So you’ve got a killer website, and now it’s time to launch your brand blog. But remember! If you’re going to do something, do it right. You don’t want to become one of those brands who launches a lifestyle blog just because they think that’s what their customers want. Lacking any clear direction, theme, or exciting and relevant content on there is a sure-fire way to watch your freshly launched blog slowly die a painful death.
How do you avoid this and turn a stagnant website into a hub of information on your subject of choice? You get strategic…
Write to your ideal customer
I enjoy a lifestyle blog as much as the next person, but starting something general to appeal to the masses can lead to you driving away your perfect customer. Instead of writing about the internet’s most trending topics, why not ask your audience what they would like to read about?
Even if you’re just starting out and have only a few social media followers, it’s always worth contacting them to give them a say in the project. After all, they’re your early adopters and they will have questions about the problem you’re trying to solve. Depending on what they say, you can then tailor your content to answer them and provide the exact content that leads to sales.
Tell stories (real ones)
You can forget the made-up spiel you give to investors and industry contacts – nobody believes that you’re sooo passionate about this or that. If you’re going to tell a story, tell it with authenticity and creativity. And of course, tell it on your blog. Tell the real story of how you founded the company, and more importantly, why. Share the experiences your in-house staff have had with your product, or perhaps customer reviews that may be relatable to others.
It’s hard to stop reading a good story, and if your customers start to associate your blog with something they just have to consume each time you post, you can create better connections with the customers that matter.
Find (or create) scroll-stopping images
The first thing people look at when they see your latest post is the photo attached to it. Before they even get to the headline, they’ve made a judgement about what’s going to be said just by looking at the image attached. Sure, we all know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but it doesn’t stop pretty much everyone doing it.
Ensure your image is not only highly relevant to the story inside, but super eye-catching and perhaps even mood-inducing. That’s right, looking at certain types of images evokes a mood in most people, even if it’s only a subtle shift. By choosing the very best quality, scroll-stopping images, you can influence people’s decision to read your post.
Collaborate with brilliant people
It’s tough when you’re starting from scratch, and one helpful method of gaining blog readers is to collaborate with other people’s audiences. In other words, choose someone who already has a following of the type of people who make up your ideal customer, and tap into them. It sounds blunt, but it works.
The catch is, everyone will see straight through you if you simply choose the most popular people with the largest following. This might bring in a few extra readers but they won’t stay for the good stuff you have planned later down the line, so why even invite them to the conversation? Instead, look for people who embody your message, connect with your target audience, and ideally, use your product or service! No matter how many followers they have, your audience will love ‘em.
Be consistent
The internet is littered with dormant and dead blogs, reminding us all of the projects we started and never finished. Even with a large team behind them, many a brand has started and given up on their website blog, so the ones that stand out most are the ones that stay consistent throughout the ups and downs of business. It’s not about publishing content 7 days a week (although if you have the capacity to do this, it doesn’t hurt your SEO!), it’s about choosing how often you will post, even if it’s just once a month, and sticking to your plan.
By starting a blog, you are in a way promising your audience exciting, relevant content on a regular basis. By staying true to your brand blog’s message, and publishing frequently, you can slowly but surely build a dedicated readership full of people who crave your next post.
One more way to make your brand blog stand out? Work with someone who can thoroughly research and carefully craft your story, messages and copy to ensure they speak directly to your target customer… that’s where I come in.
Head to my Content Writing page to learn more about how I can help make your blog stand out from the crowd, or get in touch here to discuss.
Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash
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