In the 1989 box-office smash, "Field of Dreams," Kevin Costner starred as a novice farmer, Ray Kinsella. As Ray was walking through his cornfield, he unexpectedly heard a voice, saying "If you make it, he will come." Not knowing exactly who "he" was, Ray designed a baseball diamond out of his cornfield. As advertised, "he" did come and so did his friends.
Along the same lines as "Field of Dreams," if you make a stellar business blog, they will come. However, they will not come for any old run of the mill recycled content; like the blog guidelines presented below, it must be stellar.
Tunnel Vision
The business blog should have tunnel vision, focusing on nothing but providing information. Instead of blogging about the newest product features, the blog should feature helpful advice that is relevant in the industry. Posts such as helpful how-to's, problem-solving tips, and money-saving advice will gather a following that can grow exponentially.
Hook, Line, and Sinker Title
Although you can't judge a book by its cover, people actively judge a blog post by its title. This means the title must tickle the reader's attention enough to entice them to click on the link. Its also imperative that the title include keywords and offer readers a clear indication of the content that is in the blog post.
Yummy Bite Sized Information
Due to the short attention span of readers, it's best to serve your blog post in bite-sized and deliciously snackable portions. This means you shouldn't feature long and laborious pages of content, but the content should be broken into sections with bullets and subtitles.
Graph the Information with Images
Simply put, infographics are highly creative tools that substantiate your information in a colorful and easy-to-read format. Creating an infographic will further establish your brand as a reliable industry authority. Including relevant images will also make the content more readable because pictures are truly worth a thousand words. However, you should avoid the highly circulated stock photographs.
Content is King
Your visitors came for the content, so it should be worthwhile. The content should be well articulated and researched information, which effectively answers commonly asked questions. Where it is suitable, you should create anchor text to source information.
Proofed
Nothing destroys creditability more than content ridden with errors. The solution to this seemingly irreconcilable problem is to proofread the content before it is published. It is also a best practice to use another set of eyes to ensure the content is error free.
Journalistic Impression
Your business blog should sound as if a journalist composed it. Journalist effectively provides the most important information at the top, followed by important details, which is rs readers other relevant or background information.
The Voice
Since the business blog usually features several different writers, it is imperative to develop a consistent voice for the blog. In either case, each blog post should include the following attributes.
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A distinct personality
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Convey a story
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Avoid corporate language or technical jargon
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Express a point of view
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Sound like an actual person
And Then....
One good blog post definitely deserves another and another offered on a consistent basis. Creating a compelling business blog post is negated if it isn't consistently followed by successive blog posts. Doing so will keep your audience coming back.
Wrap it Up
Just like a magnificent birthday present, your blog post should be wrapped up. Instead of a long drawn out conclusion, simply include a few sentences offering a summary. If you need to include a call-to-action, it should be here.
Wrapping it up: Your business blog presents a plethora of opportunities if it is written and managed correctly. The previous guidelines are across-the-board standards for creating a stellar business blog post, which can become your very own "Field of Dreams."
What tactics, practices, or tools have you found to be invaluable to your business blog?
