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Blogging is a content marketing strategy. Here, the brand or creator writes online articles and posts in a particular domain and consistently publishes them to a weblog over a long period. The target is to get a regular readership to the blog and achieve viewer or customer loyalty. Another target for a business blog is establishing authority over topics in one’s field or area of expertise.
Blog posts can be of varying lengths and on several different hosting platforms, such as WordPress. Blogs contain pictures, videos, and texts, but the focus is primarily on written content. In this article, let us understand the 6 steps to get started on your blog as part of your content marketing strategy.
Choose a platform for your blog that is the most convenient to use. Different platforms have different offerings, levels of expertise required, and features. Check out the templates available on multiple platforms before selecting one. Here are some popular blog hosting platforms:
● WordPress
● Squarespace
● Wix.com
● HubSpot
Once you have chosen your platform, think of an excellent domain name. The domain name may be the name of your business or any other key term that suits your offerings. Ensure that the domain name is not too long so that your blog is user-friendly.
Remember, consistency in branding is crucial. Your blog readers and subscribers are potential and existing customers. They must have a consistent experience interacting with your brand across channels and platforms. For this reason, ensure that your blog theme, color scheme, and template match your brand visuals.
Prioritize accessibility when it comes to your blog. This includes using ALT text for all the images used on your blog, easily understandable Sans Serif fonts, and contrasting color combinations. Also, utilize H1, H2, and H3 tags to organize your blog and make it easy to read for screen readers. Finally, pick a template that loads quickly and is mobile-friendly.
The domain you serve as a business or a creator is likely to be the topic of your blog. Since your blog can contain a vast amount of content, it can be a broad topic. But you can make it as niche or narrow as you please. Pick a topic that relates to your business goals so your blog readers can also convert into your customers.
Once you have picked a topic, create a bucket of keywords that are related to that topic. Conduct keyword research to identify words that you should target most frequently in your blog posts. Look for primary and secondary keywords that are low competition and high frequency. Once you have identified your target words, you are ready to start creating.
Now, this step is crucial. Do not simply start posting your blog posts until you have a calendar in place! Decide the topics you want to focus on based on the keyword research. It is helpful to have a plan ready for the first 6 months as well as backup content created before you launch your blog. You or your team can schedule posts in advance so that the blog runs smoothly and with consistency.
An editorial calendar is a helpful document in any business or creator’s toolbox. Check out our guide to creating an editorial plan for content marketing. Your editorial plan will also help you narrow down your target audience and account for all the content writers, i.e. you, your in-house team or any freelance contractors.
Now that your blog is set up and the content calendar is ready, you can finally start writing! You can click here to get some ideas for innovative blog topics if you want more topic ideas. Ensure the following language specifications, and you are good to go:
● Avoid jargonized writing packed with technical terminology.
● Address the audience directly in the second person (i.e. you).
● Use Grammarly and other proofreading tools for accuracy.
● Avoid plagiarism and write wholly original blogs and articles.
● Break large chunks of text into small paragraphs and pictures.
● Post different types of blogs like listicles, infographics, video blogs, etc.
Make some noise! If you put in all that effort to write and maintain your blog, it is only fair to scout for more readers across other channels. Promote your blog posts on other social media platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Such cross-channel promotion is helpful as you will find that your existing followers are likely to be loyal blog readers, too.
Other ways to promote your blog on social media include collaborating with other bloggers, inviting guest posts from your followers, hosting giveaways and contests, and adding social media share buttons to your blog posts for easy sharing.
