Blogging is a great way to demonstrate your expertise and get your message out there and I find more and more we are encouraging our clients to jump in and let the world hear what they have to say ….make some noise!
Once your blog post is written it makes great raw material to feed your social media activity or even to pitch to the media if it is in relation to some issue that is quite topical. Interested readers (hopefully some of these are potential customers) can subscribe to your blog and will then get automatic updates whenever you post something new.
This all sounds fabulous and it really is once you are up and running but the tough part is starting!
Often I find a client will put a week’s thought, deliberation and work into a single blog post and the monumental effort will ensure that it will be their first and last – writing isn’t easy, it is a skill that needs to be practised the same as anything else and I guess it comes easier to some than to others.
What I can promise is that once you are up and running it will get easier and easier, but you have to allow yourself a learning curve and you will soon discover a style that you are comfortable with.
Get it right and not only will you enjoy it, but it will help to bring you and your business visibility, which should help to bring you business.
I have put together a few tips about blogging that might help you along the way!
- Keep the blog post as short as possible (just enough to make your point)
- Try to write in the “first person” if possible
- Avoid using technical/industry jargon (unless it is for a very technical audience)
- Keep it topical (where possible try making your point using some issue that is current)
- If the blog post is taking more than half an hour to write then you are probably thinking about it too much!
- Always try to include a relevant visual – people love pictures!
- Blog as frequently as possible (at least once a week is a good target)
- Mix your topics and don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through
- Keep a note book (your smart phone might help) to jot down ideas for blog posts – they will come to you at the strangest of times, believe me!
- Optimise your keywords – if you want your blog post to be found try to work the important keywords (the ones that a typical user might use if they were searching on the topic) into the blog heading, the first paragraph and your keyword tags. Make sure you categorise and tag your blog post once it is done.
- Include hyperlinks (simply the web addresses of other relevant content) – links to your website, links to the writers LinkedIn Account, links to other resources on the web.
- Blogging is just the start – make sure you push it out through your social media channels to get value for all of your hard work
- Unlucky for some but not for you – Go on …..www.wordpress.com , what are you waiting for?
Looking forward to reading what you have to say
Greg Canty is a partner of Fuzion
Fuzion offer Social Media Consultancy and Training in Dublin and Cork
