Rule #3 – RelationshipsYou’ve probably heard the saying, “Marketers are now publishers.” Ok….what the heck does that mean? Well, it means that the people that used to be responsible for making pretty advertisements are now responsible for creating as much content as possible to be posted on social media networks, websites, email programs and the like. It’s becoming a content war.
That means as an owner or manager of a business, you should be thinking about what and how much information and content you are publishing. A blog is a great way to get started and is also perfect for publishing on other networks. Before starting, consider these three rules of blogging.
Rule #1 – Content
Before you start, you should consider what you plan to write about. It should be something you are passionate about, have some level of expertise in and a fairly broad topic as well. You want something you could write about every day until death do us part.
You want to choose a topic that is easy for you to think creatively about, but also something that people tend to stop and listen to you about. The purpose of blogging for business is the attract followers and position your brand as an expert in the field. So, that probably narrows it down a bit – you should choose to blog about something that you are passionate and knowledgeable about but also benefits your business and is something people want to read about.
Brainstorm ideas, map it out and create a content plan that can keep you blogging for a while.
Rule #2 – Consistency
The point of spending so much time brainstorming content is in part to help you gather enough content to blog consistently. You want to avoid writers block by having a list of ideas to spur you on and keep you blogging regularly. Consistency is extremely important for blogging success. People like to have consistent content so they are always engaged and considering the topic at hand, not struggling to remember what it was they read last time.
You’ll also lose marketing momentum by having a disjointed stream of content. Your social channels will suffer from a lack of content and your followers across all forums will lose a bit of interest in what your company has to say.
Choose a frequency level for your blog and stick to it – daily, weekly or monthly. The more you can do, the better, but as long as you are consistent you are holding to your promise.
The third and final rule really builds off of the second rule about consistency. When you are blogging, you are building relationships with your followers. Sure, at first it feels like you’re only talking to yourself, but blogging takes a while to build up followers and get people subscribed to your blog and paying attention. As long as you follow the first two rules, your followers will come.
Think of your blog as a place to network with these followers and build relationships. You want to encourage comments, you want to encourage interaction and you want to encourage relationships so consider how people are able to interact on your blog. Is it easy to sign up? Is it easy to leave a comment? Is it easy to share the content on their social networks?
What do you think of this blog? Are we living by the three rules?
Author Bio: Valorie Reavis
Social Marketer, foodie, closet geekA marketing professional who has focused primarily on the hair and beauty business for of the past decade, Valorie now runs linkup marketing, a digital marketing agency for the hair and beauty professional. Valorie works to engage clients in the marketing process and help them successfully engage with their clients and community. Energetic and passionate about the industry, Valorie focuses on blending traditional and digital media in order to bring salons closer to their clients.
