Your blog not performing as you expected? You’re probably making one of these common mistakes.
5. Don’t hide it away
Want people to read your blog? Want to build a community of interacting prospects dying to hear about your next product release? Well, consider telling them you have a blog. Obvious right? Not to everyone. Hiding a blog away in an obscure link in the footer of a page is a common mistake for a business who would otherwise benefit from building a community of followers, i.e. every business. Generally this is because the business is scared of the informal nature of the blogging experience and of the modern web in general but has been convinced of the benefits. They’re stuck between two worlds, the old and the new. The web is now Casual Friday every day of the week. Your blog will fit in wonderfully with your sans-serif fonts and updated approach to marketing.
4. Booooooooring
The Web2.0 world is one of interaction, it is what makes any website today maintain a customer’s interest. This is true whether you are a news corporation who opens news stories to comments or your favorite social media hub. The point of a blog is not to simply ram a sales pitch down a visitors throat. The hard truth is – no matter how wonderful your company is – no one really cares. If you want people to read, give them reason to by being insightful, funny and entertaining. The chances are, your blog post has been stumbled upon by someone who really should be getting some real work done – you have to get them to hang around long enough to make that work be contacting you and making a purchase.
3. All Talk, Talk, Talk
Blogging is a social activity, interaction is key. How often have you read a headline and skipped straight to the comments to see what others were saying? Whether you want to leave your opinion or not, do you stay longer on a page that has a conversation at the end of it? Probably. Most people who do leave a comment keep coming back to check on replies, that means more opportunities to make a sale. If you make each one of your blog posts call out for a response, either by being extremely helpful or by asking lots of questions, you can start a snowball effect. Don’t be afraid of a little opinion and avoid a corporate voice – blogging is a personal and informal affair, leave the suit and tie at the door.
2. Drying up
When was your last blog post? A month ago? Stale content kills a visitors will to interact, why would they want to?
1. Not doing it yourself
Leaving your blog writing up to an intern or paying some faceless content writer to create your posts? Not a good idea. Do you really expect them to be as excited about what you’re doing as you are?
If as a business owner you simply do not have the time to write posts, this is a job for a senior marketing person. Your blogger needs to be able to talk about your products or services better than anyone else. You can quickly teach someone to post blog posts, but you can’t quickly get someone clued up about your industry and corporate culture.
Discuss the specific benefits of a company blog to your business, no obligation.