Does your company have a blog? If not, there’s a hole in your online marketing strategy. Look at your online presence as a multi-layered, but a unified machine. Just like a real machine, there are cogs, gears, engines, and more that all contribute to one working system. Your website, email blasts, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and even your Angie’s List page should all work together. But if you don’t have a blog, you’re missing a huge professional piece.
If you’re about to jump into the blogging world for the first time, you need to realize that this just like social media, there are some rules to consider. Many bloggers fail because those who manage them make critical errors. Here are the biggest blogging blunders you should avoid:
1. Going in blind. One of the greatest crimes of blogging is leaving massive gaps of time between posts. It’s the best way to lose all your followers. The most common reason for this is a lack of strategy. You just don’t know what else to write! While that’s understandable, it’s not acceptable. Before you publish that first blog, get a calendar and plot out a few weeks to a month’s worth of content. Don’t run out!
2. Isolating your blog. Remember what I said about your brand’s online marketing being a multi-layer, albeit unified machine? Don’t forget to promote your blog on your other avenues. Post about your new blogs on Facebook and Twitter, have a link on your website and spread the word via email blasts.
3. Being a copycat. Yes, everyone needs a spark of inspiration at times and tends to find it by reading other people’s work. But do NOT plagiarize their info. That’s a road to trouble. If you need to reference another’s article, do so in a courteous and professional fashion.
4. Sloppy writing. I’m not just talking about typos or grammatical errors. (although you should definitely check your work. Have you tried Grammarly yet?) Before you hit the keyboard, get your thoughts straight. Stick to a solid plan, get your point across, and get your idea in order.
5. No “take away.” What do your readers get out of reading your blog? Don’t waste their time with meaningless blogs. Share knowledge, tips, tricks, and facts. Data always dominates (but make sure it’s correct). Whether people realize it or not, a blog tends to have an educational element at its core.
Are you ready to start blogging now? It’s an integral part to a company’s online presence and can give your brand a professional and influential appearance in your industry’s community.
Not a big fan of writing? No worries! The Go! Agency’s experienced copywriters create powerful and knowledgeable articles for our clients every single day!
