7 Tips For Blogging

By Caroline McCollum and Kelly Underwood
7 tips for bloggingIn February we had the opportunity to attend the Blogs to Buzz class with Danielle Smith. Danielle is amazing to say the least. Her high energy and passion for blogging and everything digital is contagious. If you have ever thought about blogging or improving your company’s blog we highly recommend this class.  The class was held on two Saturdays from 9-5 and even though one of them was Valentine’s Day and St. Louis Mardi Gras we really enjoyed our time, learned a lot and would like to share a few tips with you.

7. Blogs are a great way for small businesses to increase business

Small businesses can use their blog to build relationships, engage customers, and humanize their brand. It helps to increase your website traffic and can lead to up to 126% leads

6. It is best to publish content on a consistent day

Determine which day, or days your blog is receiving the most interest. If your readership is most active on Tuesdays, be sure to build your content calendar accordingly.  If you’re publishing useful content but doing it sporadically you could aggravate the readers when they keep coming back to your blog and you have nothing new to share. However, if you post consistently your readers will know when to come back ready and excited to read what you have to say.

5. Don’t only use your blog to sell

Nobody likes pushy sales people so don’t be this person online. Make sure your content is interesting to your reader. It should be useful, educate, and add value. Use the 4-1-1 rule; for every 6 pieces of content you publish, 4 should be curated or thought leadership inspired, 1 educational or helpful, and 1 to promote your business.

4. You don’t have to publish content everyday to have a successful blogHubSpot Blogging

For the energy you put into a good blog post the optimal blogging frequency is 2-3 times a week but the return percentage does not increase significantly from weekly to 2-3 times to daily. Start small and work your way up. Remember quality posts are better then the quantity of posts.

3. Have a Tribe

Find your core followers and develop them into advocates for your business. Reward them for their support by offering specials, exclusives, and online recognition. Cultivating these readers will assure you support when you need it, and next time you launch new product or campaign you will know exactly who to count on to push it out to the public.

2. Before you start blogging know why you want to blog

According to Simon Sinek, people don’t buy what you do the buy why you do it. Knowing the benefits of a blog and wanting to start one is a good start, but have a purpose other than increasing sales to ensure a consistent and engaged following.

1. Keep the blog consistent with who you are/who your business is

Even online consumers can sniff out a phony. Hold true to your company’s ideals and morals. Seek out and align yourself with those who share your perspective. Have your blog be an extension of yourself, let it humanize your company.