New to Content Marketing? Tips for Making Your Blog More Engaging!

In today’s digital era, every brand is looking for the perfect way to ‘out-market’ their competitor; but with so many digital marketing strategies, there’s one you should be familiar with: content marketing. As part of our February Optimise Webinar series, we’ll take you on a journey into the world of content marketing – starting with some simple tips for making your blog more engaging.However, before we do,  let me quickly refresh you on what content marketing is (if you’re yet to discover it). According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing refers to:

“a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”

Examples of content marketing include:

• Infographics
• Webpages
• Podcasts
• Videos
• Books
• And blogs

It’s likely that you’re already implementing some of these, but today we’ll be focusing primarily on blogging; which, interestingly, can also overlap with videos and podcasts. So while you may initially think of blogging as a bit of a chore, it doesn’t have to be! It’s all about discovering what type of blogging works best for you, and how to engage your audience.  

Make Blogging Fun

First things first, pick something you feel motivated and passionate to write about and then decide what angle you want to get across. Remember: don’t be too salesy; this isn’t the place to heavily push your products. Instead, you want to show your audience that you’re on top of industry news, and share it with them in an entertaining way.  

For example, if you are a fashion retailer you can write about upcoming seasonal summer stock that’s due to arrive, what trends are predicted to be popular, and which brands will be best for the summer heat.

Now, I know what you’re thinking…’but what if my industry isn’t that exciting?’ Well, despite your doubts, the fact remains that even if your service is a little dry, it’s still possible to make it sound interesting or relevant to others. Take for example the viral content marketing campaigns for ‘Poo Pourri’. I mean, can you think of a topic people would want to talk about less than bad bathroom odours? And yet, not only did the brains behind this brand find a way to do so, but they also made people want to buy their product! When it comes to marketing success stories, Poo Pourri is pretty much the holy grail of ‘how to market boring products.’

As Timothy Carter from Marketing Land writes:

“You may think you’re restricted to the business you run or industry you operate in, but there’s ample room for creativity. Just because you sell farming equipment doesn’t mean you have to write exclusively about farming equipment. You could also write about weather patterns, harvesting techniques and advice for keeping equipment properly tuned. Find a topic that interests you and provides value to your readers. That’s the only way to stay on track.”

Remember Your Headlines

While the saying ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ could go a long way for many a blog post, the truth of the matter is that people will choose to read – or not read – your blog based on the headline. Therefore, there are a few rules when it comes to creating the perfect headline:

1) It shouldn’t be too long

2) It shouldn’t be too short

3) Don’t make it ambiguous

4) Test your headlines

5) Use the correct language for your target audience

If you struggle with writing headlines, try working on the article copy first and coming back to the title later once you’ve got a better grasp of your angle. Once you’ve got it down, try using a free online tool such as ‘Headline Analyzer.’ It will give you great feedback on how your headlines rate for ‘power’ and ‘emotional’ words, as well as structure and grammar.

Get Visual! 

The great part about writing a blog for your business is that the passion is already there! There is no one better qualified to write about what it is your business does. However, you should aim to incorporate something entertaining in each of your blogs – whether it’s your witty catch phrases, a hilarious meme, or a video that makes your content easier to digest. After all, no matter how great your topic is, it’s hard to read lengthy pieces of copy – our brains desire stimulation, and simply adding some visuals can help keep your reader on track. This is where you can incorporate video blogs or podcasts, to help break up your text.

Looking for more content marketing tips? Be sure to sign up for our FREE ‘Content Marketing Enhancers for Business’ Webinar on February 22nd!