5 Steps for Effective Blogging

Writing your blog post can seem daunting at first.  But, there’s a way to make it easier!

• Write your main idea first
  • Make sure to write down your “keywords” at time time.  You’ll want to repeat the “keywords” a few times throughout the article and on the title.
• Create a bullet point list of ideas
  • Make sure to come up with at least 3 points.
• Organize the bullet points
  • See which ordering will make for the most convincing article.

Once you’ve organized, follow these steps:

• Write an introduction
  • Keep it short, and state your idea/hypothesis
• Flesh out the ideas/points in three or so sections
  • Support your ideas.  If you’re being controversial, be sure to do so even more.
• Write a conclusion

You should have at least 500 words in your posts.  Google doesn’t consider posts under 300 words as worth while.  That said, don’t drag it out.  Be concise! Writing is a personal act.  But, we recommend staying professional yet conversational in your voice.  Be yourself, but don’t be too crazy. If you’re writing a comparison or on a controversial subject, make sure to pick a side.  Its better to have critics and haters than it is to make everyone happy.

Proof reading can prevent you from making mistakes.  Make sure to have someone else proof read your work before publishing. Few points we check for:

• Spelling
• Sentence length and structure
• Grammer
• Organization of ideas

We like to use the Hemmingway App to check our sentence readability.

“Now we’ve written our content.  Its posted, but nothing’s happening!” Unless you tell someone about your blog’s existence, no one will see it.  It takes time for Google to crawl your posts, especially if you have low Domain Authority. Depending on the importance of the entry, there are a few ways you can get the word out.   Below list is organized based on importance of your post: Normal Post:

• Scheduled Twitter post (you can post the same thing few times too.)
• Scheduled Google Plus post (helps with indexing speed)
• Include a link and excerpt as part of a Newsletter
• If appropriate, share on your LinkedIn feed

Important:

• Facebook Feed
  • Ask your friends and associates to share and like your post for a multiplied effect
• Directed Twitter Posts at specific users. (@ydseattle, check out our latest post on free burgers! http://example.com/burgers)
  • Follow the user before talking to them, you have a higher chance of getting their attention.
• Emails to your existing client base.
  • Ask them to share the news too.
• Find LinkedIn Groups that may be intested in your post.

Most Important:

• PR release via PRweb
  • This creates a possibility for news outlets to pick up your story.  If your story is significant, they will pick it up.
• Direct outreach to journalists, other bloggers, businesses.
  • Emails and phone calls are effective here.  Make sure to keep a list of influencers for these situations.

For your most important post, you can combine all sharing methods.

The most important aspect of a blog entry or any marketing is that it produces results.  If there isn’t a “Call to Action”, the reader will simply vanish.  Offering free consultation, or a review/report can also be a good idea. The “Call to Action” could just be a bold text at the end of the conclusion like below: Hope you learned something from my post!  Drop a comment below or email us if you have questions. If all of this seems too much, you can always contact us.  Find out more about our content marketing services.