10 Guidelines for Effective Business Blogging
Choosing a blogging platform is the first step in building a fantastic blog, and there are many excellent options available that make blogging so simple that you can begin writing and publishing to the web in minutes. After deciding to start a blog and selecting a blog interface, such as a custom-built, self-hosted, or popular service such as WordPress, Typepad, or Blogger, the next step is to tackle the more intimidating aspects of design and content.
First, settle on a suitable format and design.
Your site may benefit from a three-column style if it features many fact boxes and links. More room means more content and greater placement of headlines and containers, which means readers see them immediately.
However, the three-column layout is too distracting if you intend to write in a more personal essay format. This kind of blog works best with a straightforward two-column design, with one column dedicated to text and the other to relevant links and resources.
Pick a color scheme that echoes that of your website but also gives some thought to the connotations of the various hues. Colors with strong meanings include activity and confidence, pastels as calmness, and dark colors as mystery and danger.
Plaids and floral motifs distract from the text on the page and slow it down. Furthermore, backdrops that resemble grandma’s wallpaper could send the wrong message to potential clients. These patterns should be used sparingly, in narrow blocks or borders, to draw the eye and attention to critical elements.
Streamline the margin
You shouldn’t feel obligated to make use of every feature and tool. Don’t add features like a calendar or photo albums to your blog if they aren’t relevant.
Include images on the sidebar. It serves to divide the text and highlight relevant references. A blogroll that is too long to fit in the sidebar should be placed at the very end. Order your lists such that the ones with the fewest items appear first. Try to organize, or at least alphabetize, your shared links if there are several.
Third, take stock of how your blog appears.
The design of your blog has a significant impact on how many people decide to become regular visitors. A year from now, a perfectly legible typeface on your computer or laptop screen may be too small. Evaluate your blog’s readability from various devices and operating systems.
It’s nearly impossible to see text on a dark background when the font is red or white. You can use a lighter shade of gray or blue or a contrasting backdrop like a buff for the main body while keeping the header, margins, and sidebars dark.
4 – Subjects
Alternate them! Consider your subject or enterprise from several vantage points. When I first started writing my blog, I made a checklist to help me remember to switch between writing about new wine releases, vineyard and vintage updates, winemaking anecdotes, and industry news. As you gain experience, you’ll find your rhythm and be able to approach any topic from unique perspectives.
Another option is soliciting short blog posts and images from staff members and customers.
It can be more convenient to create a series of shorter blogs about something fascinating to you (a new brand, upcoming legislation, current items, or ongoing projects) and then save some for later release. You can schedule posts in advance using the publishing feature offered by most blog interfaces. You may plan posts on a specific topic to publish at regular intervals, which is helpful if you find yourself writing on the same topic regularly, and you can inject other entries to keep the information and viewpoint fresh.
5. Include visuals
Photos add vibrancy and visual interest and can also be used to highlight key points. Seek out interesting and unusual things, as well as people and motion. Static shots of people shaking hands and holding checks in a group or a small town setting are dull. Watch for signs of people physically comforting, amusing, or angering one another. Be personable.
6. Duration and repetition rate
Make it a goal to write something once a week. I know I don’t update here nearly enough, but when I do sit down to write, it’s usually in spurts of numerous shorter pieces. Blog articles shouldn’t be as long as those in newspapers and magazines. Don’t ramble; get right to the point.
Blog readers frequently sign up for multiple blog feeds, a service that sends email summaries of new postings. The most important information should be included in the opening paragraph and repeated in the blog extract if you want to attract viewers. However, some readers find the daily feed notifications to be incredibly annoying. To please both groups, spread out your posting throughout the day; this will provide the impression of a flood of new information while being concentrated into a single set of feed announcements.
On Mondays and Wednesdays, you should post when many people are at work and can read your blog. Publish on Sundays and Tuesdays when your feed’s announcements are sent.
Put your blog software’s RSS feeds into action and join a Feedburner service like Google’s Feedburner. Many readers will access your blog via their digital assistants; if you want them to read the whole post, not just a teaser, set your RSS feed to do so. While my Feedburner alerts are set to deliver a full copy of the post, my Typepad RSS options are set to send only a snippet.
Seven, promote your blog using links!
To provide more in-depth information on your products, suppliers, and customers, direct readers to individual blog articles rather than lengthy marketing emails. Each purchase from our tasting room comes with a colorful postcard advertising our blog’s URL. Include the URL for your blog and a short promotional paragraph about it on all your promotional materials.
Encourage reciprocal advertising amongst your blog audience. You can achieve this by sharing your expertise in the form of a “top ten” article.
With any luck, you can amass a sizable blogroll of reciprocal connections or sites in your field that link to or are recommended by yours. A shorter section of prominent links with a quick comment on each site might assist your readers in choosing from your blogroll. It can be a fixed or revolving part of the design.
8 – Get your readers involved.
Your writing style, another 10-pointer, should be unique and illuminating. As a company blogger, you risk losing your audience by posting promotional material, such as company announcements, upcoming events, and personnel spotlights. The number of people who regularly read and bookmark blogs is still rather small, but those who do have high standards for in-depth material, expert writing, enthusiasm, and unexpected twists. A small, personable, and specific report is what your blog’s followers are looking for from you. Don’t lecture. No generalizations here. Let’s not get carried away.
Simply put, be yourself, talk to others, and form relationships. However, there is some good news: the shorter, the better. Content for a company blog can take many forms, including anecdotes from the company’s day-to-day operations, humorous asides, photo essays showcasing the manufacturing process, and in-person customer meetings.
Engaging your audience is also essential. It generates interest in your site and comments from your readers. Give away t-shirts, hold a contest to determine the name of a new product, or highlight a few of your most loyal consumers.
9. Be unafraid to stir up some debate.
Positive evaluation. You’ll be seen as a pioneer and innovator in your field. Also, it’s an excellent topic for debate.
Ten. Provide a “Guestbook”
Make a post just for feedback from readers, and direct them there via a link in the sidebar. It’s a great approach to get people talking and learning more about your audience. Readers’ inquiries and responses could potentially inspire new topics for future posts.
Mary Baker maintains the online presence of boutique wineries and producers of artisanal foods around the central coast of California. She writes the most favorite wine blog on the social networking site. Wine Blogs from the Central Coast.
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