Your business blog marketing strategy is a key element in your company's success. While most of your website will remain static, your blog will be an ever-changing vehicle that allows you to get the word out about your brand. Developing a blog is generally the most effective way to showcase your business and your brand's personality.
Purposes of a Blog Marketing Strategy
A blog marketing strategy will give you several avenues in which to connect with followers and prospective customers. Some of those ways for how to use blogs for marketing are:
- Your blog strategies will position you as an expert in your chosen field. Showcasing your expertise in your industry will make you the go-to person for consumers. People will readily read your words knowing they can trust you and your opinion.
- Building your brand is an integral part of your blog marketing strategy. You will use your words to introduce people to your products and services. No one knows your business better than you do. Your blog will explain your brand in a unique way. You are the only person that can do that and it's here your knowledge in your chosen field will really shine through.
- The blog allows you to get personal with your followers. While most of the time you will blog about industry events and trends and your firm, at times you will be able to write about personal things. Your personality will show and followers will connect with you on another level. You might write about a new addition to the family. Telling a great story is always a good idea. People will see you in a different light the more personal you get with them.
What are Some Effective Blog Marketing Strategies?
Of course, one of the best ways to have a great blog marketing strategy is to make sure it has great content. Having a great blog isn't always enough though. You have to get people coming to your site to even see your blog. Following are some tactics to get your blogging strategy moving:
Define your objectives
You will need a plan to decide on what you want to achieve with your blog marketing strategy. Do you want to drive customers to your store? Will it be used to generate leads? Are you looking for local or nationwide customers? You may come up with several objectives but keep in mind that having too many will make for an unfocused blog that may confuse followers.
Keywords are so important
This is one area that can make or break your blog, and maybe even your business. You need to be noticed by search engines. There are many tools, such as the Google keywords tool, that will show you which words will get you the best results. Don't overdo keywords though. Make sure you incorporate your keywords into titles and images. Do your research into relevant keywords and your blog will get seen much more often.
Content strategy
You will eventually have to start writing and get words on your screen. But you won't know what to write if you don't know your audience. Take some time to study the people you want to reach. Do you want to reach all adults or only those with children? Are you looking for only locals or do you want to target the entire country? Check out your competitors and see how they do it. Improve on what they do and find your company's niche. Your blog marketing strategy's content needs to set your apart from all others.
Related: Shiny Objects: Keep Your Eye on the Content Creation Strategy Ball
Social media
Writing fantastic content won't do you much good if no one reads it. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and others are great ways to get your word out. Make sure you provide easy click buttons on your social media sites that bring people to your blog. Consider asking people in your industry to guest blog for your site. This will open up a whole new range of followers for you. Social media is integral in today's business climate.
Be patient
You are probably familiar with the old saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day." Nor will you build a great blog marketing strategy in a day, week or even a month. A successful blog will take time to develop. You need to think long-term. Go back and re-purpose content you already have. Make a blogging schedule for a few months ahead and stick to it. Just take your time.
Your business blog marketing strategy will play a vital role in your company's success. Blogging takes a lot of time and energy, but in the long run it will pay off big time. To learn more about how to build an online content strategy and why blogging is important, check out our white paper, "What is Content Marketing? Any Why It's So Important."
