Are you wondering why so many businesses are scared of blogging? Well, it’s because they don’t have enough time or resources, fear negative feedback, and are uncertain about the return on investment.

They also feel like they lack expertise and struggle to create engaging content. But don’t worry, in this article, we’ll explore these reasons and provide solutions to help businesses overcome their blogging fears.

So, let’s dive in and conquer those fears together!

Lack of Time and Resources

You don’t have enough time and resources to effectively implement a successful blogging strategy. Running a business requires your full attention, and blogging can be time-consuming. Writing blog posts, researching topics, and promoting your content all take up valuable hours that you simply don’t have.

Additionally, you may not have a dedicated team or the necessary expertise to handle all aspects of blogging. Hiring professionals to create content or manage your blog can be costly, especially for small businesses with limited budgets.

Without the time and resources to invest in blogging, it’s understandable why you may feel hesitant or overwhelmed. However, it’s important to consider the potential benefits of blogging, such as increased brand awareness and customer engagement.

Finding creative solutions or outsourcing certain tasks can help you overcome these challenges and still reap the rewards of a successful blogging strategy.

Fear of Negative Feedback

Although it can be intimidating, facing the fear of negative feedback is crucial for personal growth and improvement.

As a business owner or professional, it’s natural to want to receive positive feedback and validation for your work. However, negative feedback provides valuable insights and opportunities for growth that you may not have otherwise considered.

Embracing negative feedback allows you to identify areas for improvement, refine your skills, and ultimately become better at what you do. It helps you understand your weaknesses and work towards overcoming them.

While it may be tempting to shy away from negative feedback, facing it head-on shows resilience and a willingness to learn and grow. So, don’t be afraid to receive negative feedback; instead, use it as a stepping stone towards personal and professional development.

Uncertainty of ROI (Return on Investment)

Dealing with the uncertainty of ROI can be a challenge for businesses considering the investment in blogging. You might be wondering if the time and resources spent on creating and maintaining a blog will actually pay off in the long run. Will it generate enough leads and conversions to justify the investment? These are valid concerns.

However, it’s important to remember that blogging has proven to be a powerful marketing tool for many businesses. By consistently creating high-quality content, you can attract a relevant audience, establish your brand as an industry expert, and ultimately drive more traffic and sales.

While it may take time to see tangible results, the potential benefits of blogging far outweigh the uncertainty of ROI. Give it a chance and watch your business grow.

Perceived Lack of Expertise

Don’t underestimate the potential of blogging to overcome the perceived lack of expertise by showcasing your knowledge and insights to a wide audience.

Blogging allows you to establish yourself as an expert in your field, regardless of your background or credentials. By consistently sharing valuable and informative content, you can demonstrate your expertise and build credibility among your readers.

Additionally, blogging provides an opportunity to engage with your audience and address their concerns, further establishing yourself as a trusted source of information.

Through blogging, you can share your unique perspective, share industry insights, and offer practical advice that can benefit your readers.

Difficulty in Generating Engaging Content

You can overcome the difficulty in generating engaging content by conducting thorough research and understanding your target audience’s interests and needs. By investing time and effort into understanding what makes your audience tick, you can create content that resonates with them.

Here’s a bullet point list of different ideas for blog post types:

1. How-to Guides & Tutorials: Step-by-step instructions on a specific topic. Screenshots, infographics, or videos for clarity
2. Listicles: “10 Best Ways to…” or “7 Things You Didn’t Know About…”
3. Personal Stories & Anecdotes: Sharing personal experiences or life lessons
4. Interviews: Featuring industry experts, influencers, or anyone with a unique perspective
5. Reviews & Product Comparisons: Analyzing and comparing different products or services in a niche
6. Case Studies: Deep dives into specific examples, showcasing results and strategies
7. Opinion Pieces & Commentaries: Personal viewpoints on current events, trends, or controversies
8. Infographics: Visual representations of data or information on a topic
9. Guest Posts: Content written by someone other than the regular blog author
10. News & Updates: Sharing the latest developments in a specific industry or niche
11. Research & Data Analysis: Sharing original research, surveys, or data-driven insights
12. FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions): Addressing common queries about a topic or industry
13. Behind-the-Scenes: Giving readers a peek into the day-to-day workings of a company or process
14. Problem & Solution: Addressing a common problem and proposing a solution
15. Resource Roundups: Curated lists of resources, tools, or links relevant to a topic
16. Book/Movie Recommendations & Summaries: Sharing thoughts on notable books, films, or other media
17. Event Recaps: Highlights and takeaways from a recent event or conference
18. Predictions & Trends: Speculating on the future of an industry or topic based on current data
19. Interactive Quizzes & Polls: Engaging readers with fun, interactive content
20. Photo Essays: Telling a story through a curated collection of photographs
21. Video Blogs (Vlogs): Sharing content in video format, possibly with accompanying text
22. Podcast Show Notes & Transcripts: Accompanying content for podcast episodes, helpful for SEO and accessibility
23. DIY & Crafts: Sharing creative projects with instructions and photos
24. Travel Journals & City Guides: Personal experiences or recommendations for places to visit
25. Monthly/Yearly Recaps: Summarizing the top posts, achievements, or events from a specific time frame

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it provides a variety of starting points to suit different niches and audiences. Choose the types that resonate most with your target readers and your personal or brand voice.

Start by conducting surveys or interviews to gather insights about their preferences and challenges. Use social media listening tools to monitor conversations and trends related to your industry. Additionally, analyze your website analytics to identify the most popular topics and keywords that drive traffic.

Armed with this knowledge, you can create content that addresses your audience’s pain points, offers solutions, and provides valuable information. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different formats, such as videos or infographics, to keep your content fresh and engaging.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Can Businesses Effectively Manage Their Time and Allocate Resources for Blogging?

You can effectively manage your time and allocate resources for blogging by creating a schedule. This schedule should outline specific times and days that you will dedicate to working on your blog. By setting aside dedicated time each week, you ensure that you have a consistent and focused approach to your blogging efforts.

Another strategy is to outsource or hire a content creator. If you find yourself struggling to consistently create high-quality content, you can consider hiring someone to help you. This could be a freelance writer or a virtual assistant who can assist with various blogging tasks. By delegating some of the work, you free up time for other important aspects of your blog.

In addition to outsourcing, utilizing automation tools can also be beneficial. There are various tools available that can help automate certain blogging tasks, such as social media scheduling or email marketing. These tools can save you time and effort by streamlining repetitive tasks, allowing you to focus on more strategic aspects of your blog.

What Strategies Can Businesses Adopt to Handle Negative Feedback on Their Blog?

When dealing with negative feedback on your blog, it’s important to approach it constructively.

Respond promptly, acknowledge their concerns, and offer a solution.

This shows your commitment to customer satisfaction and can help turn a negative experience into a positive one.

What Are Some Ways to Measure the Return on Investment (ROI) of Blogging Efforts?

To measure the ROI of your blogging efforts, track website traffic, conversion rates, and customer engagement.

Measuring the Return on Investment (ROI) of blogging efforts is crucial to understand the effectiveness of your content strategy. Here’s a bullet point list of ways to assess the ROI:

1. Traffic Analysis: Using tools like Google Analytics to track website visitors. Monitoring page views, sessions, and unique users for blog posts.
2. Conversion Rate: Number of blog readers who take a desired action, such as signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase. Using tracking pixels or specific landing pages to assess conversions.
3. Lead Generation: Number of leads generated directly from blog content, tracked through forms, downloads, or sign-ups.
4. Sales Metrics: Track sales directly attributed to blog traffic. Analyze the average order value from blog-sourced customers.
5. Time Spent on Page: Higher average time indicates that readers are engaged with the content.
6. Subscriber Growth: Monitoring the growth of email or blog subscribers over time.
7. SEO Ranking Improvements: Improved positions in search results for targeted keywords. Increased organic search traffic.
8. Social Shares & Engagement: Number of shares, likes, comments, and mentions related to blog content. Use social media monitoring tools for more insights.
9. Backlinks Earned: The number of external sites linking back to your blog content. High-quality backlinks can boost SEO and domain authority.
10. Customer Feedback & Testimonials: Direct feedback from customers mentioning blog content as a factor in their decision-making.
11. Content Lifespan: Analyzing evergreen content that continues to generate traffic and conversions over time.
12. Cost Analysis: Comparing the costs of producing and promoting blog content against the returns generated.
13. Affiliate Revenue: If you use affiliate marketing, track the revenue generated from blog-driven affiliate links.
14. Ad Revenue: For monetized blogs, track the ad impressions, clicks, and revenue.
15. Brand Awareness & Reach: Use tools like Google Trends or brand monitoring software to assess brand search and mentions.
16. Return Visitors: Monitoring the percentage of visitors who come back to your blog after their initial visit.
17. Bounce Rate: The percentage of visitors who navigate away from the site after viewing only one page. A lower bounce rate may indicate more engaging content.
18. Customer Retention Rate: Assess if blog readers have a higher loyalty rate compared to other visitors.
19. Referral Traffic: Track visitors coming from other sites that mention or link to your blog.
20. User-generated Content: Monitor the amount and quality of content generated by users in response to your blog posts (e.g., comments, guest posts).

Remember, the metrics important to one business may not be as relevant to another. Choose and prioritize metrics based on your business goals and blogging objectives.

Analyze data from tools like Google Analytics and social media metrics.

This will help you understand the impact of your blog on your business’s success.

How Can Businesses Overcome the Perception of Lacking Expertise in Their Blog Content?

To overcome the perception of lacking expertise in your blog content, focus on providing valuable and well-researched information. Show your knowledge, address common concerns, and engage with your audience to build trust and credibility.

By consistently offering valuable and well-researched information, you can demonstrate your expertise in your blog content. This means conducting thorough research, citing reliable sources, and presenting information in a clear and concise manner. Avoid making unsupported claims or sharing inaccurate information, as this can undermine your credibility.

Another effective way to showcase your expertise is by addressing common concerns or questions that your audience may have. This shows that you understand their needs and are knowledgeable enough to provide helpful solutions. Consider conducting surveys or engaging with your audience through comments or social media to identify these common concerns and tailor your content accordingly.

Engaging with your audience is crucial in building trust and credibility. Encourage comments and feedback on your blog posts, and make sure to respond to them in a timely and thoughtful manner. This not only shows that you value your readers’ opinions but also allows you to further demonstrate your expertise by providing additional insights or clarifications.

What Are Some Effective Techniques for Generating Engaging Blog Content That Resonates With the Target Audience?

To generate engaging blog content, there are several key strategies you can implement.

First and foremost, it’s important to focus on your target audience’s interests and concerns. By understanding what topics they find relevant and valuable, you can tailor your content to meet their needs.

In addition to choosing the right topics, it’s crucial to use storytelling to capture your audience’s attention. Storytelling is a powerful tool that can create a connection with readers and make your content more relatable and engaging.

Visuals are also a great way to enhance your blog content. Including eye-catching images, infographics, or videos can help break up the text and make your content more visually appealing.

Lastly, incorporating interactive elements can further engage your audience. This can include things like quizzes, polls, or interactive infographics that encourage readers to actively participate in the content.

Overall, don’t be afraid to showcase your expertise and provide valuable insights. By demonstrating your knowledge and expertise on a particular subject, you can establish yourself as a trusted source of information and build credibility with your audience.

Conclusion

So if you’ve been hesitant about starting a blog for your business, don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Many businesses are scared of blogging for various reasons, such as lack of time, fear of negative feedback, uncertainty of ROI, perceived lack of expertise, and difficulty in generating engaging content.

However, it’s important to remember that blogging can greatly benefit your business by increasing visibility, building relationships with customers, and establishing yourself as an industry expert.

So don’t let fear hold you back, start blogging and reap the rewards.

Blogging is an essential part of any business’s marketing strategy. Not only does it help you to engage with customers, but it also increases your online visibility and drives traffic to your website. In this article, we’re going to look at the top reasons why every business should be blogging daily.

By regularly sharing content related to your products or services, you can increase customer engagement and build trust with potential customers. Daily blogging also allows you to establish yourself as an authoritative figure in your industry and attract more visitors to your website. Read on to find out more about the benefits of blogging daily for businesses!

Increased Customer Engagement

Blogging daily is a great way for businesses to increase customer engagement. It provides customers with regular updates on the business, new products and services, and any other changes that may be occurring. Through blogging, businesses can also give customers access to helpful content such as videos, infographics, tutorials, and more valuable resources. This helps to keep customers engaged with the brand and encourages them to keep coming back.

Blogs are also a great way for businesses to connect with their customers through conversations in the comments section. This provides an opportunity for customers to ask questions and get direct answers from the company itself. Additionally, it allows businesses to build relationships with their customers by responding directly to their feedback or inquiries. By actively engaging with its customers on a blog, a business is able to show that it cares about them and values their opinions.

Improved Visibility And Traffic

Blogging daily can improve visibility and traffic for businesses. It allows them to reach potential customers who may not have been aware of their brand or product before, as well as those who know the business but may have forgotten about it. The more content a business puts out, the more chances they have of being seen by people looking for related products and services. Additionally, when businesses continually post new content on their blog, it shows search engines that their website is active and relevant, which can help them appear higher in search results. This increased visibility leads to increased traffic: more people become aware of the business and its offerings, leading to increased opportunities to convert readers into customers. As long as businesses provide quality content that’s informative and useful to readers, blogging regularly can be an effective way to gain recognition and attract new customers.

Here’s an example of blogs that have been delivering us residual traffic for years.

Establishing Authority In Your Industry

Blogging daily is a great way to establish yourself as an authority in your industry. By consistently providing valuable content that educates, informs, and entertains, you can position yourself as an expert on topics related to your business. This can help you build trust with potential customers and partners and even attract new talent to your team.

When it comes to blogging, consistency is key. Make sure you post regularly and keep up with the latest trends in your industry so that your content stays relevant and interesting to readers. You should also make sure to respond quickly to comments from readers, as this will show them that you are engaged and attentive. Additionally, be sure to share your blog posts across all of your social media channels for maximum reach. Taking these steps will help ensure that every blog you post establishes you as a leader in your industry.

Boosting SEO Rankings

Blogging provides an excellent opportunity for businesses to improve their SEO rankings. By creating content that is tailored to the target audience, businesses can ensure that they are reaching potential customers with relevant topics. This kind of content will also help to populate search engine results pages and can even appear in featured snippets. Furthermore, blogging helps to establish a business as an authority in its field and gives it credibility.

In addition, blogging can help to increase customer engagement through comments and interactions with readers. It also allows businesses to connect with their target market by providing valuable information and engaging content. This increased engagement leads to more visitors and a higher likelihood of conversions for the business. Moreover, regular blog posts give businesses the chance to showcase their products or services in a unique way and highlight any advantages or benefits they have over competitors.
 

Enhancing Brand Recognition

Undoubtedly, blogging is an incredibly effective tool for enhancing brand recognition. Not only does it enable businesses to cultivate an online presence, but it also allows them to engage with their customers directly by responding to comments and queries. Additionally, blogging can help businesses boost their search engine rankings by providing optimized content and backlinks. This can result in more organic traffic and visibility in the digital space.

Moreover, regular blog posts allow businesses to showcase their expertise in a particular field. By sharing useful, relevant information with their target audience, businesses can establish themselves as thought leaders and gain trust among potential customers. Furthermore, blogging is a great way for businesses to connect with influencers who can help spread the word about their products or services. All of these factors contribute to increased brand recognition and make blogging an invaluable asset for any business.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is The Best Blogging Platform For Businesses?

For businesses looking for the best blogging platform, there are a number of options available. WordPress is one of the most popular and user-friendly platforms, offering a variety of features such as custom themes, plugins, and analytics tools. It’s also highly customizable, making it perfect for businesses of any size. Squarespace is another great option as it provides a range of templates and drag-and-drop editing capabilities that make it easy to create professional-looking websites without any coding knowledge. Both offer excellent SEO integration, so you can easily reach potential customers through organic search results.

How Much Time Does It Take To Create A Blog Post?

Writing a blog post can be a time-consuming task, but how much time it takes to create one depends on your level of expertise and the type of post you are creating. Generally, a well-thought out blog post can take anywhere from an hour to several hours to complete. It also depends on if you need research for the topic or if you are using existing content from elsewhere. If you are just starting off, plan on spending more time in order to get familiar with the process and find your voice. Researching keywords for SEO optimization can also add to the total amount of time needed for each post.

How Do I Measure The Success Of My Blog Posts?

Measuring the success of blog posts is essential to understanding the impact of your content and pinpointing areas for improvement. It’s not enough to simply publish content; you need to track your performance to assess whether or not you’re reaching your goals. There are several metrics you can use to measure blogging success, such as the number of visitors, shares, comments, and conversions. Additionally, consider using analytics tools to gain insights into how users interact with your content and identify what topics are resonating with them. By monitoring these metrics regularly, you can better understand the effectiveness of your blog posts and make adjustments accordingly.

How Do I Make Sure My Blog Posts Are Engaging?

Creating engaging blog posts is essential for any business that wants to attract and retain readers. To make sure your blog posts are engaging, focus on telling a story rather than just listing facts. Try to incorporate visuals, such as infographics and videos, to make the content more interesting. Also, use active language that speaks directly to the reader, ask questions throughout the post to keep readers engaged, and don’t forget to include a call-to-action at the end of each post!

Should My Business Post On Multiple Platforms?

Posting on multiple platforms can be a great way to maximize your reach and draw more eyes to your business blog. It can help you capture more potential customers, and be the gateway for them to discover your brand. However, it’s important to make sure that you have the resources and time available in order to effectively manage all of your social media accounts. If not, it might be better to focus on a few platforms rather than spreading yourself too thin.

Conclusion

It’s clear that blogging is a great way for businesses to reach a wider audience, build relationships with customers, and improve their search engine rankings. But it’s not always easy to know where to start. By understanding the best blogging platform, how much time it takes to create content, and how to measure success and engagement, businesses can get the most out of blogging. It’s also important to consider if they should be posting on multiple platforms or just one. Ultimately, blogging daily can help businesses increase their visibility and engage with their audience in meaningful ways. So don’t hesitate; start blogging today!

If you have a business you might have asked yourself numerous times whether blogging is still a relevant promotional tool. The short answer is an emphatic yes, provided you do it the right way. There will always be a demand for blogs that provide the information people are looking for, and that answer their questions.

Writing a regular blog has many benefits for a business, including:

More leads

Statistics show that companies with an SEO optimized blog that is regularly updated get up to 67 percent more leads than their competitors without one. Plus, 47 percent of prospective buyers first read between 3 and 5 pieces of content before they decide to engage with a sales representative of a company.

People don’t like old news

A blog is one of the best ways to make sure your website regularly gets fresh content. It’s also a great way to keep visitors coming back next week, next month, and next year. Ask yourself this: if there are two companies that offer a particular service or product – you and company B, who would people trust more: the one whose website has last been updated in 2000 or the one that regularly posts a blog with fresh industry news?

Hard selling scares off potential buyers

Hard selling is becoming increasingly more unpopular. Everyone knows and hates that feeling of being pushed into a corner by a salesman. The moment you get a chance to run, you will. That is why research shows that nearly 80 percent of businesses nowadays opt for advertisements in the form of useful content instead of following the old-style “You’re not leaving before you’ve bought something” approach.

If you want to sell in today’s world, your company needs a human face. And blogging is a great way to do that. Adding a blog section to your website and sharing the blogs on blogging sites and social media will also give you a way to promote your business in a creative, user-friendly way.

Soft-selling to your email list

The same principle applies when you are sending information to the subscribers on your email list. If you are going to simply send them product lists three times a week, you’re unlikely to have much success. A genuinely interesting and useful blog is a much softer and more effective way to break the ice. And a blog is also a proven way to get more email subscribers in the first place.

Quality beats quantity every day

Blogging is about playing a long-term game. It’s about gradually building relationships between you and your current and future customers. How would you feel about a sales representative who knocks on your door at 8 am on a Monday morning and promptly tries to sell you an encyclopedia you’ve never heard of? What if he does that every Monday morning? Annoying, right?

That is not how long-term relationships are forged. You have to spend time talking to prospective buyers about the topics they are interested in. You have to provide useful advice. You have to establish yourself as a source of trustworthy information (and if you can’t write, there are plenty of blogging services that can help you with this).

If you use the same strategy and logic in your blog, your chances of success will go through the roof. Blogs with top quality, original content will work today, and they will most likely still work next year and the year after that.

Focus is important

There are clear benefits to be derived from using your company blog to deliver in-depth content about a particular topic. According to Digital marketer Eric Enge sites that offer in-depth quality content fare much better in search engine rankings than those that only skim the surface of a particular topic.

You can do this by writing longer blog posts that allow you to explore a topic in depth. Use the extra space to look at the topic from different angles. This will go a long way to give your readers the assurance that you are not just pushing a particular angle, and it will be a hit with Google and its colleagues.

Another way to use a regular blog to establish yourself as an expert in your field is to write a number of ‘Ultimate Guides’. This will force you to go into more detail, which is great for SEO rankings, and readers who are genuinely interested in the field will love these blogs and begin to view you as the go-to source of information on the topic. Guess who will they turn to when they want to switch from reader to buyer?

Who are the businesses that succeed in the modern world of blogging?

Blogging is as good a marketing tool as ever. In fact, it has become more effective. A study carried out by Data Box recently revealed that 68 percent of marketers believe that blogging has become more effective over the last two years.

You might say that the internet has been flooded with blogs. That might be true, but the trick is that the successful ones are those that have adapted their approach.

A business blog is an inexpensive way to connect with your target audience. Small business owners often realize a blog is an integral part of an online presence, giving them content to share on social media and offering value to those who land on their website. But knowing exactly what types of content to add, and when to add it, is a different matter.

In a survey of 1,117 bloggers, researchers found that content quality was rated as the most important element in running a successful blog. If you’re going to add a blog to your business website, you must make sure the items you publish are of high value to readers and reflect positively on your brand. A blog provides content for your site visitors, gives you something to promote in a newsletter and provides posts for social media accounts.

If you want to compete in a global economy, your website needs a blog. However, there are some very specific things you must consider as you consider your content strategy.

1. Welcome a Target Audience

Although most businesses have a specific buyer persona they cater to and they know that audience well, there are times when you want to reach a new target market. The content you add to your blog can help attract a specific type of buyer. Start by studying the new audience, just as you would any target market. Make a list of the types of topics related to your business that person might search for. Then, answer those questions with videos, articles and infographics.

Ring offers a blog and uses topics that might attract new audiences, such as the military or those looking to create a greater sense of safety in their neighborhoods. However, they still cover topics aimed at their target audience of homeowners looking to add security features to their houses.

2. Entertain Your Site Visitors

Today’s consumers have many different things clamoring for their attention — text messages, the latest television show, social media posts and so much more. The only way you’ll grab and keep their attention is by entertaining them. The content you provide needs to have a unique tone and show off your brand personality. Use good writing practices, such as a strong headline that grabs attention, and keep content skimmable so users can read through it quickly even if they only have a few minutes to spare.

3. Become a Storyteller

The art of story goes back to a time before humankind had a formal written language, when stories were shared via pictures drawn on cave walls. People are naturally drawn to a good story. Cognitive psychologists suggest people are about 22 times more likely to remember facts when they’re told in the form of a story. If you remember to tell a story and hit on all the points that tap into user emotions, visitors won’t just land on your page and bounce away — they’ll hang around and read your offerings.

MECO highlights stories about their workers on their blog, which gives site visitors insights into the company and a peek behind the scenes. For example, they highlight one of their manufacturing engineering managers and share information about what he does for the company and how long he’s been there. There are many different ways to share a story, including tapping into why the founders started the brand and unique elements of the business.

4. Use Videos

Videos have a huge impact on site visitors, and your blog is a perfect platform to embed videos about your products and services. About 90 percent of survey participants indicate product videos help them decide whether or not to buy.

Look at how you can highlight your products and educate your audience in a fun way, such as an animated video showing the benefits of using your product or service. You can also highlight customers via testimonial videos. Videos are a nice break from reading text and allow visitors to grab information in short bursts.

5. Include Visuals

About 32 percent of marketers say creating visual content is the most important form of marketing, even rising above blogging. However, blogging and visualizations don’t have to be two separate things. You can certainly add visuals as part of your overall content strategy and enhance your articles with infographics, data-based animations, charts and graphs.

Make sure the visual relates to the topic at hand. If you sell lemons, you might create content about why your lemons are 50 percent sweeter than other lemons on the market and add a visual showing the sweetness of each kind with yours in the center.

Styling You is a site and blog by Nikki Parkinson where she makes suggestions on outfits. One of her visuals shows a collection of different blouse styles that work well with jeans. The visual works perfectly, because it highlights the topic she’s writing about and gives users something to skim over and instantly understand what she’s talking about even if they don’t read every word there.

6. Connect With Social Media

Writing a rich and engaging blog gives you vluable content for your social media channels. Followers on sites such as Facebook and Twitter don’t appreciate getting a hard sales pitch, but if you offer something of value, they’re much more likely to visit your site, follow your page and do business with you.

Let’s go back to the lemon company example. You write a blog post about your lemons being sweeter and then you follow up with another post with a recipe for lemon meringue pie. If you then share that recipe to your Pinterest account, you’re likely to gain new customers from that effort.

If you vary the types of content on your blog, you’ll also have videos you can upload, infographics you can draw images from and testimonials to brag about.

Lexie Lu is a designer and writer. She loves researching trends in the web and graphic design industry. She writes weekly on Design Roast and can be followed on Twitter @lexieludesigner

Generate New Leads

Use your business blog to drive traffic to your site, grab new site visitors and educate your buyers on your product or services. An engaging blog turns browsers into new leads and converts. Blogging is another form of marketing and one that is cost-effective and successful. If your business site doesn’t yet have a blog, adding one enriches the overall value of your site to visitors.

Far too many businesses make a very common marketing mistake. They’ll start a blog, simply because someone tells them that they should have one.

What transpires is a section of the business website that is occasionally dealt a 300-or-so word article depicting the latest news from the organization, or perhaps a no-holds-barred rant from the managing director.  What it lacks is any kind of strategy or focus on providing content that potential customers might want to read.

There are many constituent elements that make up an awesome blog post, but if you don’t know what they are, you’re unlikely to find them simply by occasionally publishing a post whenever inspiration strikes.

In this post, we’re going to delve under the hood of brilliant blogging and find out how to create awesome posts that will attract the right audience and keep them engaged.

Conduct proper research

What type of people do you want to read your blog? What are their interests, frustrations and common questions?

Before you write anything, start by researching both your audience and potential content ideas. Don’t assume you know it all – brainstorm the profile and demographics of your audience and the kind of topics that will likely peak their interest.

You can do this with a whiteboard, pen and paper or visual mind map – whatever gets your creative juices flowing.

Treat blog posts with just as much attention as other important pages

You wouldn’t publish a new service or product page for your site without doing full keyword research, and the same mantra should be applied to your blog.

Again, before putting digital pen to digital paper, conduct thorough keyword research. Look for short and long-tail keywords that you audience is likely to use and focus your title ideas on them.

Answer a burning question

Which questions is your intended audience asking? What are the key issues with which they need expert assistance?

As a blogger, you’re placing yourself squarely in the role of expert, so check out tools like Answer The Public to find brilliant subjects for your blog. Make sure your eventual piece adds value, too. The likelihood is your blog will join countless others offering the same advice, therefore you can stand out by presenting genuinely interesting, actionable advice and making your content better.

Spend what feels like too much time on the title

The 80/20 rule applies to blogging, and it may surprise you to hear that the lion’s share of that time should be devoted to the blog title.

A bit like an email subject line, it’s the first thing people will see. It therefore needs to captivate them immediately with a sense of urgency, a promise that one of their burning questions will be answered and a cliff-hanger that screams “click me now!”.

Headlines have always been super important, so make sure yours leaps of the page (and don’t forget those keywords!).

Use beautiful imagery

Blogs aren’t just about words – they should be accompanied by beautiful images.

There’s nothing wrong with stock photography, but it makes sense to put a significant amount of effort into sourcing the images for your blog posts. Better still, if you can create your own unique visuals, your post will be unique as you will create something that can’t be found elsewhere.

Videos work brilliantly, too, therefore if you find the opportunity to embed one within your next blog post, jump at the chance.

Don’t forget the call-to-action

You could write the most engaging, value-packed blog post imaginable, but if you fail to include a call-to-action (CTA), you may as well not have bothered.

What do you want people to do when they’ve finished reading your post? Email you? Sign-up to the monthly newsletter? Sign up for a trial of your software? Whatever it is, make it an obvious next step once they’ve read the last sentence.

Wrapping up

Blogging requires patience, creative flair and – most importantly – strategic thinking. We hope you will find our tips inspiring. Please do share your own tips, on writing awesome blogposts, in the comments below.

It’s a typical Monday. Most people are head down, churning out work, planning out their week. But you, you’re on the hunt for content that you can turn into actionable blog posts for your audience. You know what your audience is looking for and you know where they hang out online — the only thing you’re lacking is the influx of content to really drive SERPs and get people to your site. Here are a few ways to turn your daily business conversations into resourceful content:

1. Be a Resource

Just because you’re an expert in your field doesn’t mean that your readers are. Provide resourceful content and ebooks that will help your audience get a deeper understanding of your industry, and better yet, help them rely on your site as a top resource.

While this may seem like a daunting feat, it really is as easy as writing down what you know. Ask the thought leaders on your team what they specialize in and what they’d love to write about; guaranteed, they each have an area of expertise which they are passionate about. Outline content requirements and even structure their posts for them; make it as easy as possible for them to jot down their wealth of knowledge. Have them turn in a piece of content (about 500 words is good) and have an editor spruce it up a bit (remember, not everyone is a writer). Easy as that, you just created some straight-from-the-source, resourceful content.

Want some inspiration? Check out Moody’s Analytics Insight publications— this is a great example of a company that turned its employees’ expert knowledge into a top resource for users.

2. Create a Case Study

You have a plethora of amazing clients you are helping to be the best. Why not turn the work you’re doing for those clients into blog content? For example, if you use influencer marketing for your clients, create a case study based on virality of the content you created versus the existing content the client had created without your help. Case studies are an awesome way to drive traffic to your blog and to grow your email list. Keep case studies gated (requiring an email address) and you can track popularity while you grow your email marketing campaigns.

For details on how to create a compelling case study, read this KISSmetrics post.

3. Repurpose Existing Content

Your website is filled with content that’s crafted to make the sale, written specifically for your unique audience. Take the content from your landing page, your About Us, even your FAQ and expand on it for on-point, easy content. Better yet, if you have an existing blog, take your old blog posts that are still relevant and rewrite them with a 2015 twist. You may need to add new data and pictures, but a little rewriting of existing content is a sure-fire way to drive traffic without too much work.

4. Create Graphics

When you’re looking at your content to decide what to repurpose, pull out great stats, data and strong sentences to turn into graphics. Whenever you’re creating blog content, keep in mind that everything can also be easily represented in visual form. While we may only remember 20 percent of what we read, Hubspot reports that we remember 80 percent of what we see. Visual content is great for social media and can also be used for infographics. A simple sentence in bold font can do a lot to drive engagement and can keep your blog post alive long after you post it.