Want to know the secrets to blogging success? Me too!
Just kidding.
The secrets are contained in some of my blogging rules below, but really, a successful blog is one that is useful, relevant, and interesting for your target market, whoever they are. Read on for my tried-and-true tips that will take your blog from good to GREAT!
1. Blog consistently
Consistency in marketing is important for so many reasons, from increasing brand awareness to remaining top-of-mind among clients and prospects. Well, when it comes to blogging, it’s really important for good search engine results, as search engines favor blog posts over web pages in search results.
Consistency is also important for credibility. If you visit a company’s blog and see that the last post was published 5 months, it really makes you question their expertise and reliability.
2. Set up and stick to an editorial calendar
Set up an editorial calendar in an Excel spreadsheet or Google doc and include 3 columns: topic, due date, and notes/source of information. Once the blog post is written, I delete the due date and write “done.”
We’ll cover topics more in-depth later, but it’s best to rotate topics to ensure you are covering all of your blog’s topics on a regular basis.
3. Make your blog posts scannable
Very few people read blog posts word-for-word, so make it easy for them to quickly scan your posts and absorb most of what you are saying. One of my blogging rules is to break up text with subheaders and aim to write paragraphs that are 2-3 sentences long.
4. Include visual content
Just consider this: 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual. Visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text. I rest my case.
5. Freely share your expertise
To ensure your blog posts are useful, be generous and freely share your tips, tricks, and accumulated wisdom. The more helpful you are, the more your content will handle sales for you.
6. Keep posts focused and short-ish
Remember that everyone is crunched for time, so keep your posts short (300 – 500 words is perfect). Stay super focused on the topic and avoid repeating yourself, adding irrelevant information, and rambling.
7. Be you
Be yourself when you write! Write like you talk. Use a conversational style, include slang and references your audience will get. Before you publish your blog post, read it out loud. If a phrase or sentence doesn’t sound like something you’d say to friends at a cocktail party, rewrite it.
8. Repurpose content
Recycling content is just as important as recycling cans, bottles, and paper – and it will save you a lot of time! Use ideas in one blog post to write a separate post. Bundle posts on one topic into a resource guide. Publish a “best of” post at the end of the year.
Which of my blogging rules are you excited to try? What rules do you swear by when you’re blogging?
These 8 blogging rules are brought to you by Monika Jansen, President, Jansen Communications
Monika is a prolific blogger and sought-after copywriter who specializes in blogging, website content and brand messaging. Her clients include Bozzuto, Hargrove, Siteworx, Network Solutions, Web.com, Groupon, GMAC, and numerous small businesses and tech startups. When she’s not working, Monika can be found hanging out with her family, snowboarding, and drinking good wine. Connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn.
