The WRONG Ways to Blog
There are many right reasons to blog, but that doesn’t stop people from blogging for the WRONG reasons. Here is a quick list of what a blog won’t do for you, and why you should not position your blog in these ways.
1. You tell people what you want them to know rather than what they want to know.
People come to your blog to find answers to their questions. What are the most common things clients or potential clients ask about your business, service or product? What are the most often-listed questions on the Internet on this subject? When you hear or find questions, write them down and use these as blog topics.
2. You write in “corporate speak.”
A blog is a casual conversation between you and the readers. Talking in a corporate language, or using acronyms, will turn off your readers rather than engage them. Save the corporate talk for your white papers when readers want to know intricate details.
3. You think you won’t be original.
If you’re holding back from publishing a business blog because you think you don’t have anything original to say, you’re wrong. When your prospects are researching their question, they are looking for 1) answers and 2) rapport. If they have the choice between two (or more) companies, they will likely choose the one they feel speaks to them. You don’t have to have original thoughts; you just need to be sincere.
4. You throw something up there.
Think about what your blog is saying about your business and your reputation. It is your storefront to the world. As with a brick and mortar store, you wouldn’t want garbage in the window. Nobody will stop and shop there. A wrong way to blog is to toss anything up there and hope it will stick. Instead, create a blog schedule of thoughtful topics.
5. You want the blog to drive sales.
Your blog will likely not result in a direct sale. It should be used to 1) drive traffic to your site, 2) establish expertise, and 3) build trust. It is designed to get people interested enough to contact you; to generate leads. Then it is your job to convert that lead into a sale.
Related: 17 blogging mistakes to avoid in 2021
6. You think your blog will automatically build a following.
A business blog may build a few followers, but mostly, it will be a resource when people are researching a topic. If your blog is written well, and includes the right search engine optimization tactics, it will pop up on an organic search and lead people to your website. It is better to get prospective clients onto your email mailing list so that you can directly market to them. Do this by offering a free subscription to your newsletter in each blog post, or giving away a free report or Top 10 list in exchange for their email address. Use the blog to draw potential clients in with a thoughtful topic, then ask them to take a next step that will also provide helpful information to them.
7. You think that the only marketing you need to do is a blog.
A blog is only one tactic in your arsenal of marketing tools. Each tool has its own function and should be used in conjunction with the others. Use your social media to drive people to your blog post by posting an intriguing question or excerpt with a link to the entire post. This will drive people to your website. List your blog in your email signature and on correspondences and marketing materials. Cross-blog with other business owners looking to reach the same audience.
With all the wrong ways to blog, you need an expert in the right ways to blog.
At All the Buzz, we’re experts in blog writing and can increase traffic to your website and help you generate leads. Contact us to learn more about how we can create blog posts for your business.
Why Should I Blog?
Is blogging a difficult thing to do? No. Is it essential? Yes. Many clients ask us, “Why should I blog?” That shows us that they don’t know or understand the benefits of blogging, so let’s review those benefits here.
Blogging attracts interested prospects
People are searching the Internet for answers to solve their problems. When your business blog post offers that solution, you are immediately on their radar as a qualified resource, without their having to make a commitment.
Blogging establishes and reinforces your expertise
Your business blog posts are prime locations in which to establish and reinforce your expertise in your field. Post answers to the most often-asked questions about your business. Post evidence of your expertise with awards and links to articles in which you appear. Post proof that you are an expert with examples and explanations of your products and services. Post reviews and testimonials. There are numerous ways you can build your credibility.
The business mentorship organization Score offers 10 reasons to keep an active business blog, beginning with the fact that “customers who read your blog at 97% more likely to click on your website.” The answer to “Why should I blog” is to attract and convince potential customers and clients. Continue reading →
21 Tips to Increase Instagram Engagement
Want to get more followers on Instagram? I recently came across this article that had a lot of great ideas on how to do just that.
Instagram is Growing Quickly
In 21 Tips to Massively Increase Instagram Engagement in 2019, author Adam Phillips reported that 13% of the world is now using this platform, and engagement is still increasing. It has more than 1 billion monthly active users, with 50% of those users following brands.
Shares, likes and comments are reporting 10X higher than Facebook, 54X higher than Pinterest, and 84X higher than Twitter. If you haven’t done so already, you should consider adding Instagram to your marketing mix.
Among the 21 tips offered by this report are:
- Know how often to post
- Don’t preach, tell a story instead
- Use Instagram video subtitles and closed captions
- Choose the right hashtags, and
- Convert Instagram followers into email subscribers
The author goes on to explain how to put these tips into action. For example, under “Know how often to post,” he claims that the “sweet spot” is a consistent 1-2 posts a day. For when to post, he says, “Uncover your own follower’s Instagram habits by using the Insights feature of your Instagram Business Account. This helps you identify when your followers are most active.”
The article is posted on the Falcon website, so of course, there is a plug for Falcon’s social media management platform. This post does not hold any opinion as to that platform. Rather, we thought there were really good tips that might benefit those business owners and marketing managers who want and need to build their brand.
Need Social Media Marketing? Contact All the Buzz.
If you’d like to outsource your social media management, we’ll be glad to help. We can assist you in creating your social media platforms, providing content, and scheduling posts. Contact All the Buzz for expert marketing and writing.
25 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Business Blog
Do you write a blog for your business and keep posting to it regularly? It’s a great way to talk about your industry, provide information about your business, and to entertain. It’s also a great way to build a following for your business. Yet many business owners ask how to make people aware of their blog and to attract followers.
25 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Business Blog
- Tell everyone you have a blog
- Post your blog name and link in your email signature
- Include your blog link on your business cards, stationery and all forms
- Add your blog link to your bio
- Post snippets of your blog posts on your social media with links to the blog
- Add your blog link to your social media profiles
- Be active on your social media accounts and social networking sites like StumbleUpon and Mixx
Types of Blog Posts
We all know that we should be blogging in our business. Blog posts not only keep relevant content on our website for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes, they give people a way to learn more about what you do and what you can do for them. There are a number of types of blog posts, as we’ll discuss here.
Types of Blog Posts:
- Story
Tell readers a story about your product, your company, a client case study, or an industry happening. People love to read about other people’s experiences. - List
Offer an easy-to-read bulleted list of items that can help someone overcome an obstacle or organize their lives, for example. - How To
Take the reader step by step through a process to an outcome. Highlight how to best use and benefit from one of your products or services.
Startling Statistics About Social Media for Business
As social media continues to grow, some of the things we thought we knew about it have changed. Here are some of the latest statistics for 2018.
GENERAL
• 95% of adults aged 18-34 online are likely to follow a brand via social networking.
• 71% with a good experience with a brand will recommend it to others.
• Visual content gets 40% more views than other types of content.
• 50 million small businesses use Facebook Pages to connect with customers. Four million of these pay for Facebook advertising.
• 68% of marketers have posted video content on Facebook.
• The best time to post is 3PM on Wednesdays, 12-1PM on weekends, and 1-4PM on Thursdays and Fridays. Continue reading →
The Two Best Ways to Market Online: Guest Post
All the Buzz is pleased to offer this guest post by William Skuba, Director of Marketing at Enable, a web design firm offering affordable web design, graphic design and marketing for small businesses.
The Two Best Ways to Market Online
I hate the word “marketing.”
Whenever I use it in conversation, I immediately see the person I’m talking to lose interest. His or her eyes glaze over, he gives a canned response like “Oh cool,” and I know he isn’t listening anymore.
And I don’t blame him.
What does the word “marketing” even mean? I hardly even know what it means, and I do it for a living.
The fact of the matter is, the term “marketing” has become a vague, meaningless term from decades of overuse. You see self-styled gurus on Facebook offering reports on: “Top 7 Secrets of Marketing,” or “The Content Marketing Hacks That Made Me My First Million.” And you see YouTube ads trying to sell training courses and webinars about how you too can make millions from home simply by starting a digital marketing agency.
But none of us really even knows what they mean by marketing. Continue reading →
6 Tips for Writing More Effective Twitter Headlines | All the Buzz | Writing Tips
At All the Buzz, we’ve been asked lately, “How do I get people to read my Twitter post?” Writing for Twitter is like writing for anything else. You have to capture the reader’s attention right off the bat. And what’s the best way to do that? Write a great headline.
The 80/20 Rule applies
You won’t get everyone to read your Tweet, no matter how great your headline is. Your headline has to capture the interest of that specific reader at that specific time. The 80/20 rule applies here: 8 out of 10 people will read your headline and only 2 out of 10 will read on. People scan, and if your headline doesn’t capture their interest in a second or two, they move on to the next shiny object. Here are some tips, however, that can help you write more effective Twitter headlines and increase your readership: Continue reading →
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