Whenever we list ways to boost your business’ online presence, blogging is always right up there. Blogging for business has become more than something you could do, it’s something you should be doing. That word ‘should’ can cause a few problems though; it makes it sound like a chore. And we all do the same thing with chores, we put them off.
There are a few common excuses people give if their business doesn’t have a blog. They say things like “I don’t know how to write” or “my industry is too boring to blog about”. These excuses sound perfectly plausible, but they are just excuses. People can be nervous about writing, they can be full or opinions but they lose their nerve when they have to publish them.
The thing is, anyone can write. It takes true skill to be a great writer, but blogging for business doesn’t have to be Dickens. It just has to be interesting and fun to read. No matter what you’re writing about, there are a few tricks you can use to help the reader enjoy your blog.
Endings and Beginnings
You know that feeling you get when you finish reading something you liked? Before you’ve thought about the content of the article, or whether or not you agree, there’s a moment where you just feel good about what you’ve read. You can’t force anyone to feel that way, but you can help them on the way by making sure that your writing ties together.
Endings and beginnings are vital in this. If you’re ending ties in nicely with your opening, people will automatically get a positive feeling about the article as a whole. Try it next time you read an article you like, keep the opening in mind and see if it ties in with the ending.
Have a Point
Blogging for business is about creating something interesting that makes people want to know more about your business. The first step in writing something interesting is having something to say. If you find an interesting stat or product related to your industry to write about, that’s great, don’t just write about it.
You should know how you feel about your topic and you should know how you want the reader to feel. Make sure that finds it’s way into the content. Writing that x researcher found x stat, without adding a context or suggesting what it means makes for the opposite of interesting reading. If you found the stat, it’s likely your reader did too; your blog should add something different to the conversation.
Get to it
When you know what you want to say, say it. Don’t beat around the bush, or drag out the point. It’s okay to build tension, or work to a slow reveal but it takes skill to do that well. If you do it badly you’re reader will be gone long before you pull off the mask and we find out it was the creepy lighthouse keeper all along. You’d get away with it if it wasn’t for those pesky links to other websites and that mouse.
Be Funny, Don’t Try to be Funny
Blogging for business doesn’t have to mean writing business documents and posting them online. The best blogs feel like a chat with the author, and when people are chatting there’s always an opportunity for a few laughs. If you think of something amusing while you’re writing, throw it in. It might keep a reader interested.
It’s important that happens naturally though. Don’t sit down and think, “I’m going to include 4 jokes in this post”. Or try to force a funny comment you made last week into a blog about regulatory compliance. Just because it had your colleagues in stitches at the water cooler doesn’t mean it’s more important than writing relevant content.
Blogging for business can be a really rewarding way of building a connection with your customers. It offers an opportunity to communicate the things that are important to you without the prejudices attached to a sales pitch or customer service conversation. If you embrace that opportunity you might start think of blogging for business as something you enjoy doing. Rather than a chore that needs to be put off.
