You have a blog. You may have it because most other businesses with a digital presence have one, including your competitors. You may have it because you know it is a way to build up brand awareness, as more people access it, read your articles, participate in discussions and perhaps share an article or two with their communities.

Problem is, this is not happening, at least not at a pace you would like. You are beginning to think that you’re wasting your time and are posting less frequently. 

That is not the answer. Your blog can become a magnet and just as successful as many others. Take a look at the features of what great blogs have and be certain to incorporate them in your own.

Choose the Right Topics

You may like the topics you are writing about. They are important and you want to educate your followers about all things related to your business. But a blog is not about you. It’s about what your followers will find valuable. There are plenty of ways to identify topics that will please them:

• Check the blogs of your competitors. Which are the most popular? Can you take those topics and make them better?

• Use a couple of tools to find trending topics in your business niche. Sources like Feedly and Buzzsumo will let you search by keywords related to your business and pull up articles on those topics

• Think about how current news items might fit into something you write about. The current pandemic comes to mind. How might it have impacted your audience and can you make suggestions to help them deal with some of their issues? Stay away from politics and religion, though.

Are You Incorporating Enough Visuals?

Brain researchers tell us that people process visuals 60K times faster than the printed word. They also retain what those visuals depict better than text. Use charts, graphs and other infographics to show what you want to tell your followers. 

But make sure they are easily understood. If you pack too much information in a single visual, your followers will avoid spending time to decipher them. Keep them simple.

Are You Using Media?

Consumers are in a hurry, and many of them are accessing content on mobile devices. They don’t have the time or motivation to read a lot text. For this reason, many content providers are using media, especially video, to get their points across. 

An explainer video; a “how-to” video; a production video; a video that introduces your team – all of these will be of far greater interest and will garner a far greater audience more willing to share that content with others.

Snackable/Simple Content

When you do use text, there are some “rules” if you want it read:

• Vocabulary should be at about the level of a 12 – 13-yr. old.

• Sentences should be short and simple.

• Text should be broken up with headings and bulleted lists. Visuals should be interspersed as well.

• Paragraphs should be short – two – three sentences if possible.

Headline/Section Titles

Journalists understand this. When they write a news story, they know that the headline is what will draw people to that article. You, too, must think like a journalist. 

Every blog post must have a catchy, compelling headline. And section headings should too. 

If you are not the creative type, there are lots of things you can do to get those headlines:

• If you have a friend or two with a creative streak, run your topics by them and ask for help

• Hire freelancers from sites such as Fiverr or Upwork. You will be able to get titles at very reasonable costs

• Use headline generator tools – CoSchedule, Impact, and Thrive come to mind. And Advanced Marketing Institute has a headline tool that will analyze the emotional appeal of any headline. 

Regular Schedule of Posts

Once you have a following, no matter how small, you need to meet their expectations for regular postings. Tell your audience how often you plan to post and then keep that promise, without fail. 

If you must alter that schedule for any reason, tell them so. If followers come to your blog expecting something new and find nothing, they are disappointed. If it happens too frequently, they are likely to drop you.

Balance the Purposes of Your Articles

People are human. They want variety. And they don’t want a serious “education” all of the time. 

Lighten up sometimes. Write a humorous article every once in a while, and include memes and other funny stuff. Content consumers like to be entertained!!

When you are “educating” your audience about your product/service and/or the value of it, or anything else related to your niche, do it in engaging ways. This is the time for those videos mentioned earlier, for example.

Consumers also like to be inspired from time to time. Is your company “doing good” in some way? It should be. Sponsor a major charitable cause and donate $1 for every product sold; donate a product to someone less fortunate for every one bought; ask your followers to provide support too. Write “feel good” articles about your team or customers who have overcome illnesses or other challenges.

Include your followers through interactive posts. Post surveys and quizzes (can be humorous) and ask your followers to share them with their followers. Then, publish the results

Finally, take a long hard look at how you are marketing your blog articles. You should have links to them all over your other content. The more “reads” and shares you get, the more search engines “see” you. And the more they “see” you, the higher your ranking will become.