Contrary to popular belief, blogging is definitely not dead. In fact, it is as strong a marketing tool as ever. When 77% of internet users are reading blogs, if you’re not blogging, why not? Also, contrary to popular belief, blogging isn’t easy.
It takes a lot of hard work, consistency, and dedication. If you don’t have the time to commit to a regular blog, and by that, we mean publishing a blog at least once a week, outsource the work to a freelancer to write your blogs for you.
The thing about blogging is that you can no longer write about anything that takes your fancy. While it is becoming important for companies and organizations to blog, it is very much quality over quantity these days. In fact, blogging has become a specialist skill, and many marketers and business owners will outsource the task to freelance copywriters and content creators.
What Makes a Good Blog
A Data Box study found that 68% of marketers find blogging more effective today than two years ago. That’s great, but with so many freelancers, bloggers, companies, and organizations posting content daily, how can you make sure your blog stands out?
What makes a good blog?
- It’s all about quality, not quantity – whether short-form or long-form, it’s about connecting with your reader (potential customers) and giving them something to take away with them. Your blog needs to talk to your customer the same way you would physically. Create a conversation, give them valuable information, answer their questions and make sure it’s original.
- Make it readable – if you write long, laborious paragraphs using lots of jargon, it’s hard work to read, and you’ll soon lose your reader. Make sure it’s readable through short, concise paragraphs. Use headings and bullet points to separate the content so readers can skim your blog.
- Keep it original and unique – there’s a word you need to avoid at all costs – plagiarism – which means you mustn’t use other people’s content as if it is your own. Of course, if you’re writing about a popular topic, there’s bound to be some crossover but write your blog in your own words. Write your interpretation of the topic using your knowledge and experience. It’s also a good idea to keep a dictionary and thesaurus on hand.
- Use links – whether it’s linking back to your previous work, i.e., internal links, or to an authoritative website, which is external links. It helps build relationships, provides further in-depth information, adds credibility, and encourages your reader to come back.
How Blogging Can Build Your Brand
Why blog? Well, the reason shouldn’t be just because everyone else is doing it. So, to answer the question of how writing and publishing a blog can build your brand, let’s give you some good, valid reasons.
- Share relevant content to engage with your audience – everyone wants to promote their products or services. Still, there’s a way to go about engaging, informative, adding value, and is quality content. So, take a lateral approach and promote an interview you’ve conducted with an industry thought-leader, talk about your latest podcast, or share your online videos.
- Grab the attention of potential new customers – using SEO strategies to get more traffic on your website is becoming commonplace, which includes adding keywords, using headings and bullet points, including meta descriptions and blogs. Yes, even your blogs will increase brand visibility. Every time you publish a new blog, you publish a new web page. This not only improves your SEO, but it also gives search engines, like Google, more information to rate and rank your business, putting you on the first page of search engine results.
- Use thought leadership in building brand awareness – the better your reputation, the more likely readers will index your blog and come back to read more content. Share your thoughts on specific topics in your blog and spread them across social media, email, and other online channels. Become a leader in your industry and ensure your blog becomes essential reading.
- Create a community – spread the word about your products or services and create long-term relationships with your readers. When you share your blog on social media platforms, you reach a much wider audience and start to create a community that buy-in to your industry insights.
- Develop audience trust – it’s hard-won but easily lost. By providing valuable, relevant, helpful content that your audience can use to answer a question or solve a problem, you are gaining their trust. Start a discussion, share your personal experiences, engage with your audience and watch their belief in your brand grow.
- Advertise without advertising – yes, it is possible to advertise your business without being pushy or ‘salesy.’ Did you know that 61% of US online consumers have purchased based on recommendations in a blog? Now that’s a good enough reason to get blogging.
Underestimate the power of blogging at your peril! But writing a blog is not everyone’s forte, and that’s ok because there are great, creative freelancers out there that can write awesome blogs for you.
If you’re a freelancer and are regularly blogging for your clients, Indy, an all-in-one freelance platform for freelancers and independent workers, will help you manage your freelance business and all your blogging assignments in one place. With INDY, you can easily create proposals, write a contract or send invoices quickly and cost-effectively. Check out INDY today.
