It’s no secret that we’re big on blogs! So we thought we’d go back to basics and explore what they are, where they’ve come from and why we’re such big advocates for this tool in the content marketing kit.
From lifestyle to leads
You may associate the term “blogging” with a somewhat indulgent “hobby” – the type of ethereal pastime you do whilst swinging in hammocks, laptop and Pina Colada at hand, essentially penning a dreamy diary of your escape to paradise. In reality, blogging is an exceptionally potent digital marketing tool that can take your brand from “blah” to “brilliant” with a few simple yet highly effective strategies. Plus, it’s absolutely key to it being found in the first place.
What is a blog?
If you think of your website as a digital store, your homepage is the storefront, and your blog is an enticing window display that grabs attention and draws in shoppers. A blog is a web page that is updated regularly. It’s a dedicated space within your site where you can share long-form articles that feature topics your target audience will find helpful. A blog can keep your readers interested and engaged. To enrich your users’ reading and learning experience, you can add hyperlinks to internal or external pages whilst including videos or images will make your blog even more appealing.
Blogging benefits
Blogging is an integral component of any content marketing strategy. Along with implementing your website to teach users about your products and services, you can also feature a blog section to inform consumers about topics relevant to your field. It is often through blog content that you first entice people to your site and begin to establish your brand’s audience.
A blog can also help you get more website traffic from search engines. By skillfully incorporating relevant keywords, more people can locate your blog posts through searching and then go on to discover the rest of your website. These blog posts will also contain prominent keywords in your industry, assisting your post in ranking well in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).
When people find the content in your blog valuable, they will also create links to individual pages, which can build your organic backlink profile. This will not only supercharge your visibility but also rev up your ranking.
Blogs can:
- Demonstrate thought leadership
- Improve SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
- Create a brand voice
- Develop credibility
- Expand your market offerings
- Boost the longevity of your brand
- Pique people’s interest and keep them engaged
Banish those blog-writing blues!
However, just like most writing, trying to produce clever and creative content can become quite daunting. That’s why we’ve compiled a go-to list of our Top 10 Favourite Blog Posts. No more blog writer’s block, only blog brilliance!
1. How-To Guides & Tutorials
Tutorials and How-To guides are probably the simplest type of blog post you can produce because they involve you talking about things you’re already familiar with, such as your product or service. People are always looking for solutions to their problems. If they see you have the answer they’re looking for, they’re likely to click on the link to your site to read the article. Sharing your industry knowledge and thought leadership in “how-to articles” proves you know what you’re talking about, which can result in powerful lead generation.
2. Hottest Industry News
It doesn’t matter what field you’re in; if you’re passionate about it, you’ll want to keep abreast of cutting-edge developments. Why not find the most recent and relevant news in your industry and blog about it? You can even link to news articles if you feel it adds value. The key thing with this type of blog post is that you add your unique “flavour” in the form of opinions, criticism, etc.
3. Checklists: Do you have everything you need to ____?
Giving your audience a handy checklist gives them a step-by-step breakdown of what they must do to accomplish a goal. This differs from “how-to articles” as checklists don’t allow interpretation. When your audience wants a quick reference guide, checklist and “cheat sheet” type blogs provide a valuable resource and encourage them to download and consume more of your content. The ideal checklist takes a common task and breaks it down into short, achievable items.
4. Listicles (and, no, they’re not a type of popsicle!)
List article type blogs are consistently among the most shared on the internet. The possibilities are endless. You can create a list of just about anything. It may be a list of your favourite fitness apps, the best burger takeaway places, or the top reasons to visit a particular destination. When people don’t have time to read a full blog article, they can simply skim a list-style article and extract all the required information. Lists are superb traffic builders and are more likely to go viral than other blog formats.
5. Case Studies
Case studies are relatively straightforward to write and are excellent for providing “social proof”. People enjoy reading success stories and discovering what goes on behind the scenes. Email your best customers, discuss how they have used your product or service to improve their business, and then share the case study on your blog. Case study blog articles are incredibly effective for lead conversion. Readers will be more likely to trust your credibility when they see actual examples, making them easier to convert into customers.
6. Problem & Solution
Readers love to encounter stories about turning a potential pitfall into a win. In this type of blog, you can highlight a specific problem in your industry or niche and then offer practical advice on overcoming this. For instance, when it comes to digital marketing, you may want to write about “Ways You Hamper Your Lead Generation…and How To Remedy Them”.
7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
These are really popular posts because, in all likelihood, your readers have already googled these queries hoping to get clarification. You could create a blog series addressing one commonly asked question and supplying the answer, or you could write a long post answering all the frequently asked questions. And just like that, you’ll have fantastic content that makes the SEO gods smile too!
8. Questions You Should be Asking
Whereas FAQs are questions your visitors commonly ask, your “Should Ask Questions” (SAQs) are the types of questions an informed visitor knows to ask. They can help educate your readers on those questions they should be asking and why it’s valuable to ask them.
9. Time-Saving Posts (“How To”)
People are always searching for time-saving hacks! We could all do with some “Britain’s Got Talent” super skills when it comes to keeping all your balls in the air. A clever blog offering great tips on improving time management will always hook your audience.
10. “Metrics to Measure” Guides
What are metrics, why are they important, and how do you improve them? Many people just starting out don’t understand the value of metrics and why they’re critical to running a successful website. A blog post about important numbers and metrics can be extremely helpful to your audience.
Ready, steady…Blog!
So, what are you waiting for? Fire up those creative juices, use our ideas as a springboard and tap away until you’ve got a brilliant blog post to publish.
Keen to reap the rewards of blogging, but writing’s not your thing? You know where we are if you need us!
Contact us here for content marketing expertise, guidance on blogging, and much more.
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