So you want a blog that has real content that will draw people to your site? Here are some tips…
It’s not just about you
No one likes it when a person is “me me me” all the time so you don’t want to write pieces that are just about marketing yourself. This makes the scope of your blog very narrow. Instead, inform your readers about your industry, these kinds of posts show that you understand your niche and it’s a way of showing your expertise. If you do it right, it will make you stand out. Ask questions and ask your readers to share. Perhaps they have some interesting insight into the topic or they might have something they want to ask. Encourage your readers to engage with your content.
Tell stories
Stories personalise the blog and it shows that you’re human. Stories are also a way of drawing on your personal experience. You may be surprise how people will connect with your story and share theirs in return! Your experiences are unique to you and it’s an easy way to be memorable!
Format properly
It doesn’t matter if you have the best content but forget to close your tags, making a mess of your blog post. Your font should be simple and legible. Don’t make it too fancy or it’ll distract from your content. Also make sure you do have tags to make it easier for people to access the content thematically.
Filter the spam
Use a SPAM filter so legitimate commenters aren’t put off by spam comments on your blog. Don’t set the security too high or some people won’t be able to comment. Generally the more hoops the commenter has to jump through (providing email, website, typing in the captcha) will decrease the amount of SPAM comments you are likely to get.
Deal with negativity in a timely and respectful manner
Don’t engage in a flame war. This will make you look unprofessional at best and at worst, petty and juvenile. If there is a heated argument and it’s not started by you, freeze or delete the thread as appropriate and ask people to take it elsewhere. If you respond to criticism and are willing to acknowledge the weaknesses in your blog post, people will respect you more.
Don’t trash talk your competitors
Focus on positives. You can point out the flaws in a competitor’s product but don’t attack them personally. Remain professional at all times. Remember everything you say on the Internet is in the public domain and even if you delete it, content can be cached, people can take screenshots. You don’t want a libel and/or defamation law suit on your hands.
Multimedia
A blog doesn’t have to be just words. Feel free to add pictures and video content. Multimedia content is much more eye-catching than chunks of words. The key is to make sure everything is relevant.
Persevere
Track your performance, pay attention to your feedback and keep doing things that work for you. Don’t expect your hits to go through the roof in one day. They key is maintaining regular traffic to your blog that will translate into real business. It takes time to build a loyal audience base.