First time blogger? Blogging is an effective way to define your niche and interact with others online. Blogging fosters your relationship with your audience and sets you apart as an industry expert. Bloggers who capture the attention of their audience reap the benefits, becoming well-respected sources of products and services.
Here are 10 tips to get you started as a blogger.
- Brainstorm ideas. Consider what people want to know. I chose this topic after talking with a business owner at a banquet. He wanted to start blogging and didn’t know how. What questions did you answer today?
- Consider your brand image. The content you create and share is a reflection of your company. Make sure your messaging style is consistent with your overall marketing plan.
- Write an outline. Consider your key points and put them in order.
- Share your expertise. You’d be surprised by how much knowledge you have of your industry.
- Keep it interesting. Write in a conversational style that fits your audience. Use transition words (in addition, because, seems like, etc.) so people read it start to finish. Make it a readable length (300-350 words), and use subheadings, lists or bullet points to break up the copy.
- Write an introduction and a conclusion. Begin with a sentence that draws people into the blog, and end with a sentence that leaves them satisfied.
- Read it aloud, slowly. Look at every word individually and how it fits in a sentence. Remove or rework awkward phrases. Divide lengthy sentences (20 words or more) into shorter sentences.
- Use spell check. Save yourself the embarrassment of typos and misspellings. If your blog is peppered with errors, you undermine your authority as an expert.
- Create a list of headlines. Incorporate attention-getting phrases, like “How to…, Why you should…, The future of…, 5 ways to…” Take your time and write a winner.
- Promote your blog. Share it on Facebook and LinkedIn. Link to it in your company’s eNewsletter. Send it to media outlets as a feature article or letter to the editor.
Every blogger begins somewhere. I hope you use these tips to start blogging.
If you’re still gun shy, contact Writer to the Rescue at 920-639-1865 to discuss how we can work together on blogs, website content, news releases, magazine articles, and more.
