Blogging is key to any successful content marketing strategy. Specifically, strategic blogging is key to any successful content marketing strategy. You can’t just string some copy together, slap it on your website, and hope for the best.
In this article, we will explore exactly how to structure your next blog from the ground up, including helpful tools to make your life easier.
Pick a topic.
The first step to writing a great blog is picking the right topic. Your audience’s interests should be at the center of all your content marketing efforts.
Consider what questions your ideal buyer may have or common barriers you encounter during the sales process. Develop content that answers those questions and helps your audience learn something new. At the end of your article, readers should feel like they got value out of it.
Craft a compelling title.
The title is typically one of the first things a potential reader sees. You want to grab their attention right away and make them want to read further.
You probably see clickbait headlines a lot. This is a strategy typically used by news and gossip sites in a cheap attempt to get clicks. Clickbait headlines usually make a ridiculous claim or promise, that may or may not even be related to the content of the article. While these headlines might get quick clicks, you’ll ultimately deteriorate trust with your readers.
Instead, it’s better to create compelling headlines that you can deliver on. CoSchedule has a great tool for experimenting with different headlines. For each article you write, challenge yourself to come up with a dozen different headlines.
While there are a few best practices (keep it concise, use keywords, pose a question), the best strategy depends on your topic and audience. Experiment with different strategies until you find what works.
A clean, relatable image draws readers in. Include high-quality imagery.
Every blog you publish should have at least one main image. This will ensure there is imagery to pull from when you publish your link on social media. While one image is the bare minimum, it’s best to include a few images throughout. Try to aim for one picture per blog section.
Use a free resource like Unsplash to get high-quality images that you can use commercially. In addition to stock-quality images, you can also use a tool like Canva to create custom graphics and infographics to supplement your written content.
Keep your audience reading with engaging headers.
Getting your audience to your article is one thing, making sure they read the whole post is another. Use engaging headers that make your content clear and easy to skim. Your audience should be able to get the main points of your article by reading your headers alone. If you are not sure if the header works well enough, ask someone you know to look it over and see if they get the main point of your article.
Be sure to include keywords in your headers as well. Utilizing keywords in H1 and H2 tags holds more weight than using them in your body copy.
One strategy for ensuring your content is poised for search traffic includes using questions as your headers. Consider the questions your audience would be searching for, then use those in your content and answer them. This is also a great way to ensure you’re delivering on the value you set out to provide when you selected your topic.
Add relevant links throughout your copy.
From an SEO perspective, links are incredibly important. Linking to authoritative external content and relevant internal content boosts your authority. Aim for one link for every 200-300 words. Your linking shouldn’t be excessive, but focused on providing additional value and context to your reader.
If possible, make sure you set your links to open in a new tab. If someone is reading your blog and clicks on a link, you want them to be able to read it when they’re all finished with your article, not have them navigate away from it completely.
Close with a clear call to action.
At the end of your blog you need to tell your reader what they should do next. While your blogs shouldn’t be focused on selling, you can use your call to action (CTA) as a lead-in opportunity. Depending on the content of your article and your audience, you can promote other content, ask readers to reach out for more information, or encourage a purchase.
For example, if a mechanic wrote an article about how frequently people should change their oil, a relevant CTA might be, “If it’s been six months since your last oil change, schedule an appointment to get tuned up by our experts.”
Remember, the job isn’t done after publishing.
Once you hit “Publish”, your blog’s journey is just beginning! Missinglettr makes it easy to automatically create, schedule, and publish a year-long social media promotion campaign for every new blog you publish. Get started for free today!
