Content is so very absolutely important. People read content to answer questions, learn new tips and tricks, and understand topics more completely. It encourages interactions and innovative discussions. It cultivates new learning opportunities and connects like-minded users online.
While there are many ways to put content online, one of the easiest (and time-tested) solutions is to create and maintain a blog. Of course this is easier said than done, but with a little bit of practice and the right tools, you can create a collection of insightful content your visitors will be thrilled to read.
The Benefits
There are literally hundreds of benefits to having a blog. Here is a quick list (in case you aren’t already convinced):
- A Blog give you the ability to speak to your customers directly about the things that matter most to them
- It projects your company as an industry thought leader and subject matter expert
- It has the potential to show up in organic search results, thereby increasing your organic traffic
- It is free!
- It allows you to create new, fresh content so search engines love you (and your site)
Coming up With Content
Of course, one of the hardest parts about managing a blog is coming up with things to write about. Creating content for the sake of creating content is not a good strategy. If you are creating content that nobody wants to read, it’s not benefiting anyone.
If you have the right tools and the right mindset, coming up with amazing topics doesn’t end up being as difficult. The most important thing you can do to start is to think about who your target audience is. If possible, come up with a couple of ideal personas to target your content to. If you know your ideal customer, coming up with targeted content isn’t as much of an issue.
Once you know the ideal customer, think about content you could provide them that would benefit them. Here are some ideas on where to start:
- Commonly asked questions
- Lesser known product/service features
- How to guides
- Tips/tricks to get the most out of your product/service
Think About Inbound Marketing
Inbound marketing is the process of bringing customers to your website with relevant content rather than broadcasting your services to the masses. You can cultivate your customers through a conversion funnel by offering them different types of content that appeal to different stages of the buying cycle.
Giving them the right content at the right time could be the difference between a loss and a sale! If you really think about the types of content YOU might want to see at each stage of the funnel, you might surprise yourself at the content you end up producing.
Optimize for People, Not Search Engines
While blog posts can be optimized for the keywords that you want to target, you should never optimize for search engines over people. First and foremost, make sure that your content tailors to your visitors so they are getting the information that they need. If they find your content appealing, they will stay on your site longer and potentially share the information with other people. That’s a pretty good deal, no?
Resources
Below are some helpful tools to get you started on coming up with incredible blog post topics. Just remember that topics should be tailored to attract your business’s target customer, and you’ll do great!
SEO
About the author
Tom Kelly
Tom has worked in digital marketing since he started his career over a decade ago, working across the project and account side of the business.