A blog about blogs! Must-do’s for business blogs (and BIG mistakes to avoid)

Do people know, like, and trust you and your business? Publishing quality blog content for your business is an excellent way to:

• Increase your online visibility (so people know you)

• Give people knowledge about your niche (so people like you)

• Show off your expertise and experience (so people trust you)

When blogs first emerged in the 1990s, they were more like personal digital diaries or web pages. Today, businesses have adopted the medium to share company news, educate their customers, and use it for their content marketing and lead nurturing efforts. 

Like other marketing mediums, there is a “right” and a “wrong” way to blog through your business. In this article, I’ll cover the top mistakes I see companies making in their blog and the top must-do's so your blog helps accomplish your business goals.

Top 4 mistakes most “new” business blogs make

Blogging for your business must be done with purpose and strategy. It’s not worth your time to post sporadically to your blog without a plan for how that content is used to support lead generation and nurturing. 

I’ve seen my fair share of good and “bad” business blog articles. Here are the most common mistakes I see businesses making in their blogging strategy:

1. Focused on the company, not the customer

Many companies use their “blog” to share company news and information. While it has value as a news platform, don’t forget to include educational and valuable content for your readers on your business blog. 

Use your blog to post informational articles about your niche that would be valuable to your prospects or customers. For example, if you run a fitness studio, your blog could also include sample workout routines or healthy eating plans. If your business is renovating homes, write about the latest home technology or decor trends.

Think about what topics are close enough to your niche that your customers would find valuable (and that show off your knowledge and experience). 

2. Not posting regularly

Sporadic content publishing doesn’t help build an audience in content marketing. Publish blog content regularly, ideally once every 1-2 weeks or once monthly (at the bare minimum). 

Regular blog posting frequency is essential so people come to expect new content from you (so they visit your site often), and regularly updating your website is excellent for SEO, too (it encourages Google to crawl your website to index your content faster). 

3. Not promoting their content

Some businesses are great at publishing blog content but don’t promote them. Shout it from the rooftops! Promote your new blog content on your other content and communication channels, such as:

• Sharing on social media (if your article topic is not time- or season-dependent, you can share it for months or years to come on your channels)

• Link to your newest blog content from your newsletters

• Include blog links in your email signature.

4. Forgetting links and calls to action

Ultimately, your blog leads people through your buying funnel to eventually make a purchase from your business. Be sure to include links throughout your blog posts to relevant content on your website or to “subscribe to your newsletter or social for more content like this.”

5 ways to make your blog stand out

How will you make your blog interesting to read and that supports your business goals? Here are five ways to make your business blog stand out from your competitors:

1. Educate and share, not sell

Remember that your blog is a marketing and lead nurturing tool, not a direct sales tool. Focus most of your blogging efforts on publishing helpful, valuable content for your customers. Teach them something new, educate them about your niche, and provide steps or information to give them a quick win related to your expertise. 

Use your blog to educate more than you sell, and you’ll earn the likes and trust of your audience. 

2. Write professionally…but conversationally

For most businesses, your customers expect your blog to be professional but conversational and easy to read. This means we’re giving you permission to ignore a few grammar rules if they make your articles more inviting for your target audience to read. 

That said, always double-check your content for serious grammar and spelling errors (Grammarly is an excellent free and paid tool to catch embarrassing mistakes in your content).

3. Include branded (your own) images

While using stock images isn’t wrong (if they're free stock or stock images you’ve paid for), you’ll stand out more if you use your branded pics for your blog articles. Using your own branded images on your blog is another way to reinforce your branding and style and increase brand recognition and trust. 

4. Publish the blog on YOUR website 

We often get the question, “Can I publish my business blog on an external website like LinkedIn or Medium?”

While these are great sites to publish content, we recommend publishing most of your content on a blog within your main website. This helps drive more traffic to your website, which is another factor Google looks for when ranking your site in search results. It also means you can direct people to one URL to get all your content, not multiple sites. 

5. Get a professional ghostwriter to help!

Many businesses forget that a professional ghostwriter can write and publish your blog for you. A ghostwriter is a writer who writes content on your behalf, and you publish it under your company name (or the name of an employee at your company). 

A good blog ghostwriter will interview you or gather basic information about your topics and supplement it with internet research to write your content. You’ll also get to review the content to add any additional personal touches and information.

Hiring a ghostwriter for your blog is a great way to get professionally written articles regularly. Also, ask your writer or marketing agency if they can upload the blogs to your website for you, making blogging more hands-off for you and freeing up your time to follow up on your leads and execute your business's day-to-day. 

What’s the expected ROI of a business blog?

In business, we understand the importance of analytics and tangible ROIs. However, in blogging and content marketing, it’s not always as easy to correlate content to sales or revenue. Think of content marketing and blogging as part of your long-term marketing efforts to build your brand and nurture prospects and current customers. 

Did you know that Small Town Girl Promotions has professional blog writers for your business? We’re currently seeking clients who know the value of a business blog but either don’t have the time or skills to do it consistently. 

"STGP is second to none, they are a partner invested in you and your businesses success. Dream team... thank you STGP!" -Colleen Hurst, Lymph in Motion

Can I hook you up with one of our blog ghostwriters for your business blog? Book a free discovery call with me today, and we’ll chat about how you can use a blog to reach your business goals.