August 25, 2015
A blog can be a great resource for getting an individual or a company’s thought leadership out into the world, but getting started can be a bit daunting. At Aria, we advise, assist and draft blog posts for our clients regularly, so we thought we’d share some tips that you can leverage to craft and promote your blog.
- Know your audience. In general, blogs should be written in a conversational tone, allowing you or your company’s personality to shine through. However, it is important to keep in mind who you are speaking to and just how casual the tone should be. Start by defining your audience and the type of language that would resonate with them. Once a voice has been established, be sure to maintain consistency throughout all posts.
- Provide captivating content with actionable steps. Your blog should provide readers with valuable, relevant and stimulating content. Consider questions that your readers want answered. Whenever possible, include tips, advice and instructions that will help readers take positive steps towards improvement. It may be helpful to begin by brainstorming a list of the subjects that various spokespeople within your company can write about. Then, you can divide and conquer.
- Avoid being overly promotional. Most of your readers are not interested in what you are selling, but rather how it can benefit them. Use points and topics that support your business proposition and imbed links to your site. If your blog is compelling, people will want to learn more and click the links.
- Keep it short and sweet. Blogs should be around 300 to 500 words, allowing readers to glean the most important information quickly and efficiently. However, a well-written post, chock full of helpful information, could exceed 1200 words. That said, keep in mind that lengthy pages of text can deter readers. To avoid this, try cutting your blog into a series or summarizing your points and including links to documents that provide more in-depth information.
- Promote your blog through social media. When starting out, it can be difficult to drive web traffic to your blog. Do not expect people to just find your blog on their own. Be proactive and post about your blog on social media communities such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Start by following relevant organizations, participating in conversations and interacting with key industry leaders. Once you have established a presence, post a mix of content, including interesting stories, industry news and plugs for your blog.
Stay tuned and keep checking back for more tips and tricks from the Aria team!
