Post Link: 5 Blogging Mistakes You're Making On Your Brand's Blog

5 Blogging Mistakes You're Making On Your Brand's Blog

If you have made the decision to start a blog for your brand, congratulations on a smart move.Blogging is a great way for brands to reach out directly to both existing and new customers, getthem acquainted with your products, and encourage them to do business with you.

The key ingredient for engaging these customers is trust––the belief that you will provide themwith valuable content. Brands can sometimes lose sight of this fact, however. Here are fiveways your blog can take a wrong turn and what you can do to put it on the right course.

1. Your blog does not deliver real, consistent value to readers.

Of all these blogging mistakes, this one is at the top. High-quality information that readers findvaluable is the foundation of a successful blog. If you limit yourself to the odd press release orfind yourself posting low quality images, don’t be surprised if readers ignore your efforts.

Many businesses tend to focus on SEO––stuffing their blog posts with relevant “keywords” butsacrificing the quality of their content in the process. Using appropriate keywords in your postsis an important tactic to increase search visibility, but never rely on that tactic alone. Keywordplanning should be a natural part of high-quality content creation that keeps readers comingback for more.

Furthermore, once you have identified the types of topics that will deliver the most value to your

readers (see next point), prepare an editorial calendar for publishing posts on a regular basis.While you do not necessarily need to publish a new post every day, it’s important to get on aschedule and post consistently.

2. You have not identified topics that are valuable to your readers.

First, decide who your audience is. Are you blogging for your end customers? Or the retailbuyers who place wholesale orders? Are you blogging for both? Figuring out whom you’rewriting for is a crucial step to starting a successful blog.

If you already have a blog in place, see what types of posts inspire comments and questions. Ifreaders raised some interesting points in comments to one of your posts, for example, use themas fodder for the topic of your next post.

If you’re just starting your blog, brainstorm ideas. What are your readers really interested in?One topic suggestion to get you started? Product backstories. Retail buyers and end customersalike often want to feel that they are participating in a story when they make a purchase. Forwholesale customers, these stories can help their own sales efforts in turn.

Keep in mind thatany stories involving your business specifically (e.g. new hires or strategicdecisions) need to be relevant for your customers. If they aren’t, don’t post them.

3. You are not presenting your content in a straightforward way.

Blog readers tend to consume information quickly and have short attention spans. Get to thepoint and make it clear. For starters, make sure you are using clearly worded titles for all of yourblog posts. Lists, section headings, and liberal use of paragraph breaks are also greatlyappreciated by readers.

4. You are not adding your own “personality” to posts.

Blog readers derive value not only from content you create, but also your point of view. For areal-life example, see BoostedBoards’ blog post on their opinions about skateboard design, aswell as how they select electric skateboard parts and test them. (The post is also a goodexample of a product backstory, incidentally.)

From that post alone, readers can get a feel for the amount of technical expertise behind thebrand, and their dedication to “getting it right.”

5. You are not promoting your blog posts via social media, email, and otherdistribution channels.

You should not expect readers to remember to visit your blog to check for new content. Youcan, however, reasonably expect them to check their email and view social media platforms likeLinkedIn or Facebook regularly.

Make sure you are letting your readers know each time you publish a new post by announcing iton your social media platforms, and send email notifications to those readers who’ve agreed to

receive email updates. Find other ways to distribute and “amplify” your content. Have greatimages? Pin them on Pinterest with a link to the post. You can also syndicate your blog postson other sites.

Remember, finally, that you will never go wrong by monitoring and responding to commentsfrom your readers. Ask for feedback early and often.Post originally located at: https://www.handshake.com/blog/blogging-mistakes/

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