2013: The Year of the Perfect Blog Post
So many bloggers are not getting the viewing return for the hours spent laboring over what they believe are interesting or helpful blog posts. Social media marketing is a major player in the business growth we desire and need. Many of us have taken a great deal of time from our regular business responsibilities in order to read up on what is necessary to ensure success in the internet marketing arena.
One area that most of us are failing in is in the area of blogging. You are probably presenting information that is valuable and helpful to a potential client or even fellow industry marketing business people. But just like me, you are probably missing some very key elements, which is holding you back from getting the traffic you desire and deserve.
I’m passing this article along because it is written concisely, with good humor, and gives very practical (and pretty simple) changes to make in order to increase blog traffic. Here are the main points - you will definitely want to take the time to explore them in depth.
- Blog Posts Should Be 1100 to 1400 Words 2 - 3 Times Per Week
- The Heading of the Page is as important as the Title
- Think of Your Opening Paragraph Like a Teaser for the Article
- Break Up the Content to Make the Page Inviting
- Structure Your Page for the Desired Result
- The Web Today Is All About Long Form Content and Visuals
- Promote Your Post Everywhere on Social Media
- Always End With Action Steps
- Read Your Blog Post Out Loud
Why Aren’t My Blogs Getting Much Traffic?
There are several areas that I know could greatly be improved as a result of making some, if not all, of the changes mentioned above. One main improvement I’d like to make is to increase the word count.
Business life is busy. Personal life is busy. Sometimes it’s just easier to blog about the basics and hope that people discover my brief, yet ingenious, posts: whether they are related to promotional marketing products, business and personal growth books that have proven successful and beneficial to small business owners, or posts related to how we can make small changes to improve online visibility and exposure. These are all very interesting topics to me, and they are beneficial to other salespeople in the industry.
How in the World Does Anyone Have Time to Blog?
Many bloggers have shared their secret: writing several blog posts during one block of time during the week, and then scheduling those posts to be scattered throughout the following 7-10 days. Spending 5 minutes here or there will not bring about the results of meaty blog posts, that will drive a slew of people to your site. But spending a block of time on a Saturday morning or a Sunday afternoon, when your stress level is much lower and your mind is clearer, is an effective approach in posting consistently, information rich posts to your blog.
They Said WHAT?!
Another aspect of personal blogging that needs to improve is in the headlines. Sometimes, after spending just enough time to blog about a topic that is interesting and relevant, there is little effort put into the title. Often, when browsing through the various group posts on LinkedIn, many people are posting their blog post titles twice or they are not taking the time to write a heading or introductory sentence that is different from the blog’s post content.
This is redundant and a big deterrent from getting people to click on the link and read further. One of the ways that bloggers can improve is to hang out around the news websites for a bit, to get a feel for the types of headlines that grab attention and get you to click on the article. What is the goal of a news headline? To present information in a way that is shocking and true at the same time, to get the reader to dive in and read the rest of the article. But it has to be true - or your credibility is lost.
Say It Out LOUD!
One area that we can all use improvement is related to suggestion #9: Read Your Blog Post Out Loud. Have you actually tried this? This simple exercise alone will reveal so much about redundancy, lack of enthusiasm, and wordiness that can kill a blog post. Lock yourself up in a quiet place, where you can actually hear yourself think. Don’t only read the information to get through it, but place yourself in the reader’s shoes. Is there any section or statement that could be taken a different way than you intended? Is there a point that you could have expanded more upon? Did your post actually accomplish what you stated in your headline?
I’ll be evaluating and reevaluating my own blog posts in the days and weeks to come. I’d be curious to know what noticeable results you are getting as a result of your intentional changes.
What three changes are you going to implement today into your blogging?
While some of us have spent countless hours secretly playing Angry Birds or Words With Friends on our phones, the truth is that these are simply fun games to help pass the time or as a way to “reward” ourselves after a long, hard day of work. Can shooting a bird from a slingshot with the intention of knocking down giant blocks and other animals actually inspire us to become better business people? 
