Successful blogging requires a multitude of strategies, including setting goals and customizing content that provides your readers with insights they can’t find elsewhere.
Blogging successfully can seem like fishing in the dark. As densely packed as the Internet is, creating content that draws people in and enlightens them can seem like a task on par with the Greek Titan Atlas holding the world on his shoulders.
Having said that, there’s no denying its effectiveness: according to research by Hubspot, 92 percent of users who blog daily acquire new customers from their blog, but the figure drops down to 66 percent for those who only blog monthly.
Blogging might seem simple, but for it to effectively meet your marketing goals, you have to go about it the right way. There are two ways to blog, much like there are two ways to fish: cast a huge net and hope that you’re successful, or take your time to select the right bait, and guarantee it.
Producing customized, unique content that is targeted towards a specific audience is key in blog marketing.
Your Best Foot Forward
The first and most essential step of blogging is knowing how to create a great headline. Your headline is your hand extended towards your readers, offering to grab hold and draw them into your content. Great headlines are absolutely essential to turn article browsers into article readers, but how do you create a header that both inspires and informs?
Two important aspects to a great headline are how appealing they are to your audience and what value they are promising to provide. Your headlines should be creative and stand out in the reader’s mind. Strong headlines will often fall into one of the following categories:
- SEO Optimized: Higher priority in search engines means more eyes on your blog.
- Numbers and Lists: Headlines that include lists and numbers are attractive to readers who don’t necessarily take the time to read large blocks of text.
- Faith in science / Explanations: Headlines that give readers confidence that the content is reliable will often make note of scientific backing, or will promise an explanation for why things are the way they are.
- Highlight the Negative: A powerful tool for creating eye-catching headlines involves informing the reader of potential downfalls they may experience without knowing your information.
Whatever techniques you end up using, the most important step to creating headlines with high click-through rates is figuring out the point you want to convey to your readers. Pick the best method to convey this point, and you’ll be off to a good start.
Creating Custom Content
So you have your headline, but where do you take it from here? Before you begin creating the bulk of your blog, it’s important that you know why and for whom you’re writing. Creating blogging goals is the first step of this process.
Know Your Audience
Before you begin, think about who your audience is. Are they clients? Investors? The media? Have a target audience in mind so you can create content specifically for them. To this end, you’ll want to establish clear, concrete goals that you can make measurable progress towards. Whether your goal is a certain number of posts a week or achieving a specific number of reposts, setting goals is a fundamental step of the process.
Make It Easy
There are a number of different ways you can present content to make it simpler for your readers.
- Present media visually with images and videos that illustrate clear points. People learn in different ways, so you should accommodate them by offering a variety of options for their viewing pleasure aside from blocks of text.
- Cross linking across multiple platforms and providing backlinks to previous posts will ensure that all of your readers are kept in the loop and that information is readily accessible.
- Use analytics software to track which posts are getting the most hits and generating the most debate; hot button issues will bring more eyes to your page than playing it safe.
- Generate discussion by encouraging comments and feedback. The more you engage, the more interested your readers will be in what you’re offering. Content participation is essential, but make sure you acknowledge those that are contributing towards the discussion. They’re providing a service to you much as you’re providing content for them.
Conclusion
Most companies aren’t continually updating their blogs with fresh perspectives, preferring to stick to the same tired structure that they have in place. It’s easy, and it’s boring. Revisiting your goals on occasion can keep your content up to date, while using strong techniques for headline and content creation to draw your readers in and leave them clamouring for more.
What techniques do you use to elevate your blog from ordinary to extraordinary? Let us know in the comments!
