Look at your online marketing as a multi-layer, albeit unified machine. Your website, email blasts, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and even your Angie’s List page should all work together. But there’s something missing. A blog.
Blogs are what we like to call “semi-temporary content”, meaning that in 5 years one of your blogs could still be useful, but nobody is going to be studying them in high school English class 200 years from now. What they’re mostly useful for is establishing yourself as a thought leader and having a constant churn of content that will generate clicks to your website. In short: it ain’t that serious. But, that isn’t an excuse to have a bad blog.
Before you sign up and start fooling around with your layout, be wary of these 5 BIG mistakes even the most experienced bloggers may find themselves making:
- Going in blind. One of the greatest sins in the world 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!
- 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. Also, why do double work? If planned correctly, your long-form blog can be broken up into a couple of shorter newsletters, which could then be broken up into several posts – all linking and leading back to your website!
- 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. It’s a good way to get into a whole mess of trouble. If you need to reference another article, do so in a courteous and professional fashion. All content is out there to be shared along with your thoughts on it—just be sure to give credit, where credit is due.
- 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 keep your thoughts in order.
- Readers won’t learn anything. After reading a blog or article, a person should have taken away something from the experience. Whether it’s a new tip or a grudge against the reader’s opinions, your blogs should have an impact. 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? It’s an integral part of a company’s online presence. 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.
