral marketing.
Style – be consistent with your style of writing. It may take some time to find your own voice that makes you comfortable while keeping your audience informed and entertained. It’s okay to show some of your personal side but don’t go overboard. After all this is a business blog and you want to come across as professional without being aloof.
FOCUS – whether your business blog is part of your website or a separate entity, it is important to know how to focus your blog to help drive traffic to it. That’s where you can convert them into customers.
Most business owners find the thought of a do-it-yourself marketing effort a daunting task. Don’t let that fear hold you back. Put the focus on the customers’ needs and the solutions or products you can offer to satisfy them.
Here are three ways of achieving a customer focus on your business blog:
1. Don’t sell, educate instead – online consumers are suspicious and many are fed up with outright sales pitches. Imagine watching your favorite TV show and you are probably wired by now to just tune out the commercials. In the same way, your blog visitors will tune you out if all they read are blatant sales pitches for your products and services.
Instead, focus on educating them about the problems you can solve and what results they can expect to achieve by buying your product or hiring you as a coach. That’s how you can build a trusting relationship and make your readers receptive to your recommendations, be it your own eBook or an affiliate program that you are promoting.
2. Interact with your readers – treat your business blog as a medium of conversation and not as a monolog (monologue). Ask questions, get their feedback and encourage comments from them. When people leave comments on your blog, it creates “social proof,” otherwise known as informational social influence. It is similar to when you are walking outside and see a crowd of people looking up, you can’t help but look up yourself.
3. Listen when they speak – allow your readers to dictate the focus of your business blog. Don’t just post topics that are of interest only to you but give them what they want. Show them that you care about their concerns and are ready to provide answers to their challenges. The idea is to strike a balance between your interests and topics that can help your business make more money. Try to find profitable passions.
As you continue to build your business blog, you will be helping your business grow as well. By being consistent and focused, you’ll soon be driving hordes of traffic to your business blog, people who are interested in what you have to offer.
The Business Blogging Handbook will teach you how to maximize the benefits from a business blog and the included free report will show you how to avoid the common mistakes that can kill a blog.
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