Wouldn’t you love to find a chest full of buried treasure? The fun part about business blogging is that you can hide hidden gems all throughout your posts—literary gems, that is.
OK, so your blog might not really have hidden treasure in terms of jewels and pearls. But understanding our customers’ wants and needs from our blog is a big part of striking gold.
So when your blog receives no traffic, no comments, and no conversions, you know something isn’t right.
Often times, that “something” is in the inability to give customers want they want through your business blog.
So, what do your customers look for in your company blog, anyway?
1. Presentation That Sparkles Like Diamonds
While the content on your blog is ultra important, your blog’s design and presentation is the first thing that customers notice on your business blog. Professional design and presentation gives your blog a sense of credibility and establishment.
This doesn’t mean that you have to drop a ton of money on a custom blog design. There are hundreds of WordPress themes that you can easily upload and install onto your website. They will give your professional blog a professional edge without the need to hire a high-end developer.
In general, a blog that’s considered to be professionally designed has the following features:
- Adequate use of white space
- A professionally designed logo
- High quality graphics
- Clearly defined navigation
- Fast to load
But beyond the actual design of your blog and website, you also have to consider your blog’s presentation. Your business blog’s presentation is a bit different than your website’s design.
When I say blog presentation, I’m talking about:
- Use of sub headers and proper spacing
- Small paragraphs for easy skimming
- Original use of imagery
- Interactive media such as photos and videos
- Social sharing icons
You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but the reality is that customers do judge your blog by its appearance. Take the time to incorporate professional design and presentation to your company blog, or risk the chance of customers clicking away.
2. Treasure Maps to Smart Solutions
Blogs are famous for helping people all over the globe solve problems. Nearly every problem that someone has, there’s likely a solution for it floating around on a blog somewhere. Your blog can act as an essential map to solving problems for customers.
You can help solve problems with blog posts that consist of:
- Common customer service issues
- Explaining complicated industry jargon
- Checklists that help customers on DIY projects or to prepare for an event
- Provide data or research that helps make a decision
When you aim to provide solutions through your company blog, you can ultimately make customers’ lives easier. When you can make a customer’s life easier, you might just have a customer for life.
3. Golden Scrolls to Fill Their Minds
Your customers want to learn something from you. You can present your company blog as a credible source that educates your customers so they can make informed decisions.
When you’re writing educational blog posts, focus on the following:
- How-to posts that provide clear direction
- Downloadable content with in-depth information
- Extensive guides that provide expert insight
- Posts that teach customers something new
- Well-researched posts that are based on data
It’s easy to educate customers through your blog when you’re an expert in your field. Keep in mind that information that might seem very elementary or basic to you can still be used as educational posts—buyers who are in the research phase of the buying cycle are always in need of general information.
4. No Skeletons, Please
Does your blog show signs of human life? No one wants to read through a blog post that showcases zero personality and no creative flair.
Your customers want to be reminded that there is, in fact, a human being behind that keyboard. Business blogging doesn’t have to be as dry as a textbook.
You can add a human touch to your business blog posts by:
- Showing photos of yourself, staff, and office
- Blogging about first person experiences that relate to your industry
- Showcasing customer testimonials (videos work great)
- Writing in conversational tone
Customers want to buy from humans, not from bloggers who write like robots.
5. The Crown of Consistency
When you begin a business blogging strategy, consistency is top priority. Consistent blog post patterns indicate that your company is reliable, punctual, and doesn’t miss a beat.
Not to mention, you don’t want to keep your readers hanging.
You can create a consistent blogging schedule by:
- Creating a blogging calendar and sticking to it
- Holding yourself accountable by announcing your next publishing date
- Stockpiling blog topic ideas so writer’s block doesn’t hold you back
Blogging consistently might not seem like a big detail, but it’s a detail that you don’t want to miss.
6. Emeralds & Entertainment
Who wants to a read a bland business blog? You can surely present useful information to your customers without offering any entertainment at all, but doing so sure makes a lasting impression.
The good news is that you don’t have to be a creative genius to entertain customers through your blog.
There’s a few simple ways to hit the right creative notes, while ensuring your blog content is still valuable:
- Repurpose your blog content into a slideshow with eye catching graphics
- Use your blog posts to produce an informational video, giving your blog’s presentation a new spin
- Discuss unique topics in your industry
- Present a new angle on an overdone topic
- Put your storytelling skills to work
Providing some form of entertainment through your blog will give your customers a reason to remember your business. It’s also a great route to one-upping your competitors’ blogs.
Give Your Customers Good Fortune
Blogging is about satisfying the needs of your reader. But keep in mind that these techniques aren’t only used to give away free information for nothing in return. The goal is to exchange information for building relationships, earning trust, and ultimately converting readers into customers.
No spam. Ever.