Google’s updates and Matt Cutts’ recent controversial statement on guest blogging always had one thing in common: they all stress the importance of high quality content. Today I want to talk about how you can improve your content creation strategies – starting from your own business’ blog.
Blogging isn’t just a fad – it’s an important element of any business’ online marketing venture. HubSpot reports that Business-to-Business (B2B) companies that blog only once or twice a month generate 70% more leads than those that don’t blog at all. It can also drive traffic to your website and establish your company’s authority in your specific niche. To get all these benefits from your B2B company’s blog, you have to blog the right way. Here are a few tips on how to do just that.
1. Stop Obsessing Over Word Count
If you’re still worrying about meeting a specific word count for each blog post, just stop and take it easy. Focus on the quality of the writing, instead. I’ve seen writers struggle with squeezing too much information into a limited number of words, or add unnecessary fluff to articles just to meet the minimum word count. Instead of suffocating your blogging with word count, concentrate on what you need to do to deliver your message or story. There’s nothing wrong with giving your blog a more casual and digestible flair by serving both short and long form content. A great post will be read, shared, and remembered, no matter how long or short it is.
2. Don’t Treat Your Blog Like a Press Center
Press Releases and Blog Posts are two completely different types of content. Just because you’re a B2B company doesn’t mean you have to publish your press releases on your blog, nor does it mean you should limit your posts to news topics and formal, impersonal writing. If you do have news and announcements to share, do it with a more casual tone.
You should also keep this tip in mind when selecting topics for your posts. Write about something other than your business and your products. Offer helpful tips, provide insightful commentary on an industry-related topic, or share interesting stories about your company’s everyday processes. Breaking out of the journalist/news reporter mold is a great way to give your blog more personality and make it stand out from the rest of the B2B crowd.
3. Make Sure Your Blog is Discoverable
Content discovery and social sharing play huge roles in content marketing and distribution. What use is a great blog if nobody knows where to find it? Make it a habit to share your posts on your social networks, especially on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and encourage readers to share your post with their friends by adding social sharing buttons to your blog.
4. Don’t Expect Immediate Results
When it comes to blogging, slow and steady wins the race. You can’t expect to see an immediate increase in leads and revenue if you’ve only been blogging for a few days. Here’s a graph that illustrates how the number of visits of a blog gradually increased over a full year (courtesy of Impact Branding & Design’s Marketing Director, John Bonini):
Set realistic goals and expectations for your blog, and don’t get discouraged if you only see a slight increase in traffic or leads. Blogging is a long-term commitment that yields results gradually. Just focus on creating valuable content and getting it out there. If you’re doing it right, you’ll start noticing more significant improvements a few months after you first started.
Content marketing best practices may constantly be changing, but creating valuable, high quality content that your audience will appreciate and share will always be an effective strategy. Sign-up as our partner today to see how we handle our own blogging and content strategies.
