Now that you know why blogging for business is #1 and have discovered the elements that must come together to make a blog successful, let’s go over some of the more common mistakes made when starting a blog — plus tips to avoid them!
Mistake #1: Not Aligning Your Blog With Your Brand Identity
Hubspot defines it perfectly when they say, “A brand identity is made up of what your brand says, what your values are, how you communicate your product, and what you want people to feel when they interact with it. Essentially, your brand identity is the personality of your business and a promise to your customers.” With that said, it’s easy to see why blogging would be a vital tool for building your brand identity. It gives your business a human voice and allows you to develop richer content that helps customers get to know, like and trust you. Of course, there are other elements involved in creating a memorable and recognizable brand, including your logo and web design, as well as a cohesive use of color and visual elements across social media platforms. That brings us to blogging mistake #1. Not aligning your blog with your brand identity makes you look unprofessional and inconsistent, so make sure your fonts, style settings, color scheme, featured photos, and voice all tie together and represent your brand.
Mistake #2: Not Providing Value To Your Customers
When done correctly, starting a blog can help to build a loyal, on-going relationship with existing and potential customers. The goal is to establish your business as a trusted resource by offering engaging, valuable content. This is a subtle art, and marketing best practices need to be adjusted and targeted specifically to blogging. Constantly going in for the hard sell with your blog content can get annoying, while writing just for the sake of writing is useless and often boring. One of the many benefits of a blog is that it drives repeat traffic to your website and sales funnel, but this will not work if you are not providing value to your customers and giving them a reason to come back for more. The fact is, while you are great at what you do, not many business owners have the time or ability to write and manage a quality blog. Outsourcing your blog to a professional blog writer is the best way to avoid this huge and all too common mistake, but if you think you want to give it a shot on your own, be mindful of:
- Offering relevant content that is cleanly written and interesting.
- Finding a voice that fits and appeals to your target audience.
- Conveying a message that solves a pain point or further develops the know, like, trust factor.
- Avoiding typos, spelling, syntax, and grammatical errors,
Mistake #3: Not Blogging Enough
While intentions may be good when starting a blog, posting new content sporadically once every month or two is really not enough. It’s a mistake not to make blogging a top priority, but sadly, many business owners do just that. They fail to realize just how important blogging is for establishing credibility and getting noticed online. And if you don’t believe us when we say blogging for business is #1, just check out these stats from Sprout Social.
- Websites that blog have 97% more inbound links (which boosts ranking in online searches).
- 61% of consumers have made a purchase based on a blog post that they read.
- 60% of consumers feel positive about a company after reading its blog.
- 70% of consumers learn about a company through its blog versus ads.
Aim for a minimum of two blog articles per month, but ideally, posting new content once or twice a week is the best way to to get the most out of your blog. Need help? Contact us today to learn more about our blog writing services and for assistance with all your online marketing needs.
You’ve probably realized by now that Social Media is no longer an option. In fact, it is a vital and highly successful tool for building a business. Aliya Hammond Consulting is an online Digital Marketing, Training, and Consulting Company headquartered in the greater Philadelphia area. We specialize in Social Media Management and Marketing, Social Media Training, Blog Writing, and Graphic Design Services for small and large businesses, entrepreneurs, and non-profit organizations. If you are looking to improve or increase your online presence, you can rest assured you are in good hands with us. Contact Aliya Hammond Consulting today to find out how we can help your business grow!
