Deciding what you should feature on your company website? Well if you are, don’t overlook the company blog because businesses of any size or type have a lot to gain from blogging. And don’t assume that blogs only appeal to a consumer audience, LinkedIn is brimming with B2B blogs and they’re a great way of starting a discussion with customers and prospects over social media.
Getting started is the hard part, so see below a number of key pointers that we hope will help you on your way!
What should I blog about?
Have you won a significant piece of business? Have you taken on new members of staff? Don’t underestimate how interested stakeholders are in your company news, so be sure to shout about these successes in your blog.
As a business owner, there’s scope for you to become a thought leader in your sector. Your take on an issue affecting your industry might make people think differently, and a few shares later on LinkedIn, you may become a source of wise advice to some. But while it might be tempting to express a controversial view, don’t forget that everything you blog about is public, so only blog what you’re happy for all stakeholders to see.
How should I write it?
There’s no set word count for a blog, but to make sure you keep your reader’s attention, we recommend keeping it short and succinct. Our online attention spans are significantly low now that we’re accustomed to simple and concise social media postings, and your blog is more likely to prove a hit if it’s quick and easy to digest. If you’ve got lots to say on a topic, why not break it up in to a series of blogs, or numbered points to help keep it easy to read?
How can it be my SEO driver?
Your blog page can help boost your SEO given that search engines favour unique and fresh content, so be sure to you establish keywords to include in your blog posts that potential customers may be searching for when coming across your business. But if you want to really encourage SEO, gaining links to your blog is beneficial, and by establishing mutual links with publications in your sector and bloggers similar to yourself, you can build your online presence.
Anything else I should consider?
Look through your social media feeds and see what you find more engaging: posts with images and video on it, or those that are purely text? Particularly if you’re discussing a relatively dry subject, imagery can bring your blog topic to life, help you get your message across and make it resonate better with readers.
Unlike press coverage, you have complete control over your own blog content, so by setting up a blog page you can really get your company’s message across. The web is hungry for content, and it’s ready for you to feed it!
Alex Brown enjoys being one of the Skout blog’s most regular contributors.