‘Blogging’ used to be a term we heard A LOT. Although it may not be heard as often, the affects of blogging can be seen across the platforms that many businesses utilize. Blogging, when done well, increases your followers, envelopes your audience and boosts your brand. It’s a cheap way to make your reach broader and your scope clearer. However, if done poorly, you may see some negative side-effects from your blogging efforts. You may be sighing and thinking “Ugh, so I may be spending time blogging AND detracting from my message?” The short answer is ‘yes’. Blogging may seem simple, but its application must be curated and well-crafted. Don’t fret, we can help. Here are a few ways your blog is bugging your audience—and how to fix them.
- Your content isn’t relevant.
Imagine going to a web-site to find out about project management only to find blogs related to credit card fraud. You’d be a little upset. You’d be a little turned-off. And you’d probably have a negative image of this business form that point on.
Fix it: Make sure your content is read by objective viewpoints to make sure it stays relevant to the things that matter to your audience.
- You’re not timely.
If you’re posting three times a day, but then remaining dormant for months at a time, you’re going to look like you don’t have it all together. And when customers are looking at your products and services, they’ll think that, in that realm, you don’t have it all together either.
Fix it: Use that handy scheduling tool via most web platforms to make sure that, when you get busy, your site is still pushing out great content in a timely manner.
- You’re shamelessly self-promoting yourself.
Look, of course you want your readers/clients/potential customers to see (and read) about all the good things you’ve got going on, but you also can’t shove it in their face through curated posts. Blogging isn’t a time to sell them on your product; it’s a time to sell them on your expertise and your brand.
Fix it: Don’t be afraid to put a bit of “call to action” at the end of those blogs, but make sure that the content is always beneficial to the reader. It will make your brand look better and stand out amongst the other ‘shameless’ promoters amongst your competition.
- You’re doing it yourself.
There are some businesses who benefit from doing their own blogging. However, that is a very rare and beautiful thing that only comes around once in a blue moon. There’s no shame is saying “I need someone to do this for me.”
Fix it: Get help—or at least have a great branding brainstorm with a company who knows what they are talking about! A great branding agency can help you analyze and curate your content, while also helping you set up a strategic plan for pushing those paragraphs to the web in the best possible way to benefit your business.
Still a bit confused on the ol’ blogging front? Don’t worry. You’re not alone. Give us a call at Visual Caffeine. We like reading, we like writing, we like designing and we will more than likely like you! We specialize in a-la-carte options for web management and web content—and we’d love to chat.