It can be challenging to write engaging blog content, from the initial keyword research, to the final execution. Consistency is a major aspect of having a successful blog, ensuring the quality doesn’t drop and a schedule for posting them is adhered to. Sometimes a blog may be used to simply share an opinion on a topic, or help share your company’s voice, whereas other times they may be more focused on the buyer’s journey, perhaps implementing a call to action (CTA).
No matter the reason behind a blog, the early stages of writing one always involves having a great idea to discuss. It may be common questions that your customers ask about your industry, a breakthrough discovery, or an area of your work that you provide beneficial information on. However, the challenge which can often present itself to bloggers is transforming these initial ideas into engaging content that people will want to click and spend their time reading.
So if you’re struggling, here are 3 areas to consider that might help.
Planning is key
Once keyword research has been completed and you’ve identified an idea to write about, drafting up a plan will be the next step. The length and complexity of a plan will vary depending on the topic and purpose of the blog, yet its importance remains the same. For example, if the blog is aiming to convert readers, deciding on where to insert a CTA and how the surrounding text is structured in order to guide readers and encourage them to click can be a process which requires time and testing.
On the other hand, a CTA may not be the focus and the blog may simply be a way to express your business’ thoughts and personality, in order to help readers understand more about the way you operate. No matter the purpose, having a well thought out plan will help keep your blog structured, consistent and delivering on its objectives.
A calendar should be created for the blog as a whole, where the titles for each blog article can be scheduled on specific dates, perhaps in weekly or monthly intervals, in order to stay consistent. Posting one blog every few months won’t lead to increased traffic and readers, it’s all about keeping to a pattern and keeping content fresh. For the individual blog articles, having a plan that outlines the individual points you want to discuss and how the keywords can be implemented within the text will help when it comes to writing in full.
Traffic or Conversions?
Before writing a blog, it can be a good idea to carry out keyword research in order to find out what people are searching for, and how competitive a certain topic may be. Traditionally, the initial steps to writing a blog will involve carrying out keyword research on a subject area, finding keywords that rank highly with less competition. Once a large volume of suitable keywords have been saved, the process of drafting blog titles and ideas begins. This method does work, and when writing for a specific industry, having a full list of related keywords can be a great way to help generate ideas. Using popular keywords within a specific subject area can help increase website traffic and therefore have more people looking at your products or services.
However, if your focus is more on conversions specifically, this method may not be ideal. Generally speaking, potential customers who are close to the conversion stage will be actively looking for a solution to their problem. It can therefore be beneficial to identify the problem they’re looking to solve and generate ideas for a blog that may provide answers. Once an idea on how to provide this solution is outlined, then keyword research can be used to decide on which terminology may be best to use.
Keep it engaging
Being able to write engaging blog content is key- if the idea for a blog article is interesting and relevant, the content needs to mirror this. The idea is only as good as the content; poorly written blog articles will mean the original idea, no matter how great, won’t be successful.
Firstly, the content needs to be tailored towards the target audience. If the audience you’re trying to reach is one that is looking to purchase a specific product, don’t waste time explaining what that product is and focus on highlighting why that product is the one they should be purchasing. Being able to identify the target audience accurately will be hugely beneficial, whether through social media, surveys or even looking through online comment sections and forums to discover what people are asking for.
Now that the target audience has been identified and your blog is being tailored towards them, it’s important to keep the quality high and reader interested. Include links to other articles or pages on your website, include statistics that may be surprising or unexpected, as well as simple design elements such as images or videos. A blog doesn’t have to be a long wall of plain text on a white page; using animations and different colour palettes can help with visual aesthetics, helping increase a reader’s attention. The structure is also important; having disjointed information spread sporadically across the article will make it difficult to follow and these days especially, readers want accessibility as standard.
Conclusion
In summary, to write engaging blog content that attracts and engages readers, patience must be had. The initial idea is key and taking time to plan, organise and research will help ensure the content is of high quality. The level of engagement will determine the number of readers, traffic to your website and conversion rate.
Having a great idea that readers will find interesting needs to be transformed into engaging content that’ll either solve problems and share knowledge, or simply entertain readers.
Blogs are more popular than ever, so the competition is steep, however offering genuinely valuable information to people will help progress your business in an honest and meaningful way.
About Inflowing
Inflowing is a B2B marketing agency. We help B2B organisations do meaningful things with marketing. Whether that’s getting more leads, more visibility, or supporting their sales teams.
We’re an experienced team of marketers with an incredibly strong background in B2B. To learn more about B2B and improving your marketing, check out our other blogs or get in touch.
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