Blogging, as you know, requires lots of great, fresh content to get noticed and ensure readers keep coming back. But if you’ve been on the Internet at all over the last day or so, you know that it’s basically set to information overload mode all the time. This might cause a problem of relevancy for your business blog, especially if blogging isn’t yet second nature and new, minty fresh blog post ideas aren’t pouring into your head and out onto paper just yet. Thankfully, solving this issue might not be as difficult as you think.
First and foremost, being a good writer helps. While that might seem like a no-brainer, it isn’t. When you post a blog on behalf of your company, it needs to be professional – it must read well, have a clear point, and consist of a beginning, a (small) middle and an ending. And let’s not even begin to talk about the absolute necessity of correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. No one – repeat, no one – wants to struggle through a blog post that mixes up your and you’re in a huge run-on sentence. f you’re not a fan of wordsmithing, then find someone who is and has the time to update the blog consistently (read: someone who wants to blog for you). Remember, this blog is an extension of your business and brand, and should reflect as such in the way every post is written.
Creating what’s known as ‘evergreen’ content will also help you stay relevant. Evergreen posts are those that can be useful to your audience months or even years after they’re published. Great examples of evergreen posts include how-to blogs, tutorials and glossaries, checklists, historical posts and FAQs. The trick with this type of content is to make sure it truly is evergreen. For example, if you have a fashion blog for your store, you could post about choosing the right shoes for an outfit. But as fashions and trends change, you’ll need to update that post based on the trends of the moment. This type of post – one that needs to be updated from time to time – is called a sustainable post, and can also help to keep your
blog relevant.
Inviting a guest to write a post for your blog is a fantastic way to keep things fresh. An outside perspective on your business or industry can really liven things up. Ask around throughout your professional network to find people who are willing to write a guest post for you. When you have an outside perspective being shared on your blog, however, you’re perfectly within your right to not only suggest a topic for them to cover but also review the post before it goes live on the blog. The last thing you want is for a less-than-stellar post to go up on your blog that you didn’t write, let alone approve. Remember folks – the Internet never forgets.
If you have one or two people in mind who you’d really love to feature on your blog, the next best thing to a guest post is an interview. Some people may not have time to write a post for you but would be willing to chat with you for an hour about your business or industry to use as an interview. You can post interviews either as a transcript (You: Hi Bob, thanks for joining me today! Him: Thanks Bill, happy to be here… you get the picture), as a story with a specific angle that uses quotes from the interview throughout, or as a recording that your visitors can listen to. Each of these methods has their own pros and cons, but interviews can be a big hit with your audience…as long as you know your audience, that is.
A sure way to stay relevant in the blogosphere is to know exactly who you’re speaking to with each blog post. Go through comments (and respond, of course!) to see what your audience is saying; look at your analytics to see which posts are driving more traffic and creating more buzz; you could even put up a survey to get specific stats on who is visiting and reading your blog. But make sure to provide an incentive to your audience, such as an eBook download or coupon, so they have a reason to take the time to complete the survey (even if it’s short).
Written By Jess Campbell