If you want to be seen as an industry expert or thought leader a great way to boost your profile is to write blog posts.
Blogs are the best way of demonstrating your expertise online, controlling your message and building your reputation.
The power of a blog is that when you are blogging, you are the journalist enabling you to communicate your business’ stories or industry expertise. It is a fluid, dynamic medium, more akin to a “conversation” and an efficient and cost effective way to publish content that allows you to take control of the content.
There are many benefits to blogging such as:
- Builds your profile through demonstrating expertise
- Allows you to share information and build relationships with clients and customers
- Informs people about other things you are doing such as speaking at events or commenting in the media
- Generates powerful referral networks
- Creates an opportunity to network and share information with people globally
- Improves your ranking on search engines
Before writing your next blog post, consider the following:
Type of blog posts
Before writing your next blog post think about the format you will use to convey your information. For instance, try using different blog post formats regularly as this will help to keep your content creative and relevant.
Some common blog posts formats include:
- How to/tutorial posts
- List posts
- Case studies
- Problem and solution
- Stories
Writing the blog
Writing online is very different to writing for print materials. People tend to scan information online and browse sites quickly before making a decision to click through to another page or site.
This means you need to adapt your writing style to suit online reading. It makes it easier for people to quickly understand the essence of your content and captures their attention.
- Length
As most people scan read online, posts should be a readable length, between 300-600 words. Shorter posts are easier to produce over the long term. Also, it takes much less time to write 600 words than a 1,500 word article. - Keep paragraphs short
Short paragraphs make it easy for people to scan your content, plus they are easier to read on a monitor compared with large blocks of text. Keep your writing concise and avoid repetition and over explanation. - Use subheadings
Subheadings are useful signposts to guide readers through your content and enable easier scanning. Make sure the font is reader friendly, for instance Verdana, and avoid writing in all capitals. Bold all headings and subheadings to make them stand out. - Use dot points where necessary
Dot points allow you to draw attention to the important facts without having to go into large amounts of detail. - Know your audience
Understand your audience and write content that will appeal to them. Don’t use jargon, overly descriptive or colloquial language. - Check your spelling and grammar
Check and re-check your content to make sure it is correct. If you are unsure whether there should be a comma, a colon or semi colon, it is a good idea to consult a grammar guide. Good grammar and spelling ensures professionalism and increases credibility. - Hyperlinks
Hyperlinks are a great way to link to other online content, such as your website, blog, social media channels or maybe an interesting news article. They are also a useful way of providing additional information without having to go into depth in your post.
Blogs are considered a powerful form of communication as it enables you to publish content online and maintain control of the message. Before writing your next blog post think about what you are going to write and in which format you want to present it. This can make all the difference in increasing your blog readership.
Did you find these blog tips helpful? Share your blogging insights – what works for you?
Sydney Public Relations Agency, CP Communications provides specialist media, traditional and online PR strategies that get amazing results. Contact us today. For more great tips visit our website www.cpcommunications.com.au.