A blog is a type of website consisting of long-form content that is text-based usually from a writer's personal point of view. The point of interaction is usually through comments from your readers. All industries/businesses can leverage blogging as part of their marketing strategy. The ingredients to a great blog are;
- Catchy Headline.
- A detailed Body that includes an Introduction and an in-depth discussion of the Subject. Incorporate graphics in the subject for easy flow.
- A Call To Action.
- A Conclusion that includes a Summary of the Subject of discussion, Thank you note to your readers.
Just as any other form of content CONSISTENCY is key in blogging, consider publishing an article once a month on a minimum. Here are some statistics about blog consumption;
Let's dive in on how you can begin your blogging journey;
- How to blog.
- How to attract people to your blog.
- Benefits of blogging.
How to blog
As you begin to write begin by calling out the reader, it allows you to capture their attention. You can use a quote or touch on a pain point they would be experiencing. Progress to let them know why they should keep reading which makes up the Body of the blog. Include information that is educative & entertaining based on the subject you are tackling.
A call to action(CTA) is necessary if you aim to create a community off of your readers or get monetary traction off of your work. Monetary value will happen as a result of taking your reader through the buyer journey thus making a blog ideal for the Awareness stage then the CTA lets you progress into Consideration & Acquisition. Some call to actions you can consider;
- Download E-Book.
- Sign Up to a newsletter list.
- Schedule Product Demo
- Schedule Consultation Call.
If you are writing a short article, you'd probably get away with a lack of graphics. For articles spanning over 1500 words graphics help break the monotony of the words and the reader doesn't feel overwhelmed or bored. The inclusion of whitespaces is also necessary to give continuity to the reader.
Blogging is a great way to build authority in a specific niche area. Make sure you select the topic category then go on to dig into how it worries your audience. Once you learn that, address the topic thoroughly, from various angles, so that you've lots of content on it.
The bulk of the content you create (and especially, if it's valuable & uniquely written to help your reader) will eventually get you recognized as an authority in that area. One more tip for developing authority and getting recognized by blogging: have a voice and a unique style of writing. It works wonders since it differentiates you from the rest of the crowd.
Masooma Memon, Freelance Writer for SaaS ~ InkandCopy
I have 5 stages when creating a new article that is spread across multiple days because I believe each day gives you a different look into what you are working on. Most time is spent on Step 1, 2 & 3 since it's the ideation & thought process and bringing the pieces together. An important pointer to note is planning ahead preferably a month prior for articles due the next month.
To begin your blog you can choose one of these platforms;
How to attract people to your blog
- Use Social Media to promote your blog. It's a great way to increase traffic & Click Through Rate(CTR). Any platform would do to grow an audience. As you share remember to include keywords in the captions & hashtags which allow you to reach a wider audience.
- Join communities of other Writers similar to you or a general community of writers. You get to share your articles in the space and the community shares to their community and it becomes a circle of interaction. The communities also provide an avenue for collaboration; through a contributor quote or as a guest author.
Benefits of Blogging
- Appear as an Industry Thought leader. People are researching every day of their lives and it would be great to be a point of reference in a niche subject across the world. Blogging would also provide an opportunity for you to be a guest speaker on events of your subject of interest.
- Provides Avenues of Revenue. Not only does blogging serve as a Lead Nurturing tool for your business you can also earn through Affiliate Links. Affiliate Marketing is ideal for someone who primarily is into writing thus allowing you to collaborate with brands that offer products in your niche area. You can also earn through Ad's that are published on your blog- Google Adsense.
- Awareness & Nurturing tool. Nurturing a lead is important for every business. The nurturing process is where you get to build a relationship with your customers that is long-term, it all begins with the inclusion of a CTA preferably after the article introduction or in the middle. Either of the options will be a win for you especially if your reader doesn't read till the end.
- Grow a community. It's great to have a community of people who resonate with you and your thoughts and blogging allow you to do so.
Conclusion
Don't worry that your article is short or not so many people are reading from the start. Keep writing, keep sharing your thoughts in time you will eventually create a great community that loves & is inspired by your work. Have you been blogging? How long has it been & What do you enjoy about it?
Let's engage on Twitter.
Thank you for taking the time to read. Leave a comment.
Remember to Stay Safe.
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