frustrated

You Know You Need to Blog, but You Don’t Know How

Here are 7 Tips to Help You Be an Effective Blogger

Who’d have thought a few years ago that blogging would become a powerhouse for news, opinion and information over traditional sources in the media. As a matter of fact, DestinationCRM.com did a study in 2011 with BlogHer that shows bloggers are trusted more than a celebrity endorsement! So if you’re in business, you need to start blogging right away.

Benefits of blogging include letting your public know what you offer, delivering your expertise in bite-sized pieces that build huge value for your brand, building a following for future sales and it’s the number one way to drive meaningful traffic to your website. So if you don’t have a blog setup, set one up right away and start tapping your keyboard.

Here are seven tips that will help you get organized and produce an effective blog.

Share Micro Facets of Your Message

Most people are used to trying to sell the entire picture of what they offer, because they anticipate making a sale. In doing so, it comes across salesy (which is not good) and you use all your material and wonder, “What am I going to write about next?” Every expertise has micro facets of important points that are rich with helpful information. For example, if your business is lawn care, you can write an article on proper fertilization, which pesticides are best, what grass should be used for your region, the different kinds of grasses, etc. This will give you plenty to work with, keep your reader interested and provide a referral resource as readers share your blog with their friends having the same questions.

Keep it Short, but not TOO Short

On the Internet, attention spans are short. So if you give too much, unless it’s a really compelling article, many people won’t read it. So try to keep it between 400 and 750 words.

Use Good Citations

While you may have great information and years of experience to back it up, people like to know that what you’re saying is true from a different source. So when possible, as I did above with the blogger study, use links to other content that supports your point.

Make it Evergreen

An evergreen article is an article that will stand the test of time, because it’s not dated. For example, proper lawn-care techniques will probably not change soon. However, if an infestation happened that was a one-time occurrence, an article on how to correct that problem may not be useful again. Evergreen may not always be possible, but when it is, be sure to write it.

Pay Attention to the News and Trends

This is an example where evergreen may not be possible, but is a powerful tool; writing about the hot topics and news as it pertains to your expertise. These kinds of articles can have an emotional power that gets many responses, but they are typically a one-time use article.

Listen to Your Audience

As you post blogs, people will comment. Those comments are gold! They will tell you what your readers are interested in and provide direction for future articles.

Entertain, Help and Inform

The three reasons people use social media and read blogs are to be entertained, informed and find solutions to problems. So you’ll want to make sure that your article does at least two out of three for it to be a good piece. Remember, if you wouldn’t read it, why would anyone else

It doesn’t matter what your industry or expertise is, there is so much fodder for blog articles available and there will always be an audience that is looking for what you have to say. If there were none, you’d be out of business! So take the time to share your message with passion and professionalism, and a little wit, and pretty soon you will be the trusted source they read and follow.

Eddie Velez
Follow Eddie

Google

7 Comments

  1. Thanks for the great post. I recently starting blogging again and am taking it one day at a time. One post a week is what I am beginning with.

    • eddievelez says:

      You’re very welcome, Shelley! And one a week is all you want to do. You CAN overdo it and push people away. Have a blessed weekend!

      Eddie

  2. Good tips, Eddie! Another good way to boost the effectiveness of your blog is to read and engage with other blogs in your niche. Other blogs are a good source of ideas. Plus the more you interact with other leaders in your field, the more they will read, comment on, share and link to your content.

    • eddievelez says:

      Thank you Paul for your input! You’re correct. Engagement is the rule, and if you do, you will be helped as you help others. That pays dividends!

      Have a blessed weekend!

  3. Amy Hagerup says:

    These are great tips, Eddie. I like your emphasis in the last one on entertaining, helping, and informing. I think you really summed it up here. That is what keeps people coming back for more. Blessings, Amy

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *