Blogs are everywhere. With so many things happening and so many sites trying to get more eyes on them, what’s in your blog that’s better than all others?

If you don’t have a business blog, I encourage you to look at my previous post on the benefits of business blogging. Yes, those are great benefits, but only if you have a strategy in place and know how your blog integrates with your business objectives.

Today, I want to give you some simple, but often overlooked ingredients to add to your blog that will increase your readership and convert them into a prospective leads.

3 Simple Ingredients for a Beefier Blog Post

Add Proof with Statistics

Now, I’m not talking about long, boring numbers or charts that bore your reader; I’m talking about some numbers that prove your point.

Think about it: if a blog post says, “most people use search engines to research technology purchases,” I want to know what the majority is and if those numbers prove the statement.

In other words, you can say anything you want, but without some data to back it up, it’s just blowing smoke up someone’s ass.

Btw, if you’re looking a great place to get some content marketing statistics, I would highly encourage you to check out the Content Marketing Institute’s resource.

Write for people, not robots

Looking at other blogs, I see different types of writing and things some try to rank higher in search engines. Yes, higher rankings in search engines is an important thing, but if that reader hates or doesn’t understand your writing, it’s not worth it.

First of all, if you’re not using personas for your writing, you better go back and create one before you even think about creating content. After that, write to that person and only them – think of that person sitting across from you.

Even if your audience is more technical, keep the jargon to a minimum and focus on giving the reader what they want – not what you think they need.

Oh, while we’re at it, if some “seo expert” tells you to throw in lots of keywords or write with a specific keyword density in mind, it’s time to smack that “expert” in the head.

No, really, do it now.  This is the same thing as believing the keyword Meta tag actually does anything for rankings now.

Tell Them to Do Something

Ok, so you have this great blog post, but you’re not seeing anything from it. What? No one is sharing it or reading more posts or even signing up for your email list?

I have a question for you: did you tell them to do something?

No? Well, there you go. If you don’t have a call to action (telling your reader to do something) at the end of your post, that great piece of content won’t work for you.

What do I mean by call to action?

No, I’m not talking about selling your products or services right away, I’m taking about small ways to educate, but get prospects into your “funnel.” What are some examples of soft calls to action? How about:

  • Adding related posts with links to related posts
  • Give them an opportunity to download a free report or training program
  • Tell them there’s more resources in your newsletters and have them sign-up
  • Add social sharing buttons to all of your blog posts and encourage them to share your content

Blogging isn’t rocket science and to compete with the other umpteen blogs on the Internet, you need ingredients that give your posts credibility, reasons to read it and a way to educate that prospect further while helping yourself too.

What extras do you add to your blog posts? What would you add to the list?

If you liked this post, share it with others and add your own ideas for better blogging.