Is your company’s blog failing to gain traction? Have you spent countless hours crafting what you believed to be exceptional content, hoping to attract readers and potentially even drive conversions, only to be met with disappointment? Don’t despair! Your quest for blogging wisdom ends here. While blogging isn’t complex, many overlook subtle yet vital aspects that can significantly enhance their blog’s readership.

Image via Evil Erin Back in my college days, my roommates and I attempted to host a party one Friday evening. The turnout was abysmal, which we attributed to the numerous other parties happening on our townhouse block. Determined to redeem ourselves, a month later we planned another gathering. This time, we put effort into designing an engaging Facebook invitation, complete with humorous captions and entertaining pictures. We made sure to highlight key attractions like complimentary drinks and pizza (irresistible to any college student!). Besides Facebook, we spread the word through good old-fashioned word-of-mouth marketing to generate excitement. The turnout, if I may say so myself, was incredible. You might be wondering what this anecdote has to do with your business blog. The point is, even with top-notch content, your intended audience won’t show up – or in this case, read your blog – if it’s not presented and promoted in an enticing way. Let’s delve into 3 common mistakes businesses make with their blogs, and how to rectify them starting today:

Mistake #1: Your Blog Posting Schedule Lacks Consistency

Have you ever discovered a fantastic blog only to find it hasn’t been updated with new content when you return a few days later? It’s disheartening and might even make you reconsider revisiting. I’ve encountered blogs that were very active for a few weeks, with multiple posts, and then suddenly went silent, as if the blogger vanished into thin air. Before you start arguing that “Creating high-quality content takes time,” let me offer some solutions to this common challenge.

Involve Multiple Authors From Your Company.

At nexus-security, we’ve had great success with this approach. We have around 50 authors across our 100-person company, representing various departments like customer service, sales, product development, and marketing. You might be surprised to learn that writing blog posts for nexus-security isn’t my primary responsibility – it’s something I do in addition to my main role. Naturally, you’ll need a skilled editor and a strategy to motivate employees to contribute. So, where do you begin? Here are a few practical tips to encourage employee participation:

• Arrange a brief, persuasive meeting with each team to explain this new blogging opportunity.
• Emphasize the advantages of blogging, particularly if your company has a strong brand or is experiencing rapid growth. Writing for the company blog can boost an individual’s professional profile and portfolio – having high-quality content on your resume is appealing to recruiters and can help advance your career. It can also lead to speaking engagements at industry conferences.
• Establish a rewards system. At nexus-security, our marketing team rewards members of the customer success team who author three blog posts per quarter with a fun outing, such as a Red Sox game or a night of bowling. Alternatively, you could offer a prize (perhaps even a cash prize) for the writers whose blog posts achieve the best performance in terms of traffic, engagement, and other relevant metrics. The prospect of a reward can be a powerful motivator.

Dedicate Specific Time Each Week to Blogging

Can you spare the time to catch The Bachelorette every Monday or Modern Family on Wednesdays? That’s all the time you need to dedicate to blogging each week. It’s that straightforward. Block off a short period in your weekly schedule solely for blogging. To minimize distractions, put your smartphone away in your desk drawer or find a quieter setting like a conference room or a nearby library, and simply start writing. Blogging becomes far less intimidating when you realize it’s essentially about putting your knowledge into words. It’s amazing what you can achieve when distractions are removed.

Maintain a List of Content Ideas

Cultivate a habit of constantly brainstorming, reading, and jotting down ideas, even if it’s just on a sticky note in your workspace or in your phone’s notes app. If you’re stuck, try using a blog topic generator. Once you have some fresh ideas, add them to a shared document so other writers within your company can develop them if your schedule is already full – remember, leverage the resources available to you, including your colleagues! Finding topics to write about is easier than you might think. For example:

Share Your Expertise

If you spend five days a week dedicated to your work, you undoubtedly possess valuable knowledge. Knowledge is power, so share it!

Provide Answers to Common Questions

If you interact with clients regularly, consider writing a blog post that addresses a frequently asked question. I often stumble upon blog post ideas simply by overhearing conversations among my colleagues. If people are asking a particular question, you might as well provide a comprehensive answer in an engaging and shareable blog post. This can save you time in the long run. Instead of composing lengthy emails explaining concepts like setting up conversion tracking, you can simply share a link to the relevant blog post you’ve already written.

Draw Inspiration From Industry News and Blogs

Explore influential industry blogs or recent news stories and offer your unique perspective on the latest developments. Writers at nexus-security do this frequently. For instance, in January, Elisa Gabbert sparked a lively discussion with her predictions about the future of link building and her response to Matt Cutts’ statement that guest blogging was dead. Her post generated numerous shares, over 54 comments, and continued to drive engagement through follow-up articles and additional coverage.

Actively Engage in Industry Conversations

For example, in the realm of pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, Matthew Umbro hosts a weekly Twitter chat using the hashtag #PPCChat. During this chat, questions are posed, and participants engage in a live, interactive discussion on Twitter every Tuesday for an hour. These conversations often spark blog post ideas as industry experts exchange insights and information.

Mistake #2: Your Business Blog Is Visually Unappealing

Does your blog lack images, appear disorganized, and simply look dull? If so, it’s high time for a makeover, blog edition!

Include at Least One Compelling and Relevant Image in Each Post.

Entrepreneur Neil Patel aptly states, “Your goal isn’t just to add eye candy, though that’s probably a good thing. Your goal is to add strategic images that help your readers and enhance your content.” I wholeheartedly agree with Neil – online content without images or videos to enhance engagement and provide context can be incredibly unappealing and difficult to engage with. Large blocks of uninterrupted text are an immediate turnoff. Once an image captures a reader’s attention, it needs to complement the text so both elements work harmoniously to create a memorable experience. Charity: Water, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing clean and safe water to everyone worldwide, excels at using images effectively in conjunction with their blog posts. Take a look at this recent post introducing their newest interns. Each picture exudes personality and relevance, culminating in a delightful group photo of the entire team. These images immediately drew me into the article while adding context and enriching the accompanying text.

Maintain an Organized and User-Friendly Blog

If your blog is merely an endless stream of posts, it’s far from user-friendly. Visitors will likely become frustrated if they can’t easily navigate to the content they’re interested in. Your blog should be structured to allow readers to quickly find what they’re looking for. For instance, consider incorporating a sidebar with clickable links to different sections or categorize your posts using tabs based on relevant topics or products. Evernote demonstrates this effectively, offering four distinct tabs: Latest, News, Tips & Stories, and At Work. This allows readers to effortlessly find the content that resonates with them. Evernote also provides a search bar for topic-specific searches, as well as a “recommended posts” section.

Prioritize simplicity, visual appeal, and ease of navigation in your site design: A Mashable article conducted by Erica Swallow revealed, “Web design is one of the most crucial factors in creating a user-friendly and visually engaging blog. Unfortunately, corporate blogs are notorious for their lackluster design.” Squarespace is another company that excels in site design. Their blog is not only aesthetically pleasing but also boasts one of the best overall user experiences I’ve encountered among business blogs. It’s disheartening that an estimated 80% of business blogs look strikingly similar – bland pages of text interspersed with company logos and the occasional pixelated image. Squarespace elevates the readership experience to new heights with its distinctive blog navigation while maintaining clarity and simplicity. Each post is introduced with a captivating and pertinent image (reinforcing my previous point), contributing to an enjoyable overall experience.

I particularly appreciate how Squarespace encourages reader interaction within each post through calls to action that prompt readers to engage on Twitter. See the example below, incorporated into their Brooklyn celebration post.

Mistake #3: Your Blog Lacks Social Media Sharing Buttons

Your content must be easy to share. According to a report from BI Intelligence, “Americans spend an average of 37 minutes per day on social media, surpassing the time spent on any other major Internet activity, including email.” This should serve as a wake-up call! Think about it: If your target audience dedicates a significant portion of their day to platforms like Facebook and Twitter, they won’t discover your blog unless it’s being shared and promoted on those platforms. Integrating social media sharing buttons is essential to ensure your blog gains traction on these channels. Furthermore, when people share your content, these buttons provide social proof that your posts are worth reading. If I come across a blog post with over 400 shares across various social networks, I’m instantly impressed and more likely to invest my time in reading it.

In essence, incorporating social media sharing buttons offers an effortless way to:

• Promote your content without any financial investment, and
• Provide social validation for each post, increasing its credibility. If you’re unsure about adding social media sharing or follow buttons to your blog, refer to Hubspot’s Ultimate Cheat Sheet for Creating Social Media Buttons.

Key Takeaways

Ready to transform your blog from a desolate wasteland into a thriving hub of engagement? While overnight success might be a stretch, implementing these tips will undoubtedly enhance your blog’s credibility and appeal. To recap, remember to:

1. Harness the expertise of your colleagues to maintain a consistent posting schedule, and foster a culture of continuous brainstorming for fresh blog ideas.
2. Invest time in enhancing your blog’s visual appeal! This includes incorporating relevant images, ensuring seamless navigation, and maintaining a well-organized structure.
3. Make sure your posts are easily shareable! Social media is a goldmine of potential referral traffic, so leverage the power of these ever-expanding channels to spread the word about your content. Now, I’m curious to hear from you: What techniques do you employ to ensure your blog is visually appealing and engaging? What are the most effective business blogging tips you’ve come across? And conversely, what are some of the worst pieces of advice you’ve received?