It’s an all-too-familiar scenario: business owners invest hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars trying to create a popular and profitable blog, only to find that it basically collects virtual dust.
Fortunately, fixing this common problem usually doesn’t require a total overhaul. Rather, it’s a matter of fixing key elements that are working against the blog vs. for it. Here are 5 proven and practical ways to turn a boring and neglected business blog, into a dynamic traffic generating machine:
- Ensure that your content is relevant vs. self-promoting.
Instead of creating “content for the sake of content,” map and target hyper-relevant content to your buyer personas, which are profiles of your ideal customer types. While it’s fine to occasionally promote your products and services, the goal of a business blog is to educate and inform target audiences — not to sell stuff.
- Publish content consistently vs. once-in-a-while.
Publishing a minimum of 5 original blog posts a month — but ideally 3-5 a week — is mandatory on today’s digital landscape. Not only will you generate more traffic and increase time-on-site, but your blog (and its associated posts) are more likely to appear in search engine results.
- Mix things up.
Instead of pushing out just one or two types of content (e.g. “How To” posts or FAQs, etc.), mix things up by integrating educational content, with more laid back and informal content. An excellent example of this is Retail Management Solutions, a company that specializes in pharmacy point-of-sale solutions and technology. Their blog contains thought leadership content, as well as fun stuff like what to do on the Fourth of July weekend. It’s a great balance.
- Keep length in mind.
Some blog posts aren’t blog posts — they’re more like social media blurbs; which are fine for social media, but not for blogs. Generally speaking, blog posts should be at least 400 words, but even exceeding 1000 words is fine. As long as content is well-written, intelligently organized, visually appealing (see next tip) and relevant, it will be an asset vs. a liability.
- Use an image.
Always include at least one suitably-sized image in your blog posts. Studies show that blog posts with images generate 650% higher engagement than text-only posts.
The Bottom Line
If your business blog is starved for attention, then don’t panic or pull the plug. Bringing it back to life is faster and easier than you think — provided that you keep tips like the above in mind. Before long, you’ll be generating quality traffic that converts into happy, loyal customers!