6 Ways to Enhance Your Blog Content

While blogging is an important part of any successful online marketing strategy, writing blog posts is a task many marketers dread. The average blog post takes about four hours to write, and because new blog content is required regularly for driving website traffic, it’s also a job that’s never finished as there is always another blog post around the corner that needs writing. 

Lack of time and planning can lead to long stretches between blog posts, as well as posts that are pretty humdrum in terms of content. How do you develop a steady stream of posts that are interesting, engaging, and informative enough to maintain and grow your readership? Read on for 6 tips that will help. 

• • • Build a master editorial calendar

      Nothing keeps blog authors on schedule like a formal calendar with publishing dates and topics pre-identified. To start populating your calendar, conduct an online search to see what others in your industry are writing about on their blogs, and what stories industry publications are covering to help kick off ideas. Or gather a few of your coworkers for a brainstorm on topics they believe your audience would be interested in reading about. On this same note, any time you consider a potential blog topic, give serious thought as to how relevant the subject will be to your target audience.

• • • Choose a compelling headline

      Your headline is the first thing people see when they come across your post, so it’s important to make sure it’s catchy and compelling or they may click away without reading anything else. Put some effort and creativity into crafting a headline that will draw people in. Try using power words in the headline or creating listicles—for example, “10 Tips for Leveling Up Your Computer Security” (or see our headline at the top of this post).

• • • Write quality content

      While this advice may seem like a no-brainer, the reality is that it’s easy to slip into auto-pilot with posts that are uninspired and repetitive. Remember that each post is an opportunity for your B2B to show its thought leadership and knowledge, so make sure your content is top-quality, always. Avoid the temptation to go soft on blogging efforts because it’s an important part of a company’s marketing practices. In fact, some 71 percent of B2B buyers indicate they consume blog content during their buying journey.

• • • Make it readable

      Use short sentences and paragraphs whenever possible, as this makes things easier for busy people (and who isn’t these days?) to get through text quickly. Also, use subheads, bullet points, and visuals such as images, infographics, or video to make content more visually engaging. We also recommend keeping blog posts to under 700 words. If your topic requires a deeper dive and subsequently higher word count, consider breaking the post into two or more parts and cross-linking them.  

• • • Keep SEO best practices in mind

      Include relevant keywords throughout the body of your post so search engines can easily index it and new readers can discover your posts more easily.

• • • Shake things up

      Add variety by occasionally using a guest blogger to give a different take on a topic. For instance, invite a subject matter expert or industry colleague to write a post on a chosen topic, or conduct a Q&A with them. Also, post vlogs from time to time instead of text—again, video is tops in engagement.

The good news is that writing better blog posts doesn’t have to be hard, it just takes some planning and effort. By understanding who your target audience is, knowing what topics are of interest to them, and publishing good content consistently, you’ll likely find that your readership—as well as your sales—are growing. 

If you need assistance in developing quality blog content, contact us today. Our staff of seasoned writers, graphic designers, and video specialists can help you to deliver regular, engaging posts that will make you look like a blogging genius.