So, what is an effective business blog?<\/h2>\n
Like so many things, there is no single answer. It varies between businesses.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Some tools for building an effective blog<\/p><\/div>\n
However, I think the following options cover most (if not all) objectives of business owners when they establish a blog:<\/p>\n
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- SEO value<\/a> – a blog is an easy way to add fresh content with keywords to get higher rankings with search engines<\/li>\n
- showcase expertise – giving information, lessons and latest industry news builds your credibility<\/li>\n
- build relationships\u00a0– having a community is important for many businesses. Relationships through blogs build trust<\/a>, show the business personality and let you learn from your audience<\/li>\n
- communicate a message – this is probably more for non-profit groups that want to educate people about a topic and a blog full of stories and information can be a great tool in that process<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Of course your specific definition may include more than one of these options in more or less detail.<\/p>\n
To know if your blog is effective, you need to know the purpose of your\u00a0blog and have some sort of measurement in place to gauge how well you are meeting that purpose.<\/strong><\/p>\n
For example, if your blog is aimed at getting more\u00a0website traffic, posting once a month won’t be effective but you can measure your success by\u00a0comparing website stats each\u00a0month. Testing posting\u00a0three times a week then\u00a0five times a week will show\u00a0you what is more effective\u00a0at gathering more traffic and subscribers.<\/p>\n
Making your blog more effective<\/h2>\n
I have just read Chris Horton’s post on steps to generate leads online with your business blog<\/a>. In fact, that’s what inspired this post!<\/p>\n
Chris goes through three steps which\u00a0 go towards the purpose\u00a0of your business, marketing and blog – namely know your (target)\u00a0audience well, address your audience’s needs and how to offer your audience value.<\/p>\n
His last step is about clear communication – make your blog posts simple, concise and relevant. Heard that before? Well, yes, that is where my blogging tips<\/a> usually come in \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
I think it is important to note Chris gives three tips on developing a purpose and strategy for your blog THEN a tip on how to make each post more effective.<\/p>\n
So have you defined what effective means for your blog?<\/p>\n
Do you know who your target reader is?<\/p>\n
How often do you measure your blog against your effectiveness definition?<\/p>\n
Improving your blog’s effectiveness<\/h2>\n
Maybe your blog is not as effective as you’d like.<\/p>\n
Yet you want it effective tomorrow, not in the\u00a0six months it may take you\u00a0 to work through everything Chris suggested. And, if you’re like many of other bloggers, you don’t want to shock your current readers by massive changes.<\/p>\n