Every year, it seems as though the experts are all recommending a blog for small businesses. Not only does it help to position a business as specialists, it allows interaction with consumers and the potential to network with complementary products and services.
This is all well and good…but what about the process of blogging itself? Unfortunately, there aren’t quite so many people providing advice on this, so we have compiled a few simple tips you can use right now and beyond!
Consistency is Key
Above all, we recommend getting into the habit of posting regularly. If you post three times in a week and then not again for two months, this is an entirely pointless exercise because your readers don’t have a schedule and they can’t rely upon your posts. Posting once a week consistently is much better than a sporadic ‘schedule.’
Once a schedule is in place, readers can come to rely upon your blog and they look forward to reading it. If you only have the time for one a week, make sure it has plenty of value so it tides readers over until the next one.
Target Your Audience
If you have a product or service targeting a specific audience, make sure you use this knowledge when creating a blog post. If your company helps beginners in any industry, using lots of jargon in your blog posts will exclude (and confuse!) your audience. A blog should complement your products and make readers want to learn more about your business.
SEO Again
We understand; these three letters make you want to switch off the computer and forget about everything we’ve said. However, SEO (or Search Engine Optimization) doesn’t need to be as frustrating as it seems.
Nowadays, there are plenty of websites and programs that tell you the main keywords within your niche. From here, try to choose popular phrases but without the competition of the main options. Once you find this balance, you can enter the keyword into your content naturally (without overdoing it) and the search engines will value your work more highly.
Add Personality
If you use a little humor on social media or on your website, don’t be afraid to expand on this within your blog. As a small business, you’re relying on being more personable than the larger corporations and a blog can help you to achieve this. As long as you don’t go over the top and write in text-speak, personality can work wonders.
Short and Sweet
As they always say, quality is better than quantity. Sure, you can release a long guide every now and then but most of your blog posts should remain within 2,000 words, otherwise the reader simply loses interest and clicks away.
If you’re to follow this tip, the best advice we can provide is to plan your blog beforehand. Although opening a blank document and writing from scratch may seem like a good idea, a plan will prevent ‘filler’ material and it’ll make sure you get the most important points across effectively.
Watch the Competition
Notice how we said ‘watch’ and not ‘copy’; you don’t ever want to get a reputation for copying the competition because then you’ll find it very hard to come out from their shadow.
However, that’s not to say you can’t look at the type of content they’re producing to see which pieces get the most interaction in terms of likes and shares on social media (another good tip; utilize social media as much as possible!).
If you follow these tips, your small business blog can grow this year and you can build a friendly community with your readers whilst promoting yourself as the expert with all the knowledge!
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