Blogging started way back in the 1990s and with the way social media has successfully infiltrated the business scene, many people wonder whether blogs can still create a huge impact in the corporate industry today? I wonder if “tweets” can do it all.
Well, yes, corporate blogs should never be underscored especially because blogging started it all.
If you want to get into the radar of your target customers – blogs can do it better than any platform.
For one, blogs can solidify your brand relevance as it seamlessly integrates both with your social media efforts and boosts your business core in major search engines.
You get to drive traffic to your website by posting blogs regarding recent promotions on products and services as well as post as an expert or leader in your industry.
We all look up to experts and follow them on social media – so make sure you are worth following from day one.
Why Do I Need To Blog?
If you want to stay relevant in this techno-driven era, you have to blog. Fresh, relevant, and engaging content help you create that momentum and beat competition in search engines.
This boosts your SEO efforts by using organic keywords that will help search engines crawl on your site and get the attention you want from your target audience.
Creating informative and authority content is important for your customers or followers. This helps build rapport, trust, and confidence between you and your target audience – which establishes you as an expert or authority in your field.
Do I Really Need An Outline?
Now, how do you exactly create a blog post that will make your brand shine? Would you just scribble away or map every detail out with an outline?
Creating a draft or an outline will help you get organized especially with your train of thoughts. The speed and depth of our minds can get the best of us once we start writing.
Sometimes you can get out of focus or tackle a lot of things without really getting to a specific point.
Do you deliver exactly what’s in the headline? Or just blog away like when your jotting down feelings and thoughts on an online diary?
Now, this is exactly why an outline can help you strategize and provide information that your users need.
Set The Tone And Pace – Outsmart Competition
It is also very important to set the right tone when writing. Your writing style also matters if you want to connect with your target audience.
Do you speak their language? Or can you touch-base with their concerns and effectively address these in your blog posts?
Actionable results are essentially what matters to people nowadays.
While social media blahs can create some buzz, it’s real-life solutions to tons of issues and problems in your industry that will drive you the profit and sustainability you need for your business to thrive amid competition.
Provide “Real” Value To Your Clients
You can gain high visibility with the right content. Timely delivery, as well as relevant and informative content, is what will help you gain remarkable and fluid brand visibility online.
You can also repurpose blog content for social media posts or include it in your email marketing efforts.
You got to have a clear marketing plan and goals from the start. If you don’t know what you want, you can’t really get there. It would all be pointless.
Take The Lead – Find A Mentor
Have some direction. A good role model or an industry expert could help you gain focus on what you want for your business.
We all need mentors to set the pace and motivate us to do better. Playing the devil’s advocate or the apprentice can help a lot of business owners gain insight into the ins and outs of an industry – and how you can create an impact or a ripple of your own.
Actionable steps should be taken when writing a blog post; here’s how you can create a good outline for your blog post to ramp up your business today:
- Brainstorm. Be prepared to seek the opinion of others. Consult your team or other industry leaders to figure out your own voice and direction. Mind mapping is way better with more neurons going over the ebb and flow of your content. You have to take note of different issues and concerns. Raise concerns and formulate questions – seek to respond to these in your blog posts.
- Research. Be open to different ideas and client concerns by checking out common questions or complaints raised by clients. It would be handy to check out the recent trends and news in your industry. You have to prioritize each one on your list and figure out the best ways to tackle them. List the different topics and the keywords that you would use in your blog posts. Make each one count.
- Make an Outline. Here is where you get to jot everything down on paper so you don’t miss out on important details. Know where exactly to start, what points to highlight, and how to provide the solution or results to a particular issue. Include the different sources or links to authority posts and images or videos that you intend to use in your blog posts.
- Polish Your Content. Make sure to proofread your content and check if everything is on point and factual. You should also check on grammar, spelling, and sentence structure.
There are tons of blog posts online, the challenge there is how your blog posts can actually cut through the digital noise.
You cannot just recreate any other blog posts you can find online, copycats may stir some attention at first, but if you want to stay relevant in your industry – you have got to provide “real value” to your customers.
You have to look at different angles or niches that have not been tackled before. Create a unique standpoint or fill in some gaps somewhere.
Creating an outline before writing a blog post will help you get your thoughts aligned with your goal.
The writing process is definitely better with having an outline – it’s like the mainframe or skeletal structure of your content.
Now, it is important to be consistent with your blog posts to create a following and heighten brand exposure and momentum.
You can grow your business and keep up with the trends by blogging away – and it all starts with the right outline.