Blogging is about connecting to your audience in an easily accessible web-based medium. It’s about consistent communication with a purpose and a strategy. It’s about developing smart content to inform, entice and increase your customer base. At least that’s what blogging for a business is about.
Blogs have become one of the preferred online marketing tools for companies both large and small. It can become a high-powered vehicle for information distribution and full of possibilities for your company’s relationship with its public.
Blogging for a business is about consistent communication with a purpose and a strategy.
Here’s how to get your company’s blog started:
Step 1: Give it a Purpose
Think about what your audience would be interested in learning. What questions do they frequently ask you? What information can you provide that is different from competitors or similar blogs? How can your knowledge and experience help them become more successful? Let these questions drive your blog’s purpose and remember: a business blog is for spreading information, not selling wares. Don’t push your products or services onto readers. They want informative content, not spammy ads.
Step 2: Create a Content Calendar
To keep your blog consistently updated, create a content calendar. This calendar should include when posts will be published and who will be writing each post. Schedule each post out at least three months in advance. You should also decide how often you will upload content. You may decide to do it once a month, once a week or twice a week. The main goal is consistency. Readers hate seeing several months in between posts.
Step 3: Develop a Keyword List
To develop a keyword list, simply start writing down search terms you would like to rank for in search engines. Start out simple. What is the name of your industry? What is the name of your company? Then dig deeper. What questions are you often asked? What would you type into Google to find your company if you were a potential customer? Compile a list of those words and make sure at least three of those words make it into every post. Also, a keyword list is rather helpful when you’re in a bind about what to write about.
Step 4: Choose Your Bloggers
I do not recommend making the blog writing one person’s job. I do recommend designating someone as the manager of the blog to make sure the blog keeps moving. Select at least three workers who are competent writers, know the industry and you can trust. Put your bloggers on a rotation within the content calendar to keep them from having to write something every week. You definitely want to set up an editing process, as well. More than one pair of eyes needs to read the post before it is published.
Step 5: Write Your First Post
Before your blog goes live, make sure you have content to go live with it. Nothing is more anticlimactic than promoting your shining new blog to the whole world, only for them to find nothing but a blank page. A few weeks before you launch, write a quick blog post. It can be an introductory post welcoming readers to your blog or you can jump right in and start sharing important content. Just make sure the blog is ready to be read once your blog goes live.