In the world of content marketing, it's no secret that blogging is the key to maximizing your SEO success. In fact, 59% of SEO professionals rate blogging as one of their top content marketing activities! Though it might seem like most challenging aspect of a content marketing strategy, it's definitely the most rewarding. I mean, there's a reason why small businesses that blog get 126% more lead growth than small businesses that don't. Plain and simple, more blogs means more indexed pages, and more indexed pages means more opportunities for improving your SEO.
That being said, there's no reason why blogging shouldn't be at the top of your business's content marketing priorities! Though it might seem difficult to find quality writers and the time needed to write a compelling post, the fact of the matter is, there shouldn't be any excuses for ignoring such a valuable asset to your business. As the old adage goes, "nothing worth having comes easy," and blogs are definitely worth having.
At Weidert Group, however, we know that the blogging hurdle can easily be overcome. Why? Because we, ourselves, dedicate several hours per week to nailing down our blogging strategy. To help your business become an online authority in your industry, here's a list of our top 10 blogs on blogging that will surely help your business reach its content production goals. Click the headline to read each post!
1.) Blogging: 7 Ways To Get Your Team On Board
Once you've embraced blogging as the best way to attract visitors to your website and demonstrate your capabilities and value, it's time to get others in the organization ready (and willing) to pitch in writing posts. This will be an uphill battle - you probably won't have a single person raise his or her hand and say, "I want to blog - please, include me!" Not only are most people reluctant writers, they don't believe they have the time to blog. Here are some tips for convincing would-be bloggers in your company to get involved - and to keep them excited about being part of promoting your company.
2.) Blog Checklist: 6 Things Every Blog Post Should Have
When the Weidert Group team writes about blogs we tend to focus on the guts of a post - the quality of the writing, the relevance and value to the audience, and the connection between the topic and the target's pain points. But there are some "must-haves" beyond those crucial basics. To be effective in attracting the readers and demonstrating your company's value to your target, every blog post should include these 6 essential elements.
3.) A 5-Step Writing Lesson for First-time Business Bloggers
Today, as brands continuously look for ways to set themselves apart as thought leaders within their industry, marketers aren't the only experts being asked to create high-quality content. Whether you're a mechanic, engineer, or even an accountant, if you can share valuable insights that can answer some of the questions of your target personas, you could be thrown into the content marketing spotlight. When that time comes, to help you create high-quality content (regardless of your writing experience) here are 5 quick business blogging tips for inexperienced writers.
4.) How to Phrase Blog Headlines for Maximum SEO: 4 Key Phrases to Try
In a single blog, there are about a dozen different areas to optimize for search engine results. You can make sure you have a strong meta description, keyword-rich tags, image alt text, etc.. You can also ensure that your paragraphs contain real content, rather than fluffy keyword writing. But one of the best ways to make sure you end up at the top of Google's search results is to make sure that your headline fits the way people search.
5.) Write Marketing Content that Speaks to Your Ideal Customer's Pains
In order to hook your audience's attention in the growing sea of content marketing, you have to create content that truly impresses and stands out from the crowd. How? By writing blog posts that actually mean something to your target customers. And just how do you accomplish that? Let us explain...
6.) Yes, You CAN Write a Blog a Week (And Here's How)
For many, the sheer thought of writing a blog can seem like an agonizing task, between coming up with and researching a topic, getting your thoughts organized, putting the right words down on paper and, of course, meeting a deadline. After you hit publish, you may feel like relishing in the fact that you're done - It's out there! You can go back to a (somewhat) carefree lifestyle without the stress of writing a blog on your shoulders...until you look at the calendar and realize that, inevitably, you'll have to go through the whole routine again next week. There's no need to panic, though, because we've put together a list of ways that will help you (yes, you) write and publish a blog a week.
7.) Need More Content From Your Company? Try a Decentralized Blogging Strategy
No reader will care whether your writers went to school for communications or went to study engineering (at least when they're reading). As long as you have an employee who can write well and contribute to your marketing efforts, your marketing team should take advantage and figure out how to draw that content out of your company. It takes coordination and cross-departmental cooperation, but many of the best business blogs online rely on this kind of decentralized content creation.
8.) 5 Blogging Deal-Breakers That Make Readers Say 'See Ya Later'
As someone who spends a lot of time around blogs, I've seen them come in just about every kind of shape, size, style, and color. From blogs designed with modern, cutting-edge features to blogs that look like they were designed using Windows 98, there's a lot you can tell from a blog in the first 5 seconds of looking at it. In order to hook the reader in, your blog has to be both visually and mentally stimulating from the start. To help give you a better idea of how to increase your blog's read- and share-ability, here's my list of the first 5 things readers look for when reading your post.
9.) Weidert Group's 5-Step Guide to the 60-Minute Blog Post
As lovely a luxury as it might be, as a writer, sometimes you simply don't have time to hunker down, dig in, and spend hours writing the perfect blog post. Whether you're looking to quickly capitalize on a newsjacking opportunity or you've simply found yourself in a last-minute pinch to publish some new content, being able to write an interesting blog post with both speed and accuracy is an invaluable set of skills for inbound marketers. And while some people are simply better writers than others, these tips are so good, even Bob the IT guy will be able to write a compelling blog in less than an hour.
10.) Content Creation Tips: 5 Easy Ways to Make Your Writing More Concise
"The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do." -Thomas Jefferson
Despite his message being a little wordy itself, Thomas Jefferson's quote should serve as the "Golden Rule" for content marketers today. With so many brands pumping out content to the World Wide Web, your online audience doesn't have time to waste cutting through the clutter. Simply put, they don't want to read a paragraph when all that's needed is a sentence. That being said, without wasting any more of your time, check out these 5 tips for writing more concisely.
So there you have it folks! No more excuses for ignoring one of the most powerful tools in your online marketing arsenal.