Blog Posting, more hassle than its worth? 6 tips to get your business blog underway.

So, your new year’s resolution is to blog more, and by now we’re sure you’re aware of how useful it could be to your business if used correctly. Did you know that as a member of Cornwall Chamber of Commerce you can submit us your blogs to be exposed to the wider business community? Writing a blog could be one of your company’s most valuable marketing tools.

Easy to read structure

Don’t waffle, keep it concise and informative. Write about what you know. Your audience is reading for a purpose, to gain knowledge.
Cut out the big clumps of text, white space acts as a breath for the reader. Like a thought pause in a conversation. Jazz it up with the use of headings, bolds and italics. limit the jargon, make your content less intimidating to read. Business people are people too!

Get everyone involved

Don’t just leave it as one person’s responsibility, get the whole team involved. From the CEO to apprentices. Each member of the team will have a unique insight to the business, a different pool of knowledge and their own writing style, which will add personality and realism to your blog postings.

Show not Tell

A blog should be to express the exciting things your business is up to, share knowledge and expertise. By providing the reader with reliable advice on a regular basis you will build authority and trust. People aren’t interested in sales posts most people just want to find out what’s in it for them, what they can get out of it or achieve.

Outside data or information

 As part of the business community, you will know how nosey everyone is! Give your readers something juicy that they may not have known before that will also increase your credibility. Engage them with industry research or data, expert quotes. Wow the reader with your brilliance.

Don’t sound like a robot

Your blog shouldn’t be a monologue conversation. In reality, you wouldn’t just stand and throw words at someone for 5 minutes, the person you are talking to would walk away bored and unengaged! Slip in a few questions to make your reader feel like you’re talking with them not at them. Have you noticed the repetition of ‘you’ throughout this blog post? It’s a way of engaging you as a reader by addressing you directly. Make it more of a conversation.

Ending

The conclusion is as important as the first line, it’s the last thing the reader will read and acts as the main thing they’ll remember! Make it stimulating, make it end with something that will encourage the reader to perform a desired action. How? Consider what might interfere with the reader’s good intentions. Does the reader feel overwhelmed with the information they have just read? Do they lack confidence, feel unable to achieve what you have advised? Remind the reader of the perks, the advantages give them motivation to challenge themselves. Don’t let your blog flake at the end.  

                                                                            
 
How about you? Fancy giving it a try? Send us your blog posts to laura@cornwallchamber.co.uk