Keeping a current blog is important for any business wishing to engage with their customers on a more personal level. Blogs add value to your website and provide a natural way for producing authentic content. Not every blog post, however, will strike Internet gold. No matter what industry you work in, these are some common mistakes that can plague any blog. If you feel like your blog is getting off track, check out this list to make sure you’re not committing a cardinal mistake.
Forgetting your audience
Every blog should be written for one person and one person only — your audience. It’s easy to come up with something you, the writer, would like to read. But, if your audience isn’t interested, then the post will likely only be read by you. Always remember to keep your audience at the forefront of every post.
Lack of personality
Even though the goal of your blog is to provide valuable information to customers and potential buyers, you should always work to add a little flavor to your writing, too. If you have a personal story that you can relay to your audience that drives in whatever point you’re writing about, then tell it! After all, people tend to remember stories best, and most audiences would rather read something entertaining than something flat.
Getting too broad
Some of the first topics that come to mind when blogging are broad ideas like “how to do social media marketing” or “why you should have a content calendar.” These types of posts can get lost in the shuffle and get drowned out by more specific posts that provide more direction to readers. When brainstorming topics, try to start with a broad idea, then trim it down into something more specific.
Little organization
When most people reach your blog, they likely scan through your content — looking for quick and easy information to digest. Instead of writing a five-paragraph essay that your high school English teacher would be proud of, writing something with bulleted lists and clear headlines.
Not enough proofreading
Every blog, no mater how short, deserves its own proofreading session (this is something your high school English teacher would be proud of). A good proofreading strategy is to write your post, give it a read-through, then step away. Then, come back to it and read it again. You’ll likely spot an error you didn’t see before. Better yet, ask someone else to read your blog. Chances are, they’ll see mistakes you didn’t catch the first time.
For more information on how to launch a successful blog, contact us today.