Buzz Building Series - Issue 6: Blogging; it’s benefits and strategies to exploit them - part 2

Hi There,

Welcome to issue 6 of the buzz building series in which we look at Blogging; it's benefits and strategies to exploit them (Part 2 of 2), to support your buzz building program.

Blogging is the hot topic on all Digital Marketers lips, but what can it really DO for your business, and why should you care? Rick and Owen explain...

Rick says...

We've well established in Part 1 what a Blog is, and some of the immediate benefits of a consistent blogging strategy, but let's dive a bit deeper and get a little more practical...

Not only does a blog make your site very attractive to Search Engines, it also gives you the opportunity to re-purpose and curate a continual stream of topical, engaging and optimised content to your target audience.

For us, a good blog has a few key ingredients and paramatres:

> An attractive heading. The heading of your blog is what people will see when it's posted on Social Media and in search engine results, so make it immediately intriguing and give it a "pull factor". For example, "10 reasons why you NEED to blog in 2014", or "The biggest secret to SEO, revealed".

> One key focus. It can be tempting to ramble or go off-topic with a blog post, but the key in terms of engagement and SEO, is to stick to one key subject and to do it concisely (around 500 words), and to use this for optimising the Heading, the Sub-Titles, the linked terms and the page URL.

> Use visuals. Visuals, and in particular InfoGraphics, can really boost the life and engagement of a blog post. Visuals will be shown as thumbnails for linked content on Social Media, and are far more likely to be "shared" too.

Use the following as a further check-list for your blog / blog-writing:

Ensure RSS is enabled: RSS allows people to subscribe to your posts in real-time.
Write a compelling intro: This will often be shown in linked content on Social Media and in search results
Use web copy structure:Break up content with bullets, shorter paragraphs and visuals.
Link outwards as well as inwards: This is about reciprocity. Recognise content you refer to, and they will likely reciprocate.
Use a share tool. Make it as easy as possible for readers to share your content on social media.
Use categories. To aid SEO, use categories that carry your keyword terms.
Optimise the post. Use your chosen keyword/phrase in the Title, Page URL, and in the Sub-Headings.

Above all stay frequent, stay consistent, and stay optimised. Content that's consistent and well optimised, will deliver you results for life and far cheaper than any pay-per-click campaign.

Stay tuned for our next Issue (7), all about Search Engine Optimisation .

Don't forget to tell your friends...

 

Owen says...

Rick’s provided an excellent structure for you when planning and writing your blogs. As you can see there’s a bit more to it than simply writing about your products or services or ranting about what annoys you in your industry (although that can be extremely tempting and quite cathartic, it’s not terribly interesting or useful for your reader).

There’s little doubt that when you first start off, your blog posts you’ll have lots of ideas. It’s a good idea to think link an editor of a magazine and newspaper and plan out titles or topics across the year.

If your industry has set dates or events that are important then clearly you need to plan to schedule in a blog around any and all of those. It’s a good idea to start planning these as soon as possible so that you can make sure you really capitalise by producing a great and really relevant blog that people will be looking out and searching for.

Beyond the obvious blog topics, it’s a good idea to list out the kind of questions that people ask you on a regular basis or the sorts of issues or problems they come to you to help solve.

This is not quite the same as listing out your products and services. People will often search based on problems or the kind of questions they have and if you can be the provider of useful and relevant help and information when they need it, then you it could be you they come to when they want to buy.

So if you sell paint (for example) why not talk about design issues or how to mix and match colours, or what sort of paint works well in a kitchen or bathroom.

A good way to keep the topics coming is to start to build an understanding of what other people in and around your sector are talking about.

I would recommend you set up some Google Alerts (Put it in Google and you will find them!) so that you can receive a news feed of all the latest news and articles that relate to your topic or sector.

You can use Twitter in a similar way to see what people are interested in and talking about.

Producing a timely and well written blog that relates to something current and “hot” for your audience will make you relevant and give you the best chance of getting picked up as people are searching.

Using Google alerts is also a great way for you to build up ideas and a library of reference information that you can refer and link out to across the year.

3 things to do today to help with your blogging strategy...

Ensure your RSS is enabled
Set up a "Share Tool" for your blog posts
Create your first ever InfoGraphic

Don't forget, still to come in the buzz building series...

> Search Engine Optimisation and it's part in your strategy

> Email Marketing to amplify your content and build your audience

> Analytics and Optimisation; understanding your impact

> Reporting and building a pipeline of interest

> Audience & content. How to write a buzz building strategy

> Buzz building and the resources required to sustain it

To discuss any aspect of the buzz building series, please call us at your convenience on 0203 1372 844.

Rick & Owen