If you have been inspired by our previous post to create a blog of genuine interest, then you need to think carefully about how you will present your material to your readers. There is an awful lot of rubbish clogging up the web, so you will need to make your posts stand out and engage potential readers immediately.
Blogs can be useful marketing tools if used cleverly, and if the information you provide is pertinent and relevant to your business, you are already half-way to creating a decent blog that will keep humans coming back as well as those bots.
Keep that human in mind as you write your posts. You would do well to define a clear image of your target reader before you start writing articles: who are they, what interests them and how do they like to be spoken to? Unless you are writing a diary, you should tailor your articles to an audience, even if your readers may remain anonymous for the most part.
The title will be the first thing your readers see and so it has to draw them in immediately. You have to try and express the essence of the article in as succinct a way as possible without being dull. Keep titles short, snappy and relevant, maybe using questions as a way to awaken the reader’s curiosity.
Once you have the perfect title, you will need to ensure that your article content will draw the reader in. We all surf the net, skim-reading content until something catches our eye, moving on whenever we become disengaged; well-chosen subject matter will only get you so far it is expressed in clumsy, repetitive language. You will need to make sure that your ideas are expressed clearly and concisely and that you adapt your tone and vocabulary to your audience. If you are writing for domestic consumers, for example, avoid explanations that are too technical or complex; no-one reaches for a dictionary while reading a blog. They just move on.
The length of your article can also influence your readers, as long swathes of unbroken text can look intimidating or, worse, boring. Write no more than is necessary, and break your text down into clearly structured sections using precise and interesting sub-headings. Bullet points will also allow even a skim-reader to quickly see the interest and relevance of your article and offer encouragement to continue reading.
While the words used are important, images can also offer a valuable way to illustrate your ideas: not only can they hook new readers in, but they will provide added interest and colour to the page layout and an extra dimension to your arguments. Use only good quality pictures that add something to your page; generic pictures will help to break up the text but will not necessarily add any value to your content.
A blog can offer a fantastic way to engage with existing and potential customers. Your readers need to feel that they are gaining something from the content, whether that be creative ideas or knowledge. If your content is badly written, however, it doesn’t matter how interesting your subject matter is: you have to make the read a pleasurable experience if you want people to keep coming back for more.
