So, you’ve decided to start a blog for your business! That’s awesome, and blogging can be a great way to increase your optimized content and drive traffic to your site. You’re posting fresh stuff, getting customers eyes on your words and sharing your message with the world! You can make a great blog, and Weebly can help!
Here’s the deal, though--Before you run with your blog, it’s important that you keep in mind a few things. First of all, blogging isn’t necessarily easy. In fact, there are some deadly business blogging mistakes that can absolutely hurt your business.
It’s not that blogging is complicated, especially if you have a lot to say, it’s just that there are a lot of factors that go into blogging. It’s a commitment. It’s a major undertaking. Feeling a little intimidated yet?
Well never fear! There are a few things you can plan for and a few mistakes you can learn to work around and identify before it’s too late.
It’s not that blogging is complicated, especially if you have a lot to say, it’s just that there are a lot of factors that go into blogging. It’s a commitment. It’s a major undertaking. Feeling a little intimidated yet?
Well never fear! There are a few things you can plan for and a few mistakes you can learn to work around and identify before it’s too late.
1. Not Having the Capacity
Some companies simply don’t have the capacity and the infrastructure to blog. To support regular, relevant and reader-friendly content you need to have someone dedicating time and effort into blogging.
You can outsource your blogging, but it can be challenging to find a blogger who understands your industry and can generate the level of quality content you might be looking for. You can undertake writing the blog yourself, but keep in mind, blogging can be a fulltime job.
If you’re just looking to add some interest to your site, keep content fresh and have things to share on social media, keep blog posts short, and simple. It’s more important to post regularly once or twice a week (or even once or twice a month) than it is to post every day and take away time you could be putting into working with your customers.
You can outsource your blogging, but it can be challenging to find a blogger who understands your industry and can generate the level of quality content you might be looking for. You can undertake writing the blog yourself, but keep in mind, blogging can be a fulltime job.
If you’re just looking to add some interest to your site, keep content fresh and have things to share on social media, keep blog posts short, and simple. It’s more important to post regularly once or twice a week (or even once or twice a month) than it is to post every day and take away time you could be putting into working with your customers.
2. Not Knowing Your Audience
Another mistake business bloggers make? Not knowing their audience. Your audience is your customer--do you know what your customer wants to read? Are you writing content they find interesting and relevant? Are you writing for your audience, or for your vendors?
Sometimes writing industry jargon and language from an “insider’s perspective” can make you sound like an expert. Sometimes it can just make your customers feel confused, or ignored. As you cultivate a voice for your blog, aim for authority, but accessibility. Think what your customers would want to read, and what they would understand.
Share your blog with your customer base in your company emails, and on social media. Refer to your CRM when determining what your customer-base looks like and as you determine their interests.
Sometimes writing industry jargon and language from an “insider’s perspective” can make you sound like an expert. Sometimes it can just make your customers feel confused, or ignored. As you cultivate a voice for your blog, aim for authority, but accessibility. Think what your customers would want to read, and what they would understand.
Share your blog with your customer base in your company emails, and on social media. Refer to your CRM when determining what your customer-base looks like and as you determine their interests.
3. Making Your Business Blog Personal
If you’re driving traffic to your site because people want to read your musings on birdwatching, but you run a business that sells printer equipment, you are not writing for your target audience. You’re driving traffic, but not customers.
Start a personal blog, if you want to share your thoughts on birds, dogs, politics or food (unless one of those is your business). For your business blog, keep your posts focused on your customers. Know your customer demographics and understand what works for them, what’s important to them and how to reach them.
What’s the worst thing that can happen by making your blog too personal? You can alienate and offend your customers and send them elsewhere to someone who shares their views.
Start a personal blog, if you want to share your thoughts on birds, dogs, politics or food (unless one of those is your business). For your business blog, keep your posts focused on your customers. Know your customer demographics and understand what works for them, what’s important to them and how to reach them.
What’s the worst thing that can happen by making your blog too personal? You can alienate and offend your customers and send them elsewhere to someone who shares their views.
4. Starting a Blog and then Forgetting It
Many business bloggers and corporate writers start out gung ho on their blog. They set up a Facebook account, a Twitter account, an Instagram, a Pinterest and a Snapchat account. There’s all this “stuff” out there in the webisphere, and then they can’t keep up with it all and end up on radio silence.
It’s far better to pick something you can handle, and if that’s a blog, tackle it in easy, manageable posts. This might mean you post once a month, or even less. Consistency is more important than frequency.
Start your blog, and commit to keeping up with it. Create a content schedule you can manage, and have an idea of your next few posts (at least). Keep posts evergreen if you aren’t updating frequently, so your content feels fresh and relevant into the future.
It’s far better to pick something you can handle, and if that’s a blog, tackle it in easy, manageable posts. This might mean you post once a month, or even less. Consistency is more important than frequency.
Start your blog, and commit to keeping up with it. Create a content schedule you can manage, and have an idea of your next few posts (at least). Keep posts evergreen if you aren’t updating frequently, so your content feels fresh and relevant into the future.
5. Putting it In the Hands of Your Intern
Another frequent mistake? Putting your blog in the hands of your intern, your temp, or some other tech-savvy person. Now, of course, your intern might be great at blogging, but when they leave, you will be left high and dry with no one to take it over.
Similarly, an intern, a temporary employee or the junior, junior executive won’t know the industry like you and senior management do. They won’t be able to write from a place of expertise and authority, and they won’t be able to create sustainable content into the future.
Instead, opt for your best writer, your marketing expert, or someone who is great at wordsmithing, and have them generate the content. Then have your IT expert (or your intern) do the posting and teach you or someone else how to understand the analytic side of your blog.
Similarly, an intern, a temporary employee or the junior, junior executive won’t know the industry like you and senior management do. They won’t be able to write from a place of expertise and authority, and they won’t be able to create sustainable content into the future.
Instead, opt for your best writer, your marketing expert, or someone who is great at wordsmithing, and have them generate the content. Then have your IT expert (or your intern) do the posting and teach you or someone else how to understand the analytic side of your blog.
6. Working Harder (not Smarter)
One of the great things about blogging? You now have content to share in your newsletter, for your emails, and in your marketing materials! Repurpose it!
People often stretch themselves too thin when they try to create different pieces of unique content for each social media platform, blog post, marketing brochure and web page copy. Instead, cross-post to all areas.
Not only will you keep content relevant, consistent, and in a voice that matches your brand, but you’ll be working smarter and setting yourself up for success. Use the cross-posting technique to share articles and blog posts on Linkedin, and to create more news in your Facebook newsfeed. Share articles and posts with stakeholders who might not have caught it on your blog (but are still interested in news that’s important to your company).
Using smart strategies when it comes to blogging can help keep you from making any deadly business blogging mistakes, and falling into the typical pitfalls of business blogging.
People often stretch themselves too thin when they try to create different pieces of unique content for each social media platform, blog post, marketing brochure and web page copy. Instead, cross-post to all areas.
Not only will you keep content relevant, consistent, and in a voice that matches your brand, but you’ll be working smarter and setting yourself up for success. Use the cross-posting technique to share articles and blog posts on Linkedin, and to create more news in your Facebook newsfeed. Share articles and posts with stakeholders who might not have caught it on your blog (but are still interested in news that’s important to your company).
Using smart strategies when it comes to blogging can help keep you from making any deadly business blogging mistakes, and falling into the typical pitfalls of business blogging.
Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. ChamberofCommerce.com’s platinum membership helps small businesses grow their business on the web.