Blogs in the corporate world are becoming more critical. They allow employees to share their thoughts, potential customers can be reached, and companies can offer insights on what’s happening around them. In addition, blogging is a powerful marketing tool if done correctly. Which piece of social media real estate is your favorite? Do you have a Twitter or Facebook account? Although they are all excellent ideas, I would start with a blog. Why? Because firms that blog have 97 percent more inbound links than those that don’t, more search engine traffic is generated. And it just gets better from there – sixty-one percent of shoppers have purchased after reading a blog article, after reading a company’s blog, 60% of customers have a favorable impression of it, rather than advertisements, 70% of customers learn about a firm via its blog. If those figures aren’t enough to persuade you to create a company blog, maybe this infographic will. Having a blog for your company helps you contact your clients no matter what kind of business you have or how big or little it is. Blogs assist you in developing a personal connection with your consumers while also increasing client loyalty.
However, here is where things become a bit complicated. You can’t follow the same standards that apply to individuals who have personal blogs since you’re writing directly to your consumers and allowing them to converse with you while marketing your brand. You should be cautious about the “how to blog” advice you follow since it isn’t necessarily appropriate for commercial blogging. The majority of it is written by and for individuals who have personal blogs, who have a lot more leeway about what they write and how they present it. If you’re here to do business, you’ll need to blog differently. Many bloggers, for example, write genuine, personal tales laced with emotion, but if you want to enhance your bottom line, that’s not going to work for you. You can’t express your thoughts on complex issues or go on a tirade about anything that has made you furious. If you did, you might wind up damaging your sales. You should also be wary of how much personality you put into your postings. Because they aren’t operating a mid-sized or colossal organization, some bloggers cuss like sailors or throw snarky comments around, which works for them. Imagine if Nike’s CEO started cursing a lot on his website! Is that enough to make you want to go out and get some running shoes? Most likely not. The idea is that you can’t play by the same rules as other bloggers when you run a commercial site. You need to be more attentive about how you portray your words to create a positive impression on consumers and prospective clients and help you sell your company via your blog.
Here are 35 pointers to get you started:
1. Don’t ever write about a demanding customer.
To be ‘useful’ to your readers, writing about customers who missed a payment or were nasty to your employees sends a message to future consumers that you’re not on their side or prepared to go to any length to produce pleased customers. Would you want to work for a corporation that may smear you? Or, worst still, your company? Negative publicity isn’t good for business, so don’t be a drama queen.
2. Always come across as accomplished.
Some company owners have blogged about their quarterly losses and the economic downturn they are experiencing. This informs prospective clients that your company is struggling and would be better suited to dealing with your competitors. And even if you were doing well financially, why would you reveal how much money you make? You’ll seem foolish since all you’ll be asking for is more rivals. Businesses will swarm where money is to be made if you don’t know.
3. Use caution while dealing with contentious issues.
This isn’t as simple as it seems. Avoid sensitive subjects such as sex and religion and give unique ideas or viewpoints on potentially controversial issues like current legislation or industry practices. If you can’t say anything kind, don’t say anything at all, as the adage goes. Also, if you’re writing on a contentious topic, be sure you have evidence to back up your arguments and avoid letting your emotions get in the way.
4. Display the values
It’s a good idea to discuss the principles that your company supports or promotes. For example, if you feel that the company should be ethical, transparent, and ecologically responsible, then, by all means, write about it – but do so sparingly and carefully. Never take a strong position, express a strong view, and never criticize competitors. Your About page is one of the most delicate areas to demonstrate your company’s principles. And don’t do it in a braggadocious manner; instead, speak about the issues you can address for your prospective consumers. For example, if I were Southwest Airlines and had a blog, I would write about how we believe in going above and beyond to ensure that family members had a positive experience. I’d write about all the minor details that make this feasible, such as family seating preference. It’s challenging to travel with a family. Because Southwest does not provide allocated seats, many families may fly with them. However, if consumers were aware of the preferred seating for families, this may change.
5. Don’t write for the sake of writing.
When it comes to business blogging, you should always write for your customers first and your company second. Your demands must be well down on your priority list. Remember that you aim to increase sales, attract new customers, and grow your company by enlightening readers, not by spreading warm fuzzies. As you begin to blog, you’ll realize that you’ll attract more of them when you write about topics that benefit your clients. You won’t attract new clients if you write about your firm’s excellence.
6. Put your blog in its proper location.
I made the mistake of utilizing my first blog, an internet marketing blog, as a landing page. This meant that readers would come to the site thinking, “Oh, free marketing ideas.” Great!” “Here’s an internet marketing expert I can employ,” I would have liked them to think. A blog is an optional feature that should be treated as such—spreading yourself too thin when marketing your blog and your company is a bad idea. There should only be one brand, not two. There will be a lot of misunderstandings if you have more than one.
7. Keep your goal in mind.
The primary purpose of a company blog is to attract clients and sales. So write about your goods, services, case studies, happy customer tales, discounts, promotions, new releases, and so on your blog. Because your blog is a marketing tool for your company, be sure to include it in your postings.
8. Don’t be monotonous.
You don’t have to be stiff to have a business blog. It’s OK to make a personal connection with prospective clients. Just be cautious about what you share, strike a decent mix of business knowledge and personality, and avoid dedicating whole postings to your children or favorite sport.
9. Try not to give the farm away.
People may quickly pour out gobs of free content on blogs, but free does not make your company more money. Instead, give your readers just enough information to establish your authority and reputation, but save the actual tactics or how-tos for those that employ you, purchase your product, or join up. If you decide to share part of your “secret sauce,” do it in the form of a free ebook or whitepaper. Make them give you their names, email addresses, business names, and phone numbers before they can download it. As a result, one of your salespeople will follow up with them and convert them to clients.
10. Do not be scared to ask questions.
Feel free to tell people what you want them to do since they won’t think of contacting you, hitting the Buy button, or signing up for future blog updates until you give them the idea. If you can, include a call to action in each post. Then, simply modify the text to make it appear fresh and new.
11. Only write about topics that are meaningful to you.
Our ideal customer at kissmetrics is a marketer who works for e-commerce or subscription-based company. As a result, we should be writing about marketing in general, correct? Guess one more! We tried writing on marketing-related topics, but the people attracted by this sort of material don’t seem to turn into buyers. Furthermore, the brand awareness from this sort of audience isn’t beneficial to us since they aren’t our ideal consumers. So we discovered that our material needed to be tailored to our target market. What I mean is that you can’t write about broad e-commerce marketing if you’re targeting marketers at e-commerce enterprises. You must be much more detailed. People purchase KISSmetrics’ solution to assist them in examining their traffic statistics, for example. We’d solely write about stuff that helps these e-commerce giants’ marketers understand their data in a perfect world. Even if the material is about rival items, it’s still a brilliant idea to provide analytical recommendations that e-commerce marketers can use; according to our research, that’s the sort of material that turns blog readers into buyers – at least for us. If you’re going to publish on your company’s blog, make sure the fabric is tailored to your target market. If it means less traffic, don’t go too broad with your material since it won’t lead to any signups.
[Tweet “Blogging about specialized topics would reduce your traffic by 218 percent while increasing your revenue by 692 percent.”]
12. Don’t make your most awesome stuff available on your website.
There’s a good chance your site doesn’t attract a few hundred thousand visits every month. As a result, even if you publish an excellent piece of content, just a tiny percentage of people will read it and share it on social media. As a result, your finest material should be shared on someone else’s website. Consider the following scenario: Huffington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, and Forbes undoubtedly receive 1,000 times, if not 10,000 times, the amount of traffic that your site does. As a result, posting your specialized article on such sites will get more attention since their viewership is considerably greater. You’ll bring relevant traffic back to your site, get more leads, and earn more blog followers by guest blogging. This method has proven so successful that I now guest-post five times each week. For all of my businesses, guest writing on sites like Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine, and Mashable has proven to be a successful approach.
13. Teach your audience to purchase.
If you don’t teach your readers how to purchase, they won’t convert into customers. Blogging has two sides to it. People have become used to reading your excellent material for free. Therefore, they expect you to give away your product and service for free. This may seem strange, yet it is true. True enough that I get over 20 emails every day from individuals wanting me to give away my services and goods for free. Why? Because everything on my blog is free. You should never charge for your blog material. Instead, you should teach your readers to purchase. The most straightforward approach to do this is to need people to make micro-commitments, requiring them to take action to earn a reward. Here are some micro-commitment examples:-
Instead of giving out a free ebook, need users to give you their email addresses to read the ebook. This will educate kids that they must first provide you with something to obtain anything in return. Don’t merely send the free ebook to your subscribers. Instead, send them a link to it through email. They’ll learn to “click” to gain a reward this way. It will be easy for you to persuade them to click on your “Buy” button afterward. Now and again, ask your readers to share your work. Your viewers will learn to reciprocate if you include a small note encouraging them to tweet your material after your blog article. You’ll have a better chance of making money from your blog if you educate your visitors on how to take action. One of my friends, Timothy Sykes, boosted his earnings by 84 percent once he began teaching his readers to take action. He didn’t alter the product or service he was providing. He just trained his audience to purchase.
[Tweet “Conviction is 90% of selling, and persuasion is 10%.”]
14. Be consistent at all times.
Many bloggers let off on the gas pedal, mainly when their traffic stops expanding. My Quick Sprout traffic was flat in 2009. It was so dull that I decided to take a break from blogging. More than 45,000 visitors visited Quick Sprout in May 2009.
I didn’t blog in June, which resulted in a 21% drop in visitors.
Just because your traffic isn’t increasing doesn’t guarantee it won’t decrease in the future. Don’t be silly – don’t let up on the gas pedal. It took you a long time and a lot of effort to get your blog to where it is now. It took me three months to recover from the 21% decline in traffic, so don’t make the same mistake I did. By remaining consistent, you can ensure that your traffic remains stable, if not increases. You must maintain a steady posting routine whether it rains or snows.
15. Make an emotional connection with your readers.
I excel at Quick Sprout, but not so much on my business blogs, KISSmetrics and Crazy Egg. I do my hardest to react to every comment left on Quick Sprout. Increasing income via encouraging interaction is a beautiful approach to do it. Responding to comments is the most excellent method to promote participation. It’s so successful that someone who has previously commented has accounted for 68.1 percent of my Quick Sprout income. Only a few authors on the KISSmetrics and Crazy Egg blogs react to comments. As a result, I began to respond to the comments on those sites. It’s also been quite beneficial — the number of repeat visitors is steadily growing. Quick Sprout still has the highest percentage (40.8%), but I should be able to get KISSmetrics there in a year and Crazy Egg there in two years. You won’t get many people to purchase your goods or service if you don’t establish a deep connection with your audience.
16. Start earning money as soon as possible.
I used to wait until my corporate blogs had over 100,000 visits before monetizing them. I used KISSmetrics and Crazy Egg to do this. Wasn’t it a massive blunder? We didn’t start taking leads for KISSmetrics until we had over 300,000 monthly visits on our blog. We waited to launch Crazy Egg until we had at least 200,000 monthly visitors. The problem with waiting so long was that we learned much later than we should have that our readership did not convert well into sales. Why? Because the traffic we were generating was unrelated to our offering, which violates Rule 1. With both blogs, we adjusted our emphasis somewhat. We began writing more articles regarding conversion optimization at Crazy Egg since our core readership is interested. In addition, we have started producing more analytics-based content for e-commerce and subscription sites at KISSmetrics. Sure, we still have a long way to go until our traffic becomes more qualified, but we might have saved a lot of time and money if we’d begun monetizing sooner. You can instantly see where it stands and how quality your traffic is by monetizing your site. So, somewhat of waiting until you reach 100,000 monthly visitors before attempting to monetize your site, start testing the waters when you get 10,000 monthly visitors.
17. Gather emails
On Quick Sprout, I gather emails in various methods, from my sidebar opt-in to my offer before each comment area. I will add you to an email drip sequence that promotes my goods and services once I capture your email. Because this strategy is so successful, we also use it on the KISSmetrics blog. We then use marketing automation to persuade you to purchase things from us. There are a few things to keep in mind if you want to use this strategy to increase sales:
Unless you provide anything for free, such as an ebook or a course, it’s usually challenging to acquire emails. That’s why, in return for your email, I provide free ebooks and courses. Other than technique, pop-ups acquire more emails than anything else. Your viewers may despise it, so you’ll have to experiment with how frequently you display pop-ups, or they may abandon your site in frustration. To convert email subscribers into purchasers, you’ll need to set up an email drip sequence. Read this article if you’re not sure how to do it. To send emails, you’ll need to utilize an email service provider. Get Response is my go-to marketing automation platform since it’s inexpensive and has built-in marketing automation. Mailchimp offers a free option for those on a tight budget.
18. Use the first person in your writing.
Personal blogs are supposed to be unique. The human person, not the text on a computer, is what readers want to engage with. Begin with a brief introduction that describes who you are and why you are qualified to speak on the subject. If you’re going to add some comedy, that’s OK, but it’s not required. Avoid using the impersonal third-person writing style, which looks something like this: “In recent years, [Company Name] has achieved numerous improvements.” Instead, remain with the first person, which results in the following example: “In recent years, we’ve made a lot of progress.” You may even employ the second person by occasionally addressing readers as “you.”
19. Disseminate reliable industry information
If you decide to start a corporate blog, it should be focused on your field. The more specialized you can make it, the better. Keep up with the latest industry news and address significant concerns as they occur with this in mind. Keep up to date on the latest industry news and trends, and pay attention to what thought leaders in your field are doing and saying. You’ll be springing out of your seat with fresh, inventive ideas after watching this.
20. Ignore blog or website updates in postings.
Updates to your blog or website are presumably thrilling to you. But believe me when I say that no one else cares. Sharing such information on your blog demonstrates that you have run out of ideas. Sit down and start again if you feel inclined to offer technical updates. I guarantee that better ideas will come to you.
21. Be foresightful
Make forecasts regarding the direction of your industry, like Nostradamus did, from time to time. It could seem a little risky—will readers come back and correct you if you’re wrong? — However, when it comes to coming up with fresh themes to cover, it’s a terrific approach to broaden your horizons. This doesn’t need the use of a crystal ball. Simply remain up to date on your sector and provide your audience with well-informed forecasts.
22. Show your feelings
One of the most common causes of writer’s block is the notion that you have to suppress your feelings. The fact is, your readers will enjoy it, and it will make your material more relevant. Allow yourself to vent your feelings about things from time to time. Are you looking forward to that forthcoming trade event, or are you dreading it? Using your emotions to express yourself should provide you with many fresh ways to spice up your blog.
23. Share insider information
Allow readers to see inside your firm by offering inside tales about noteworthy events regularly. Giving readers a “behind the scenes” look will keep them interested and provide you with a lot more intriguing material for your blog. Create postings describing how the firm is preparing in the weeks preceding a significant product launch. Share the news when key new personnel joins the team.
24. Maintain a friendly yet professional demeanor.
It’s simpler to write blog entries when you make them personal. Your blog, however, should retain a high degree of professionalism since it reflects your organization. Add some humor to your blog entries by joking about what you’re thinking or feeling about specific subjects. As if you were having a face-to-face discussion, write as if you were. From there, everything else will fall into place.
25. Investigate in-depth
Corporate blogs, all too frequently, just scratch the surface of the issues that concern their readers. Generally, generic, fluffy articles are quick to produce, but they leave a lot desired. When you go thoroughly into themes on your industry blog from time to time, it will be a lot more intriguing. Create a series of pieces to divide things up into manageable portions if you’re concerned about keeping your audience’s attention through such issues. This has the extra benefit of keeping your readers interested in reading more.
26. Conduct interviews with persons
You’re not a journalist, I know. Getting out there and interviewing prominent individuals in your business, on the other hand, is a terrific method to come up with engaging blog subjects. You don’t have to interview them face to face, of course. You should be able to do at least occasional interviews by email and social media, which will provide you with plenty of blog stuff.
27. Acquire expertise
You are undoubtedly an expert on things about your field. Step it up by concentrating on a specific topic and learning all you can about it. You’ll be swimming in ideas that matter to your audience if you establish yourself as an expert on a specific topic. Additional views will come to mind more readily as you discover new issues.
28. Make a listicle
A business blog doesn’t have to be stuffy or stuffy (in fact, quite the opposite). Create content in a list style, similar to what Buzzfeed does, and publish listicles from time to time.
Even if they are written on boring themes, listicles are simple to produce and enjoyable to read.
29. Take on complex subjects
Corporate blogs tend to avoid discussing particularly challenging themes. Getting to the bottom of anything that frustrates customers who depend on your goods or services takes time and effort, but it also provides you with a wealth of material for blog entries. Next, focus on problems that no one else appears to be attempting to tackle and make a commitment to fixing them. Finally, share your results with your audience, whether you’re successful or not.
30. Disseminate memes
I don’t care how specialized your company is; there will undoubtedly be plenty of relevant memes available. Gather them and post them on your blog regularly. Maintain the momentum of your blog by providing feedback on the meme. If you’re having trouble finding memes, make your own. There are many applications available for this, so there’s no reason not to try it!
31. Disseminate survey and poll results
Use applications and widgets to survey customers and prospects quickly and simply. Share your findings and make comments on your blog postings. Don’t be frightened to look for polls and surveys from other places. Even if they aren’t very current, they are likely to interest your readers, and writing pieces on them is simple and enjoyable.
32. Demonstrate empathy
On the one hand, you want to seem like an expert in your field. On the other side, you need to connect with your audience to keep them interested. You can’t do it without sometimes displaying some empathy. Use words like “…like many company owners…”, “…I know how it is…”, and “…I see that all the time…” to show your readers you understand them and give your articles more personality when the scenario calls for it.
33. When possible, tie postings to current events.
Write a piece on a notable occurrence that influences your sector, even if it is just indirectly. This has the extra benefit of having your content appear in hot topic feeds on social media. But don’t take it too far. You can find yourself attempting to connect every current incident to your business, which will not work. However, when it makes sense, this strategy may be pretty effective.
34. Provide a no-cost webinar
We’ve been doing a lot of KISSmetrics webinars recently since they’re famous. They not only assist with sales, but they also attract a lot of traffic to our corporate website. Typically, if you want to hold a webinar, it needs to be about something that will benefit your audience. You can’t expect people to attend a webinar that is nothing more than a sales presentation with no real value for them. Instead, you must educate them on a subject relevant to your product or service. For example, you might advertise your product or give them an exclusive deal if they purchase within the next 24 hours during the webinar.
35. Hire a good writer.
I can’t stress enough that whoever writes for your site should be a natural writer. Furthermore, they must like writing, and their passion should be evident in their work. It’s clear when an industry blog is authored by someone who lacks the essential writing skills. Make sure your material is written—or typed, as the case may be—by someone who can do it right, even if you have to pay for it.
How to Find and Hire a Great Blogger?
Unlike most careers, world-class bloggers aren’t found via job advertisements. It’s not because there aren’t enough brilliant bloggers. In actuality, a large number of them aren’t. Not only that, but the majority of them are underpaid. Searching marketing blogs is the most straightforward technique to locate a fantastic blogger. Even if your company isn’t in the marketing industry, it doesn’t matter in this scenario. Because everything can be studied on the internet, a brilliant blogger can write about any subject. The first step is to list all the prominent marketing blogs, such as Copyblogger, Problogger, and Moz. Each of those sites welcomes guest posters, which is precisely what you’re looking for. In addition, because each of those sites has tight editorial requirements, a blogger who can have their work published on one of them is usually a competent enough blogger. Now that you’ve compiled a list of possible bloggers, you’ll want to search for the following characteristics:
Ability to generate traffic – just because the pieces they’re publishing get more social shares than other posts on the same site doesn’t guarantee their content is superior. It typically signifies they know how to get people to come to their website. Two of my sites rely on guest bloggers for material, and I’ve discovered that some of these bloggers excel with content promotion while others excel simply at writing. You want to recruit people who are skilled in both writing and marketing. They usually comprehend content marketing if their material receives more social shares.n No one wants to read an essay, so use a conversational writing style. Blog postings should be casual and enjoyable to read. Look for authors who often utilize “you” and “I” in their blog entries. This is significant because I’ve discovered that bloggers who don’t write in a conversational tone get 31% fewer comments each post than those who do. You want more words because greater involvement implies more readers, and engaged readers are more likely to become customers. Storytelling – You just have 8 seconds to capture your audience’s attention. That was a quickie! It’s so brief that it’s a fraction of a second shorter than a goldfish’s attention span. Telling a tale is one of the most effective methods to attract a reader. These postings will be more likely to be viewed if the author adds stories to each blog post. How can you demonstrate your analytical abilities? Isn’t that what facts and statistics are for? You don’t want to employ a blogger who can’t back up their claims. Why? Because I’ve discovered that blog articles with statistics and figures produce 28 percent higher social shares, provided they’re correct. That implies more people will visit your blog.
You don’t need to go any farther than the items above to assess a blogger’s ability. There are, of course, other vital attributes that a blogger should possess. Finding these writers on other prominent sites benefits having those other attributes pre-vetted for you. Once you’ve identified a few bloggers that fulfill the above criteria, send them an email asking if they’re interested in working on a contract basis. You only pay them for each blog article they publish under a contract. The majority of these bloggers will charge between $100 and $200 for a 1,000 to 2,000-word blog article. Paying more than $200 is typically not worth it unless your return on investment justifies it. And earning less than $100 is unrealistic, considering that most skilled writers spend four to five hours composing a terrific piece. That implies you’d be paying them under $20 per hour. That’s all there is to it. There’s not much else to it when it comes to discovering a world-class blogger.
So, what’s the most significant deterrent to corporate blogging for you?
Most likely, it’s your skepticism about blogging’s ability to generate income. Isn’t it the last thing you want to do after spending weeks, if not months, writing and earning nothing? So I’ve produced an infographic to illustrate how blogging impacts your bottom line to convince you that it’s a worthwhile venture.
Conclusion
Your ultimate aim is to convert readers into customers when writing for business, so make sure you do the work necessary to accomplish that goal. In your blog entries, provide links to your sales pages, write about what you can do for individuals, and emphasize that you’re a company with something to offer. Keep in mind that your company’s blog should not be the center of attention. It’s merely a means to introduce readers to your company and get them enthusiastic about the more essential and more incredible things you have to offer. Blog writing format for students is a guide to making your blog relevant. This article provides tips on making your blog more appealing and readable by readers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes an excellent corporate blog?
A: A good corporate blog is mainly about the company itself and what it does. It should also offer a glimpse into the world of work for someone who doesn’t have experience with that field by providing insight into how things are done in that industry. If you’re struggling with ideas on where to start, try looking at your competitor’s sites for inspiration.
Which of the following are good general guidelines for a corporate blog?
A: The following are good general guidelines for a corporate blog.
-Content should be regularly updated and posted on a regular schedule.
-Stay away from political or religious topics, as they will not resonate with the audience you are trying to attract.
-Be consistent in terms of your branding and tone; there is nothing worse than when an article contains contradicting messaging between paragraphs that appear to be written by different people.
What should a company blog contain?
A: A company blog can be a place where you share your thoughts and opinions on topics such as product reviews, customer complaints, employee feedback, or press releases.
Related Tags
- blog writing examples
- what is a blog post
- how to write a blog about yourself
- the format of a blog is most similar to that of a
- what makes a good blog post