A couple years ago, simply having a blog was a great way for businesses to communicate with their customers. But that’s not enough anymore. To really make an impact with your target audience and keep them coming back for more, it’s time to take your content creation to the next level. In order to create a long-term blog that keeps your audience interested and on their toes, here are some questions your content creators should be asking themselves first:
Why does your company need a blog?
The answer to this question cannot simply be ‘because everyone else has one’. You need a clear, concise reason for why you feel starting a blog is necessary for your business. Is it to communicate your services to new and existing customers? Is it to educate them on what is trending in your particular business or industry? If you can’t come up with a clear idea – preferably in the form of a ten-words-or-less mission statement for the blog – you should probably avoid the temptation to proceed any further with your blog until you can.
What will you do for content?
For blog readers, content is king. Where will the content come from? A blog is not a static website. It is an ever-changing project that will require a steady influx of new material and regular content updates. Failure to keep your blog fresh and interesting means readers will abandon your site in droves. You need to determine now who will generate this content for you and whether it will be done in-house or contracted to a blog writing service.
Who is your target audience?
You need to have a clear idea of to whom who you are targeting your blog. Do you have a specific audience in mind? Will you focus on new customers, existing customers, or a balance of the two? To be an effective, popular blog, you need to have a clear reader in mind. Blogs that ignore their readers’ interests are doomed to be unsuccessful vanity projects, not the direct-to-customer communications channel they should be.
Who will do all the work?
A successful blog requires staff with the interest, talent, and time to give the project the attention it needs to succeed. You need to make sure you have the staff – in addition to the financial, technical, and other resources needed – in place to not only launch the blog but to keep it going. For your blog to succeed, you need not only dynamic content, but a dynamic staff that is willing to work hard to make the project an ongoing success.
Having an effective blog will connect you to potential customers while engaging with your current customers and can enhance your company’s authority in the industry. A successful blog can open up a new world of possibilities and new avenues of achievement for any company.
Contact us for more information on how blogging can help your business.
Image by ma che davvero via Flickr CC
Work Habits & Productivity
Jay, the CEO of StringCan, oversees strategy and vision, building culture that makes going into work something he looks forward to, recruiting additional awesome team members to help exceed clients goals, leading the team and allocating where StringCan invests time and money.
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