Connor BrookeBusiness blogging is tough because at the end of the day, you need results.
Anyone can throw up some generic content and say they’re “blogging“.
But creating a community and a platform that drives leads and sales is another thing.
There’s a lot of nuance that separates the professionals from the newbies.
Here are 3 business blogging mistakes that make you look like a rookie.
Image courtesy of Maria Reyes-McDavis
1. Blogging About Yourself
People don’t care about you… they care about themselves.
So no one cares about your product, service, or company. At least not initially.
But right now they care about their own problems, and they’re looking for solutions to those problems.
So instead of droning on-and-on about yourself… focus on what your product or service does for your customers.
How does it help people? What does it do for them? How does it give them pleasure or take away their pain?
The key to successful blogging is by focusing on your user’s needs and wants first. That’s how you grab their attention and interest.
Even if you work in a “boring” industry, you can still create interesting, engaging content. Is your business more boring than pest control?
Jeff White creates video content for Bed Bug TV. People with bed bugs have a huge problem. So they will immediately go looking for a solution online. And the first thing you’ll see are Jeff’s videos giving you all kinds of helpful, interesting information.
But most important, they now have your attention.
Content marketing starts with getting people’s undivided attention, then building trust, and finally converting them into loyal customers.
So if you can’t keep someone’s attention long enough to get them interested, then you’re just wasting your time.
2. You Can’t Define Success
Why do you want to start a business blog?
What are your social media goals?
Most companies can’t answer this question. But it’s essential if you’re going to use it to increase revenue.
At the end of the day, there are only 3 good answers:
- Increase brand awareness by growing your reach
- Build customer loyalty by engaging and providing support
- Increase sales by getting more people to purchase, more frequently
Now… how are your campaigns and daily work going to support these goals?
You need to be able to articulate what success will look like for your company if you want to succeed.
For example, the Roger Smith Hotel in New York City has developed a reputation for being digitally savvy. But it’s not just because they love “joining the conversation”.
Adam Wallace, the director of digital marketing, says all their effort sells rooms and events. So at the end of the day, they’re using blogging and social media with a purpose to gain attention and build trust first. Then they’ll use that new channel to present you with valuable offers.
Blogging and social media might be inexpensive… but it takes a lot of effort and perseverance. So don’t waste your time if you haven’t nailed this step down yet.
3. Focusing On Your Competition
Most businesses spend too much time worrying about their competition.
And it wastes a lot of energy.
Of course you should keep an eye on what they’re up to. But you can largely ignore them after that.
Because the best tactics haven’t been used in your industry yet.
Try using arbitrage marketing as a way to test new tactics and find innovative ways to drive leads back to your business.
Instead of looking at your own industry, find out what other industries are doing and having success with. Figure out how you can adopt (not copy) their ideas and make it work for yourself.
For example, if you’re selling wine, you’re not going to try and copy Wine Library TV with video content… because you don’t stand a chance.
But maybe you could create a niche site for events like weddings, because you want to build that segment of your business. You could then create content around weddings… not just your own product. And then you could try to partner with wedding bloggers or donate product to high profile industry events with The Knot.
That’s how you drive business with social media. But before you get there, you have to get people’s attention first.
And without interesting, compelling content, then’ll you’ll just be ignored like everyone else.
This article was written for Business 2 Community by Connor Brooke.
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This is a great article. It validates what I am doing on my own blog and why I’m doing it. All along I always second guessed what I was blogging about. Thanks!
Hi Maarit, thanks for the comment! It’s always slow at the beginning, but the content on your site looks good and your effort will payoff in the long run!
Agree with 2-3, but I think that being personal (appropriately) makes you more authentic, even as a B2B blogger. People do want to connect with your company – it’s purpose, passion, and reason for being. A blog is a great place to give expression to those ideas.
Hi Allyn, thanks for the comment. I completely agree about being personal and expressing the purpose behind your company. I just meant you need to cater to people’s needs first. And I was trying to make a point – so I was making generalizations :)
A business blog isn’t a place to pitch your latest product. You want to create content that will engage readers and get them interested in your brand. Once you have their attention and have gained their trust, they will be more receptive and willing to check out your product or service.