Blogging - not just for hipsters and sicksters*
‘Blogger’ is a serious job title these days, and if by chance you manage to get yourself a gigantic following, you’ll be able to manipulate everything from lipstick purchases to political policies. Really influential blogs, such as The Huffington Post or Perez Hilton, are quoted and referenced worldwide (albeit for very different reasons!)
It seems like everybody’s trying their hand(s) at blogging. Your Nan probably has one teaching knitting techniques. You can’t move on the internet for people jostling for attention, shouting their opinion of the latest episode of ‘Game of Thrones’, telling a funny story about their goldfish, or chronicling their latest thrilling trip to the dentist’s.
So with all those ear-shattering voices screaming so impatiently to be heard, why bother getting involved yourself?
I can’t be the only person who visits a company website and immediately clicks on the ‘Blog’ section. I do this because a blog gives me a fantastic idea of the real people in the business behind all the slick, official showmanship of the website itself. Well-written blogs can convince people to sign up for newsletters, contact the company with a question and even buy something they didn’t think they needed!
Here’s how you can use a blog to promote your company, or even yourself, and become an influencer in your own way:
Tell people who you are. By their very nature, blogs are chattier and more natural than the standard formal web copy you tend to see when you first enter a site. If someone clicks to read your blog then in that moment, you have their attention and potential interest, so use the opportunity to tell them more about you, what you do and how you do it. Being you is one of the very best ways to stand out from the competition.
Post regularly to increase your following. If you post on a regular basis, people will start to anticipate hearing from you again; you could end up being someone’s favourite regular columnist! The added benefit of posting regularly is that you can post links to your latest blog on your social media accounts, earning more Likes, Shares and retweets in the process…which in turn will drive even more people to your website!
Interact with your audience. Encourage comments and feedback on your blog posts to get a feel for the sort of issues people want to talk about, giving you ideas for future pieces. Keep it all fresh by describing some of the latest projects or jobs you’ve been working on. You could even ask your clients if they’d like to be featured – most people will love this!
Show up in web searches. Posting regular pieces and increasing clicks to your website (regardless of whether or not people interact with you when they’re there) will help your visibility in search engine results – a much better and more authentic method than stuffing your site with stale keywords.
Maybe you don’t have time to write your own blog posts, which is where professional writers can come in very handy! If you’d like to talk more about how blogging can help you increase your personal or professional following, please get in touch.
*I made this word up. It’s a merger of ‘sick’ and ‘hipster’ – two words that are very now. Aren’t I clever and trendy?
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