Think that blogging is becoming more and more irrelevant in today’s fast-paced digital world? Don’t underestimate the power of a good old blog just yet. There’s more to an effective blog content strategy than meets the eye—and you’ll be surprised by the overwhelming data and statistics that prove how a blog can be beneficial to anyone, even in today’s world.
How Blogging Works for You or Your Business
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Data from Growth Badger show that there are more than 600 million active blogs in the world today, and an estimated 2.5 billion blog posts are being published every year. A blog post remains the most popular platform among content marketers, with 9 in 10 content marketers using blog posts to improve their marketing strategies.
Blogging is also a top go-to strategy for small and big businesses looking to attract and retain customers. In 2019, companies that used blogs increased their chances of achieving a positive return on investment by 13 times, according to statistics from HubSpot?. Plus, blogging can lead to higher rates of leads and sales conversions as businesses that maintain blogs get 55% more online site visitors than those that do not.
From growing online traffic to engaging with audiences, earning the trust and loyalty of consumers, and establishing a strong reputation for you or your business as a credible thought leader, the benefits of blogging are endless.
Are you interested in learning how you can level up your blogging techniques? Here are some useful tips and best practices to help you craft a winning blog content strategy. Find out more about how you can capture readers and make them crave more of your posts.
Ways to Create Compelling Blog Posts
Think like your target audience
Knowing and understanding your target audience is a crucial first step towards engaging readers in the most effective ways. Determine who your target readers will be and find out more about their main interests, the kind of content they would love to read, and the tone and style of writing that will appeal most to them.
Keep in mind that your goal is to provide content that will be valuable to your readers—and that may include blog posts that enlighten, entertain, provoke, and give solutions to problems that your target readers are dealing with.
Follow a clear direction, theme, and purpose for your blog, so you’ll always convey the messages that your target audience needs and wants. This will not only increase engagement for your blog but will also enable you or your business to be known as an expert in your chosen field.
Keep it simple, relevant, and interesting
According to research from Databox, thorough, detailed, and comprehensive blog posts with about 1,500 to 2,000 words tend to rank high in search engine results.
Generally, there are no concrete and one-size-fits-all rules when it comes to the length of blog posts. No matter how long or short your blog post is, it won’t be able to attract and sustain your target readers if it is not authentic and interesting.
Make your blog stand out among the saturated online space by showcasing your vulnerability and unique personality. Deliver the kind of content your audience won’t find anywhere else online. Keep a conversational tone and build a relationship with your readers by consistently giving them content that is original, exciting, inspiring, and even intriguing.
Add some visual elements
There’s nothing quite like powerful and purposeful imagery to get your blog noticed in no time. Carefully choose high-resolution images that will not only break your text but also support and enhance the message that you want to convey. This way, your readers will be more encouraged to share your blog post on their social media channels.
Images are good, but using too many of them may disrupt your audience’s reading and distract them from the message of your content piece. So make sure only to include relevant images and avoid visual elements that will make your blog post too difficult to read.
The overall design and user experience (UX) of your blog pages are also important factors that readers consider when deciding whether to continue reading your content. Poorly designed pages and overwhelming visuals can easily turn readers away from your blog. And a bad UX—like too many display ads, cluttered design, and complex navigation—can discourage readers from returning to your blog.
Make sure that each element of your blog posts serves a purpose so that readers will not think twice about coming back or sharing your content.
Create catchy headlines and keep them short and simple
Start with a bang and draw your readers in with a headline that will make it hard for them not to continue reading your blog post. A headline or title is critical to the success of your blog. Make the most out of every opportunity to lure readers through creative, short, engaging, and actionable headlines. Leave a great impression with a compelling title that your readers wouldn’t be able to resist.
Today’s readers have very short attention spans, so long sentences can bore and tire them. Keep your sentences short and always create content that is easy to read. Get straight to the point quickly and avoid using words, phrases, or sentences that may confuse or mislead your readers. Focus on the topic at hand, so you don’t lose the attention of your audience.
Don’t forget those hooks in headings
Besides the headline, your opening paragraphs should also be intriguing enough to convince the reader that your blog post is worth their time. On average, bloggers have about eight seconds to draw the reader’s attention. Use this precious time by crafting a great introduction that drives readers into your blog post right away.
There are many tried and tested techniques that you can apply to make sure that you don’t start your blog post with a weak opening paragraph. How about opening with a startling statement or a fascinating fact? Or maybe you can start by posing a question, using a news reference, or even giving a preview or synopsis of the topic?
Leading with a nice anecdote or short story and a quotation are also some of the most effective ways to engage your readers. Start off with a hook that piques the curiosity of your readers and pulls them to your blog.
Prioritize interactive content
Go beyond words and make your blog as interactive as possible. There are many elements that you can add to your blog to create an interactive post. You can try the following:
- Embed videos
- Add animated GIFs and slideshows
- Create interactive charts, infographics, and maps
- Build quizzes
- Display social media content and add social sharing options
Moving from publishing static content to maximizing valuable interactive elements will help your blog gain a competitive edge in an evolving digital landscape. Producing interactive website content will not only wow your audiences and make them feel part of the conversation but will also boost your engagements and conversions.
Optimize blog content for search
Incorporating search engine optimization (SEO) strategies into your blog post is key to the long-term success of your website. Following and mastering SEO best practices is a surefire way to drive traffic to your blog posts and other web pages. Here are some steps you can take to optimize your blog content:
- Include targeted keywords in your headings or titles and first and last sentences
- Resize images and use relevant keywords in file names, captions, and image titles
- Choose in-demand topics
- Use long-tail keywords
- Maintain a good keyword concentration and ratio
Engage site visitors
What better way to connect with your audience and generate reader engagement than by allowing them to leave comments on your blog? Monitoring and responding to comments is no easy feat, but these social listening and communication efforts make a huge difference in increasing conversions. You’ll be able to build a relationship with your online readers and better understand the topics that appeal most to them.
Make it a habit to end your blog posts with a call-to-action (CTA) to encourage engagement. There are different ways to use CTAs to your advantage. You can ask your readers to weigh in on the subject or leave comments about their thoughts and experiences. You can also use polls and surveys to encourage engagement.
Other examples to boost engagement that you can try are: asking them to share pictures related to the matter or commenting the next topic that they would like you to discuss.
Blog Your Way to Success
Creating a blog may be easy, but maintaining a well-thought-out blog that sustains readers takes serious work. The benefits, however, far outweigh all the challenges you will be experiencing as you navigate the world of blogging. With the right attitude, practices, planning, commitment, and strategy, you’ll be able to generate high-quality blog posts with a unique voice that is sure to attract and retain customers.
Keep these tips and best practices in mind to ensure that your blog never fails to deliver value and keep your readers coming back for more. Are you excited to improve your blog posts so that they reach their full potential? Perhaps you have tips for effective blogging. Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Author: Trevor Michael
Author Bio: Trevor Michael is a Customer Contact Industry Specialist of Select VoiceCom, a call centre in the Philippines, providing help desk outsourcing and BPO services. He has operated successfully within this niche industry for over ten years across Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. He enjoys writing, golf and going to social events.