The internet, our phones, our devices, they are ultimately visually and sometimes physically noisy.
We see ads when we didn’t ask for them, we get distracted on the social media platforms that are our favorites, we receive texts for coupons; all of these are a regular part of our day. And our searching has become less sure. We Google something and we know the top choices have often paid for prime real estate. Ultimately, we question what’s real and what’s trustworthy.
As the recipient of the noise, it’s hard to remember that we can be that clear voice of reason in the fog, but how?
The answer is through our blogs, if they are crafted with care.
Believe it or not, the best use of your blog is not to say, “Hey, look at me, I’m awesome. My business is the greatest, the biggest, the best.”
Instead, the most effective use of the blog is to write as the subject matter expert, offering useful information free of charge. Yes, you’re giving away some of your expertise, so you need to be judicious, but you are also filling your website with content, which Google loves and creating the conditions for people to spend more time lingering on your website.
Some basic blogging rules:
- Come up with a list of 10-20 topics that need explication or for which you can be the subject matter expert, the maven. Keep a running list on your phone and always add to it, when something strikes you.
- Start writing or engage somebody to write on your behalf.
- Enlist a skilled editor. Accept their criticism.
- Determine if there is a timeliness to any of the topics (tax issues during tax preparation, medical insurance during open enrollment times, civil rights issues around MLK DAY) and schedule the blog posting (or have the marketing firm help you choose these.)
- Select an image to accompany the blog, one that is available for use and fits in with the color scheme of your website and your social media sites.
- Post a blog at least monthly, sometimes weekly, depending on the traffic that currently visits your website.
- As soon as the blog posts, link the blog to any social media accounts the company has or that you personally have, like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc.
- Consider a small Facebook boost to publicize the blog, which will bring traffic to the site.
- Utilize Google analytics to gauge how your website is being surfed after the writing posts. You can determine if you’re gaining any traction and bringing people to your website.
- Repeat! Don’t stop blogging. Old blogs look stale. Go back and cull old blogs if they are no longer relevant or require editing.