Writing a blog can seem overwhelming and time-consuming, but it doesn’t have to be. A blog could generate more visits to your website and it would only take you an hour or two every now and then to create a blog post. If you’re considering starting a blog for your business here are some suggestions to get you started in the right direction.
Write for Your Customers
Your blog is for your customers. You already know them because you’ve been working for them. Now you just need to create the content that they want to see. Think of questions that you’ve been asked before. That’s what your blog can be about.
Example – If you own a salon and are wanting to write a blog to help attract new customers then write for the women that you know. What things have they asked you before. What shampoo is best for their hair? Write a blog post about it. Spell out why some shampoos are great and why others should be avoided.
Your customers will be grateful for the content and if you make your post shareable then you’ll be able to attract more clientele.
Plan Ahead
One complaint that many people have about blogging is that they have a hard time coming up with content. Well do yourself a favor and write out a list of possible blog posts. Then take that list and write it into your schedule. You can have half a year of blog posts planned out after one or two brainstorming sessions.
Example – We’ll keep using the hair salon blog for our example. If you decided you want to write one blog post a month just to keep people interested in your site, your schedule could look something like this:
January – Shampoo; What Works and What Doesn’t
February – Ways to Pamper Your Loved One (Even though this blog is for your female clients, you could write this with Valentine’s Day in mind and they’ll probably share it with their significant other)
March – How to Actually Make Your Hair Pantene Soft
Blog Post Structure
If actually writing the blog is what is the most intimidating for you here is a simple blog post structure you can follow.
- Catchy Title – Pick a title that is catchy and informative. The reader should have an idea what they’ll be reading about by the title you choose.
- Photo – People are more likely to read a blog post with a picture. Choose a photo that is high-quality and relevant to your article.
- Clear Purpose – Have a few key points that you are wanting to make that all tie back into one purpose. This will make it easy for you to keep your thoughts together to write, and it will make it easy for people to read.
- Supporting Information – Try to always have outside facts and supporting information that relates to your topic. People like to know that you know what you’re talking about, and the best way to do that is by giving them proof.
Frequency/Word Count
Here is something that will make you happy. You can choose how often you want to post. There is no set rule dictating your posting frequency. Just keep in mind that you should be consistent. If you decide you want to post twice a month, that’s awesome, just make sure it happens.
Most blog posts should be around 300 to 500 words, so don’t feel like you need to write a 10-page essay. In fact, people would prefer that you keep it short and to the point. Your customers don’t have hours to spend reading your blog, but they would love tid bits of information every so often from you about topics that they are interested in.
We hope that now you feel like blogging for your small business is something you could actually handle. It doesn’t take a lot of time, but it could really help drive traffic to your website.