Writing a blog can be pretty frustrating, especially at first when you have no followers. Unless you’re well-known and have a brand following or followers from social sites, you might feel like you’re screaming into the void after a while and you might be tempted to give up. Don’t worry, you can salvage the situation. Here are the most likely reasons no one is reading your business blog.
#1. You don’t publish on schedule.
There’s no consensus on how often you should blog for best readership. If you blog too infrequently, people will lose interest. If you blog too often, you may not be able to provide the quality your readers want. Schedule your posts on the same days each week so readers know what to expect.
#2. Your blog contributors can’t write.
Your employees may be enthusiastic about sharing their knowledge, but engaging writing is a specific skill. Solve this problem by hiring a blog manager who can set up an editorial calendar, edit, and improve blog submissions. Some businesses choose to outsource their blog writing to professional freelancers.
#3. Your blog has no focus.
Corporate blogs exist for a purpose, to inform and engage your customers. Yours can cover the gamut of industry and brand news, events, inside information, and general industry or product knowledge, but keep unrelated randomness on your personal blog (or designate an anything-goes day and label it as such).
#4. You’re not promoting.
Kevin Costner lied to us. He LIED. If you build it, they will not come. You have to promote like mad. The easiest way to get the ball rolling is by asking your employees to share each post over their social networks. If your content is quality, your blog will gain momentum.
#5. Your network isn’t big enough.
It can be a challenge to find time to build social media presence. To get the most from the time you have to spend, join related hashtag chats every week where you can engage with people already talking about your product, service, or industry. Your network will grow over time, and as long as your content is original and has merit, so will your readership.
#6. Your SEO is weak.
Where do you fall in the search rank? If it’s not the first page in your niche, most casual searchers won’t see your listing.
#7. Your site loads too slow.
Delayed loading time can really hurt you. Readers don’t have much patience…40% will wait no longer than 3 seconds for your page to load. Responsive website design is also critical. Your visitors might be reading on a smartphone or tablet while commuting or waiting for an appointment. If your site does not display correctly on a small screen, they’ll move on.
#8. Your titles are boring.
The title of your post is what makes people want to read….so write great titles. Research shows that titles with certain words attract more opens. Readers tend to like list posts, how-tos, questions, and titles with “you” or “your” best.
#9. Your voice does not represent your brand.
Developing a consistent voice can be tricky, especially when you have many people writing your blog. Set guidelines for content, voice and tone. Consider your company’s voice your social media brand image. Align the tone with the message you want to convey to customers. Your voice might be silly, formal, chatty or serious, or anything in between.
#10. You’re not posting compelling visuals.
Graphics are really important. Download free or low-cost graphics or create your own to jazz up your content. Uploading your own graphics makes you the original source, and this is better
#11. You aren’t engaging your readers.
Some blogs seem more like a lecture (or worse, an advertisement) than a conversation. Ask for opinions and input from your readers…and respond.
It’s especially important to answer comments, even if they are negative. Your comment replies should also be consistent with your brand voice. Field comments with friendly respect…you don’t have to agree. If a customer complains about your service, offer to make it right – and take the conversation to email or phone for privacy. Never let an angry customer explode all over your blog.
Another great way to engage is with interactive content. Try running polls, holding contests, and asking your readers to vote on things. Some companies even invite customers to submit their own content featuring their products. Be aware, though, that user generated content is unpredictable and can easily backfire. Monitor your campaigns carefully to spot trolls.
#12. You don’t know your customers.
This is the big one. When you post what your customers want to see, they will come. Find out what they want by digging into your CRM customer data for real insight. Your customers are talking about your industry (and if you’re lucky, about you). If you’re not listening, you don’t know what they want, what they need, or what they are searching for. How can you offer what they want to see if you don’t know what that is?
“There is only one reason your content strategy may fail – you don’t know your customer.” – Demian Farnworth, Chief Copywriter, Copyblogger Media.
Running a successful blog isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. A corporate blog done right will help you build your customer base with rich content, increase the traffic to your website, and ultimately increase your sales. The key is to offer fresh, inviting stories, answer compelling questions, and explore topics in depth.
How do you make your blog more interesting? Let us know in the comments!
Images: ”Blog/ Shutterstock.com“
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