By Nick Stamoulis
The blogosphere is swarming with blogs. Blogs about pets, blogs about cooking, blogs about video games, blogs about construction equipment, blogs about public health and safety. If you can think of it, chances are there is a blog (or a few or a few thousand) dedicated to it. Even hyper-niche industries have a blog or two, usually run by the few companies that work in that field. Most companies have decided to create and update a business blog (sometimes only because the SEO expert in the marketing department recommended it). So the question is no longer “should we start a blog?” Now, it’s “how do we get people to read it?”
The first step in engaging your audience, regardless of industry or topic, is that you have to be producing quality, interesting content. What are the hot topics in your industry right now? What are people interested in learning more about? Keeping your finger on the pulse of your industry can help you make sure you don’t miss the boat on a popular topic. You have to write about something when it is relevant, not after the fact when readers have moved on to the next headline.
A lot of blogs fail to connect with an audience because they don’t really know the audience they are trying to connect with. Are you writing a blog for the masses? Or is the information directed at a educated few? Are you trying to engage potential consumers or establish relationships with other industry professionals? Who your target audience is determines the content and writing style of the blog. If there is a disconnect between the blog and the audience, you’re missing the mark and losing readers.
One of the most important things to remember is that a blog is about having a conversation with your readers. While it’s not as immediate as Twitter (which technically is a micro-blogging site), your blog can’t talk AT readers, it has to talk TO them. If someone wants to get talked at, they’ll just go to your website. A blog is where people come to see the personality of a company, to meet the people that run it. Keep your comments section open so readers will want to interact with the blog. Just be sure to monitor them- letting every spam comment through devalues your blog and clutters the comment section.
Pay attention to what blog posts are getting the most attention. This is a good indication of what kind of content readers are interested in. As the saying goes, “Give the people what they want.” If you keep your blog fresh with topics people are interested in, you have a better chance of getting readers to come back for more. You don’t have to produce a new blog post every day, but you should aim for at least one a week. Readers will quickly learn if your blog is worth returning to. Once you’ve convinced readers that your blog doesn’t have relevant information to offer, you’ve lost them.
A business blog can be a great resource for companies. But you have to put the time and effort into it if you want anyone to get involved. The more you care, the more readers you will attract over time.
About the Author
Nick Stamoulis is the President and Founder of Brick Marketing (http://www.brickmarketing.com), a Boston search engine marketing and full-service Internet marketing agency. With over 12 years of experience, Nick Stamoulis shares his industry knowledge by posting daily updates to his blog, the Search Engine Optimization Journal (or SEO Journal) and publishing the Brick Marketing SEO Newsletter that goes out to over 120,000 opt-in subscribers.
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