The Fine Line: What to Embrace and What to Avoid in Company Blog Writing
9 min read
9 min read
by Aleksandra Stamatović
We’ve been saying this for a long time now, and with a risk of sounding like a broken record, we’ll repeat it – company blogs are powerful business tools. Business owners need to consider running a company blog as it can significantly impact their business. A blog is a great tool businesses can use to increase brand awareness and build relationships with their target audience. By consistently providing valuable and engaging content, companies can position their brand as an authority in their industry and establish a long-lasting, trustworthy relationship with their audience. And that’s not where the list of benefits ends because a company blog can drive traffic to your website, help improve search engine rankings and provide a platform for capturing leads and converting them into customers who keep coming back. And let’s not forget that running a company blog can also help humanize your brand, making it easier for customers to connect with it and understand its values and mission. Long story short, deciding to run a company blog can be a cost-effective way of reaching and engaging your target audience, establishing your brand as a thought leader in the industry, and ultimately driving the growth of the business.
To ensure you’re getting the most out of your blog section on the website, you’ll need to work on providing high-quality content that brings value and speaks to the desired audience. And, you’ll need to avoid pitfalls, which shouldn’t be that difficult after reading this piece, where we will lay out the major do’s and don’ts when running a business blog.
Having you here now, we’ll assume you already understand why a company should have an active, well-maintained blog section. And, if you’re still unclear about this part, head over to one of our recent pieces breaking down last year’s statistics in Content Marketing, which pretty much explains the Content Marketing Boom we’ve been witnessing over the last few years.
Now, assuming you completely understand the why behind having a company blog, if you’re still new to the game, here’s what you should figure out before launching the blog:
Crafting a quality blog post will require research and exceptional writing skills. We’ve seen companies make this mistake by handing this task over to someone just to cross it off the list and call it a day. And this could bring you more harm than not having a blog in the first place. So, you’ll want to ensure you’ve got a crack team of wordsmiths ready to get into creative mode. Whether you’re staffing up in-house or outsourcing to some freelance literary legends, just make sure they’ve got the skills to whip up high-quality content and hit deadlines. These two aspects will cover two major pain points in content marketing – high-quality content and a consistent content schedule. Nothing screams ‘unprofessional’ like a mistake-ridden blog or an eerie silence.
The general recommendation for business owners is to publish blog posts consistently and at least once a week to maintain an active audience and keep engagement high. Still, you shouldn’t take this at face value because the ideal frequency may vary based on several factors. Consider the industry you are in, your audience, their pain points, the topics you want to write about, and the resources available. Most importantly, don’t make plans that you won’t be able to stick to. Instead, work out a schedule that works for your business and stick to it. Rather than posting weak content every two days, sticking to a well-written blog post twice a month will give you better results. Take some time to test the waters, see what works for your team and your audience, and stick to it.
When determining what your blog section will be about, ensure you’re looking at this from your audience’s perspective. What does your target audience want to know? What are their pain points? What topics will bring you closer to them? All these questions are targeted at tailoring content to your audience’s needs. And once you determine the topics you’ll want to cover, you should consider formatting, too. Are long articles more suited for your audience or just quick bites of information? Again, establishing an identity upfront is crucial for consistency.
Now let’s talk about blog voice and style. It’s vital that your blog maintains a consistent tone. This tone we’re talking about should also match your audiences’ needs and your industry. This is the time to look at your main competitors and their content, which will help you determine your positioning and how you want your content to sound. And the choices are endless; you can go for a chatty, friendly vibe or take a scientific, formal approach instead – whatever suits your brand the best. Just make sure that the voice you go with aligns with your brand image and your target audience.
And while we’re at it, whip up a short style guide to keep things consistent. This will be a lifesaver for you and your team as you grow – everyone joining the team will be able to review the guidelines and know exactly what to aim for.
Although some make content marketing sound like a walk in a park, running a company blog comes with its own set of risks, which you should be aware of. Some of them include legal issues, such as defamation or copyright infringement, inappropriate content that can push your audience away instead of bringing them closer to your brand, poorly written content, or unprofessional posts that end up damaging your brand image. There is also a risk of overloading the blog with too much content, leading to a lack of engagement and interest overall. However, all these can be easily avoided if you take Content Marketing seriously and invest time and resources in launching a well-planned strategy.
One of the common pitfalls is stuffing your company blog with content that’s irrelevant to your target audience and doesn’t resonate with them. Businesses make this common mistake when they publish content that may interest their team but doesn’t align with their audiences’ needs or interests. Unfortunately, filing the blog with inappropriate content can also detract from the brand’s credibility and make it obvious that the company doesn’t understand its audience, signaling a major disconnect between the two.
To avoid this pitfall, it’s essential to focus on creating content that is relevant and of interest to your target audience. This may involve researching, gathering feedback, or using analytics to understand what types of content perform best with your audience. Once you know your audience better, you can tailor your blog content to their needs and interests, ensuring that it resonates with them and provides value. This, in turn, will help to establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry and increase engagement with your blog.
The key to success is consistency and quality! How often you post and how relevant posts are is essential to keep your audience engaged and your blog on the map. Here are some tips to get your frequency right:
It’s best if you:
As you can see throughout this article, blogging is a balancing act. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered on what NOT to do, too!
Try not to:
In other words, getting your blog frequency right is a delicate dance, but the payoff is worth it! By nailing your posts’ timing, topics, and tone, you’ll have a blog that boosts your brand and wows your audience. So, don’t let the pressure of blog perfection get you down; just remember to stay consistent, relevant, and, above all, dedicated to delivering quality content. With a little bit of effort and a lot of passion, your company blog will be a dazzling success!
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