In today’s world of Inbound Marketing, blogs are the ultimate means of attracting leads to your website. According to HubSpot, businesses that write and post blogs regularly get 55% more visitors than those who don’t, so if this isn’t something you’re already doing, then there’s no question that you should start!
However, this does mean that more businesses are writing blogs than ever before, and the internet is very quickly becoming saturated with blog content. So, as a business wishing to attract more leads, how do you ensure that your blogs get noticed? Unfortunately, there’s no way to know how to write the perfect blog. The good news, however, is that it’s more than possible to make yours stand out from the crowd to achieve the results you want!
With that in mind, we’ve outlined 12 simple tips to make your blog stand out from the crowd below. These fall into two different “stages”:
- Stage 1: Attracting leads to your blog in the first place, and
- Stage 2: Keeping them coming back for more
The best part is, these two stages actually become a continuous cycle; when people enjoy your blogs enough to come back for more, your website’s ranking in search engines such as Google will rise, meaning that your blogs will be easier to find for future readers/leads, and thus, the more people will be attracted to reading them, and so on!
Stage 1: Attracting leads to your blog
1) Focus on recent, relevant and topical content
If you want your blog to stand out, one of the most effective ways to start is by bringing yourself up to date on the latest news and developments in your sector, and reporting on these in the most easy-to-digest yet expert-driven way possible. For example, if you are a recruitment agency and the news has recently announced an increase in people qualified in your agency’s expertise, do as much research as you can around this for your blog. The more topical you can be, the more likely people will be to select your blog in their search about that topic. Of course, you could argue that your competitors will be doing the same, which is where the next tip comes in:
2) Use SEO techniques
To get ahead of other businesses writing about the same topics, SEO is your greatest companion. Start by conducting some in-depth keyword research to find the most relevant keyword and include this within your blog copy where possible (at least three times), as well as your blog’s meta description and page title. Also ensure that you link out to relevant, reputable websites – for example, if you cite a statistic from a well-known website, be sure to add a link to it. Also, if possible, get in touch with relevant websites to see if they will link some of their content back to yours! The more you can do this, the higher your blog ranking will be, and thus, the better it will stand out from the crowd!
3) Write irresistible titles
The title of your blog is going to be the first thing potential leads will see when they come across your blog; and if the title isn’t interesting or enticing enough, people will be much less likely to want to click on it to read further. In today’s fast-paced, high-demand online world, the blog titles that stand out the most are generally those which offer the reader a tangible benefit, either that they can receive as quickly as possible, with little effort required on their side, or both – whilst still being realistic. For example, if you work in recruitment, you might consider a title such as “How to succeed in your next interview with just two hours’ prep.”
4) Include an enticing featured image
We all know the saying “a picture says a thousand words” – so when it comes to making your blog stand out from the crowd, you’ll want to make sure your picture is relevant to your content whilst attracting attention and inciting curiosity. Make sure you use relevant images throughout your content to avoid the monotony of text blocks!
5) Share on your social media channels
Making your blog stand out from the crowd doesn’t end with clicking the “publish” button; you also need to share it on social media to gain the traction needed to push it up Google’s rankings and attract even more people to read it! To do this, write short, curiosity-piquing messages alongside the link to your blog, and include at least two relevant hashtags.
And if you want to take this further…
6) Advertise your blog using Paid Social
With consumers now spending around five hours a day on their smart phones, Paid Social media campaigns are also a great way to get your blog noticed. These are especially effective as they target those who are most likely to engage with your business, and they contain trackable calls to action, rather than just a hyperlink, that will lead people straight to your blog.
Stage 2: Keeping them coming back for more
7) Establish your blog’s “take-away”
Before you start writing your blog, consider what you want your readers to get out of it, what action you want them to take after reading it, and/or how you want the blog to make them feel. For example, you might want them to feel confident in their new-found knowledge or feel comfortable enough to carry out a task that your blog has advised them on. You will also probably want them to view your business as the thought-leaders in the blog’s topic, or entice them to get in touch with you.
8) Look at your competitors’ content
As mentioned above, if you are writing about current topics, it’s likely that your competitors will be, too. Don’t be afraid to have a look at what they’ve written; this way, you might learn something you didn’t know surrounding your chosen topic previously, or you may find something that you’d be able to write about more accurately/in more detail. Essentially, making note of and acting on your competitors’ blog strengths and weaknesses are a great way to ensure yours comes out on top!
9) Make the most of your expertise
Whenever you write a blog, make sure you fill it with the knowledge and expertise of your business to help it stand out from your competitors. By linking out to other relevant blogs and pages on your website, you’ll be able to embed this even further!
10) Make your content easy to read
In today’s fast-paced world, people look to the internet for information they can digest quickly and easily. So when it comes to writing your blog, instead of wondering how to write the perfect blog for your industry, keep it simple. Use plain terminology where you can, avoid jargon, and physically structure your blog in a way that is easy to read and navigate. Bullet point and number lists, short, informative headings and paragraphs and step-by-step layouts or a “telling a story” approach will all aid you in making your blog as easily “digestible” as possible.
11) Use your brand voice
As there will be other people guaranteed to be writing about similar topics to you, one of the best ways you can stand out from the crowd is by harnessing your brand voice. As we mentioned in this blog, your brand voice will help to make your blogs – and therefore your business – more memorable, meaning that prospective leads will return to you time and time again, convert into customers and even become champions for your business.
12) Be passionate
Nothing stands out to a reader more than a writer’s passion for what they’re blogging about. Truthfully, there are some topics that businesses blog about that would be viewed by many as “boring.” However, enthusiasm is truly infectious, and can make even the dullest of topics intriguing. And if the topic is exciting in the first place, then your passion for it will truly have the opportunity to shine through and make your readers want to come back for more.
Conclusion:
For a style of writing that seems so simple on the surface, there are actually quite a lot of different components you need put in to make a blog stand out from the crowd, and though no-one can tell you how to write the perfect blog, the above tips are a great place to start! If this is something you would like further support with, you can arrange your free one-hour content review with us here.
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