True or false? Creating content is the key to building website traffic and successful brand promotion. True, right? Not quite. Creating quality content is the key. A brand can post blogs seven days a week, but if they’re not useful, well-constructed, and engaging, no one will give them a second look, much less go on to make a purchase.
So how does one create a high quality blog post? Here are a few tips.
Be specific. Every brand has a target audience they’re trying to reach. For instance, people looking to sell their homes. A good blogger is one who asks what it is these people are interested in. What topics are they researching? What questions do they want answered? The more specific and personal the topics are, the more they’ll resonate. A blog post called “How to sell your home” may be helpful to some, but a post called “8 Places to Check Around Your House When Fixing It Up to Sell” is the sort of thing people in that situation are more likely to identify with and be interested in.
Be timely. Another question good bloggers ask is what’s going on in their field right now. What are their potential customers talking about? This is a good way to make sure a blog stays relevant and current, which is important, both to the readers and to Google’s search algorithms. If there’s something important going on, the readers will want to know about it, and know how it affects them. The brand that can provide them with the latest news and information that interests them will gain their trust and keep them coming back.
Be engaging. Providing current events and helpful tips is a good start towards being engaging. But really getting a reader interested is as much about tone as it is about content. A good blog post should have a conversational style that makes readers feel comfortable. That doesn’t necessarily mean slang and casual grammar. For some blogs that may work, but others may want to maintain a more expert, even intellectual tone. It’s important for a blog to find its own unique voice and maintain it. But whatever that voice is, the readers should feel like there’s an actual person behind it, talking to them directly, rather than a faceless corporate brand.
Be persistent. Creating one high quality blog post is only the beginning. In order to promote a brand successfully, it’s important to blog regularly and frequently. Using a variety of different types of blog posts (e.g. how-to tips, answering readers’ questions, case studies, interviews, etc.) is a good way to keep readers engaged and keep them coming back regularly. Over time, a blogger should keep their finger on the pulse of what their readers are saying, to see if one type of post is more popular or another is less popular, and adjust the blog’s format accordingly. But whatever ends up gaining attention, regular posting is important for cementing oneself in the readers’ memories and giving them a positive, lasting impression of the blog, and of the brand behind it.
