How B2B Marketers Can Make Their Blog Work for Them
Guest Contributor:
Kevin Wright, Copywriter
When it comes to blogging, I’m often asked many questions: What is it? How often should I do it? What purpose does it serve? How many have died doing it?
These are all important questions, but as more and more B2B companies are placing strategic importance on blogging as a tool to market their business, establish themselves as thought leaders in their industries, and drive traffic to their website, the most common question I hear is regarding best practices for blogging.
To that end, here are four useful tips for B2B marketers attempting to establish a blogging presence:
1. Focus on Topics Your Readers Care About
What information are they searching for? What concepts and ideas can they use help with? Think about it from their perspective and create posts that answer questions and help with decision-making. But you must also focus on areas that you can provide real insights. If they wanted someone pretending to be an expert about a topic, they could have done that themselves. More often than not, readers look to you for a unique sets of insights and experiences that only you can provide.
2. Don’t Focus Too Much on SEO
The majority of new traffic to most businesses online starts with a Google search, so Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is always a concern when it comes to content. But if you write keyword-heavy materials for the express purpose of driving search traffic, you are likely to lose your readers in the process. Don’t think you’re being slick–readers know when something feels “off” about your writing and they don’t like to be played. Fortunately, search engines have evolved. It’s no longer necessary to heavily use specific keyword phrases. Semantic search means you can write more naturally and the search engines will still know what your page is about.
3. Get Full Mileage Out of Your Content
Successful bloggers are aware of the content they have created and how it can be repurposed to give it new life. “Best of” posts allow you to gather quality posts together to put your best information on a topic in one place for readers to easily find. Old posts can also be periodically refreshed with new information so you continue to give your readers the best possible guidance. Research for posts can be added to different formats, such as slideshows, videos or infographics. When referencing previously covered topics, include links to them. Try creating an ebook by bundling several blogs about related topics together, adapting the content, and adding an introduction and conclusion.
4. Provide Adequate Content
One of the challenges for a business blogger is creating enough quality content. It’s recommended that companies update a minimum of once a week to show that their blog is active and that they are there and engaged with their business. While many businesses feel they should do all blogging in house, it is often more beneficial to outsource blogging duties to a dedicated person on your staff or to an outside agency. People who are experts in this area of promotion can do the work quicker and better than someone who is just starting on the learning curve. And, handing off blogging duties means that you and your staff are freed up to do the work that you do best to help drive your business’s success.
Like any area of your business, it takes time to learn the best methods for success in blogging. By applying these four best practices and working to consistently create quality content, you can ensure that your blog is a strong part of your inbound marketing efforts and contributes to your success.
