Top 3 Ways to Love Your Business Blog so it Actually Works for You!

business blog

A blank page is a terrifying thing. You know you need to blog to help promote your business. You know that blogging 3 times a week — or at least once a week helps drive potential customers to your website. Yet, you can’t seem to sit down and write. You stare at the blank screen for hours not knowing where to start.

How can you take your blank business blog from “blah” to “awesome” in three easy steps?

WordPress website & blog
  1. Recognize the value. What better way to distinguish yourself and your business from competitors than by sharing your own unique voice? In addition to helping with SEO (Search Engine Optimization), blogging lets you share your company story in a way that adds dimension to your brand. Recognizing value in what you are doing is the best motivator around. 
  2. Stop being afraid. Fear kills creativity. Whether you are still suffering from the red-pen horrors of your high school English class, or whether you’ve only recently admitted to yourself that have to blog, but are procrastinating, realize that you already know everything you need to start (or re-start) your business blog. Here are some scary stumbling blocks that you can easily overcome.
    If you…
    • Think you’re not a good writer, take a writing class. There are many online options and your local library probably offers some.
    • Don’t know what to write about, use a keyword research tool to determine what people are searching for in your field or industry and use the list they provide for blog topics. In other words, there’s nothing better than providing the information that your target audience is searching for!
    • Feel that you’re not tech savvy enough, don’t worry. I can teach anyone how to blog on WordPress.
  3. Find your voice. Everyone has one. By working through the process of generating thoughts, organizing ideas, and proofing for technical goofs, you can find your voice. Writing for business involves the same parts of your brain as writing the Great American Novel or the next Hollywood hit. Nevertheless, your goal is different, but the process of generating, refining, and letting it all out is the same.
    • Use a headline analyzer to craft a catchy headline.
    • Deliver on the headline — no click-bait!
    • Talk to your target market. Remember, you’re the expert and they aren’t.

Business blogs do take some time

How long should a blog article be?

Yes, they do take some sweat equity, but you’ve got to do it! Therefore, carve out an hour or two a week. The more often you blog, the better. Furthermore, you’ll get used to the software and it will take you less time to do each article if you blog frequently.

How long should the blog be?

It depends. For SEO, the rule of thumb is 250 – 300 words. However, it should be as long as it needs to be to tell the story, answer a question, or educate your potential customer.

What about having guest writers?

Absolutely! Invite guest experts in your field or industry to contribute to your blog. Offer them a bio page with a link to their website.

How about using pre-published content?

Sure you can repurpose content that’s been published elsewhere. However, keep in mind that first, you need permission from the author to use their article if you’re going to fully duplicate it on your site. Furthermore, the authority and expertise factor in SEO stays with the original publication. You can also quote part of a document — always citing the source — and then add your own thoughts and opinion.

ALWAYS proofread your article before publishing!

Read it aloud to yourself. Actually, it’s best if you walk away from it for a few minutes, do something else, then come back to it. Put yourself in your potential reader’s shoes. Does it make sense to someone unfamiliar with your business or industry? If possible, have another person read it. Use a tool like Grammarly to help catch errors and typos.

What about using Artificial Intelligence (Ai) for Blogging?

Personally, being a fairly decent writer, I don’t trust Ai. First, Ai is a computer. A computer lacks wisdom, common sense, and compassion. Plus, if you’re writing for a certain target market, it may be writing a bit over their heads. Thus, we have a dilemma — to use Ai to save time, or not?

I have one client who used Ai to write a few blog posts. Obviously, they are factual and answer the question, however, they are not very well optimized for SEO.

Lately, I’ve been using Google Translate (a form of Ai) to translate some blog posts into Spanish. Though the translations have improved tremendously in the last few years, I still have to go and proofread it to make sure it makes sense and it’s correct grammar.

Sure, Ai, can write the article for you and save you time in that sense. Nevertheless, you still have to proofread it! Clearly, you want to always put your best foot forward when publishing a blog. It’s part of your online image!

When proofreading Ai…

  • If you’re on WordPress, use the Yoast SEO plugin to help you make sure the post is optimized for the search engine.
  • Look for words that your target audience may not understand and define them. The Yoast SEO plugin will check the reading level for you.
  • I noticed the Ai tends to write in long sentences and paragraphs which are difficult to read. Break them up using bullet points where you can.
  • Make sure the objective of the post is clear from title, to solution, to the call-to-action.
  • Have an opening paragraph that entices the visitor to keep reading. Somehow, Ai just starts answering the question or explaining a topic with a proper introduction.

Overall, you still need to blog for your business!

In conclusion, try both writing it yourself and using Ai. Determine which was easier for you and/or takes less time. Moreover, maybe you can use the Ai for doing time-saving research, then rewrite the article in your own words.

Here are two blogs that I follow that put out some great tips on blogging and content marketing: Content Marketing Institute and Copyblogger.

You can outsource it, but beware! Read this first!

Wondering how you can create and maintain a beautiful blog that suits your business? I can teach you!

Learn to Blog on WordPress Gutenberg

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