6 Ways to Better Business Blogging
Author: Snow, Bradley
Running a business requires a strong online presence. With social media becoming more and more prevalent, you need to take full advantage of what apps like Twitter and Instagram have to offer to grow a strong business.
Oftentimes, though, businesses forget about one form of online presence: blogs. Not surprising, as blogs have been around for a while, many people have forgotten about them; and, yes, even though many people are busy posting Instagrammable photos and quick captions to help drum up business, studies have shown that blogs can not only get you views and traffic right away, they are most likely to keep getting you traffic further down the road.
Despite the focus on short-form writing, many online readers still gravitate towards long-form writing, if it is done right, which is commonly accomplished through blogging.
“How do I blog?” You may ask, well, here are 6 great tips on how to write blogs for your business and get the attention you deserve for your products.
1. Grab Attention with a Great Headline
Get your reader’s attention right away. Do so by using an attention-grabbing headline. Your first sentence should compel your reader to click on your blog to read more.
2. Make it Short and Snappy
After you’ve getting attention, follow-up with a short, interesting introduction. You don’t want to write too much right away; focus on the main point of your blog and entice your audience to read more.
3. Be Simple
Once you’ve sunk your teeth into the meat of your blog, you can do more long-form writing, but this doesn’t mean never-ending sentences and page-long paragraphs. Write short, sweet, and simple sentences, forming the basis of compact, but relevant paragraphs. Doing so will keep your reader interested, but still manage to convey useful information they want to acquire. This type of writing is also very natural, almost like speaking, and is more appealing to a general audience.
4. Be Authentic
Speaking of being natural, blog writing should sound like you. Don’t try to pretend to be Shakespeare or Plato. Doing so will come off as unrealistic to your reader as people are good at spotting fakes. Write as if you were talking to a friend or, in a more business sense, a customer who has walked into your store.
Be casual, but professional; show the audience you know what you are talking about, without trying to sound pompous. This creates a strong sense of authenticity and credibility, which leads to likability. This will put your audience at ease and drive them towards reading more about products.
5. Spice it Up!
Blogs aren’t just about pretty words; they should also include a lot of fun visuals. Shake things up with eye-capturing images and entertaining videos every 100 words or so in order to keep your readers’ attention.
Social media like Instagram have pre-disposed audiences towards fun, bright visuals. Blogs are no exceptions and should also be colourful and enticing. Employ a meme or cool video clip, but be sure that it relates to your business and works well with your brand’s image.
6. Use a Solid Call-to-Action
Always end with a good Call-to-Action (CTA). It doesn’t have to be complex, in fact, most CTAs are straight forward and simple. As a business, you’ll likely want to promote your product or drive traffic to your site. Do so at the end of your blog, once your readers’ have learned about who you are, they are now eager to learn more – give them what they want by providing a link to your business.
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Want to learn more about better business writing? Click the link below to find out other hot tips on how to improve your online business.
EXSM 3989 - Digital Storytelling Class Blog 