Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Flipboard 0 It might be tempting to think that simply having a blog for your business is the solution to dragging sales and a lack of web presence. Even with quality content and regular updates, however, doing so is far from straightforward. Businesses new to the world of blogging are bound to make some mistakes along the way. Here are seven common pitfalls to look out for, along with some practical advice for how to avoid them. 1. Focusing too Much on Your Products Everybody gets it; a corporate blog is a mechanism designed to move units. There’s no getting around that fact. The thing is, you have to remember to play coy. Don’t make every blog post a transparently obvious advertisement for your latest products. The trick to creating a compelling and successful business blog is to create content that can establish your business as a leader in your particular industry. What this means, in the simplest terms, is that you need to change up the content of your blog from time to time. Rather than showcasing your products, share content that’s focused on the statistical, educational or otherwise thought-provoking trends that tie in with your industry. So what does an authority business blog look like? This is found on the Olshan Law blogs page, featuring two authoritative blogs in two popular areas: advertising and real estate law. Olshan has identified two areas of interest in their industry and assigned expert authors for the sub-categories. The Real Estate blog features a sole author, which helps build credibility and reputation. What are some key takeaways from these blogs? Focused on compelling/breaking news recaps and implications for the industry Commentary on developing legal issues Overviews and breakdowns of vital cases Essentially, these blogs are improving reach and authority, while making a place in the law news & education niche. Their blogs achieve multiple goals, while other business blogs have none set. 2. Ignoring Social Media One of the biggest mistakes bloggers make after launching their blog is assuming that people will simply stumble across it and become followers. In reality, getting your high-quality content in front of the right eyes takes a little more work than that. If you haven’t yet leveraged the power of social media, now is the time. You have two options: you can either double-down on promoting your content across your social media circles or, if you have too much content to promote each post, slow down your posting schedule so that you can focus on each piece of content. The name of the game here is to create a brand presence: Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest are your friends. 3. Failing to Connect Your Blog With Your Site Blogging is great because it can be an exceptionally low-cost way to expand your presence and promote your products. Therein lies the problem: most of these blogging platforms exist on their own domains. Choosing to use WordPress for your business needs is a great first step, but if you’re not tying your blog in with the rest of your corporate sites, your company’s SEO ranking may suffer. Thankfully, there’s a simple fix for this problem. Your blog should find a new home as a sub-domain under your main corporate site (blog.mywebsite.org) or as a folder (mywebsite.org/blog). 4. Not Paying Attention to Analytics If you’ve been blogging without paying attention to how well your blog is performing, you’re really only doing half the work. Analytics can provide a wealth of information to help you shape your approach, including which type of content performs best. If you’re new to the world of analytics, there are some great resources for beginners out there to help you get started and fully appreciate the importance of keeping an eye on your blog’s performance. 5. You Post Inconsistently As with most things, the law of diminishing returns kicks in if you post to your blog too often. The same holds true if you don’t post often enough. Maintaining some kind of balance is key here, but most of all, consistency is the order of the day. The fix is simple: you need to make commitments, and even draw up a schedule if you need to, to make sure you’re updating your blog at regular intervals. For most businesses, particularly if they’re still finding their footing in the blogging world, posting weekly seems like a good place to start. After that, you can work your way up to posting more often. 6. Your Readers Are Being Ignored Blogging is not about proselytizing; it’s about starting a conversation. Every time you update your blog, you’re setting something in motion that needs to be nurtured. If you’re doing it properly, your fans and readers will take the conversation in some unexpected, but always rewarding, directions. What you can do to better engage with your readers is to take time to read comments, whether it’s directly on your blog or on the social site on which you’ve promoted the post. Respond directly whenever you can; it’s a show of good faith to your fans, and if they know that you’re paying attention, they’re bound to stick around. 7. You’re Not Using Rich Media Content Nobody really enjoys slogging through a wall of text. If you’re going to keep your readers coming back for more, you have to entertain them. It might sound like pandering, but it really isn’t. We learn best when we experience content in a variety of formats. Words are great, but they’re made even better if they’re accompanied by great images, video and even audio content. So what does a media-rich business blog look like? This is the renowned Southwest Airlines blog, featuring videos, contests, catchy lists, and more. Their blog is full of social integration such as a YouTube, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, and RSS. What’s more, they’ve even put in a custom gamification system, where users earn badges by commenting and interacting with posts. Your blog needs to be a repository for the web’s best content in your field, whether it’s a video, image, guide, interview, or even humor! Just because your business may seem “boring” the only real roadblock to blogging is consistent research and creativity. Twitter Tweet Facebook Share Email This article was written for Business 2 Community by Connor Brooke.Learn how to publish your content on B2C Author: Connor Brooke Connor is a Scottish financial expert, specialising in wealth management and equity investing. Based in Glasgow, Connor writes full-time for a wide selection of financial websites, whilst also providing startup consulting to small businesses. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, and a Master’s degree in Investment Fund Management, Connor has … View full profile ›More by this author:ACH Crypto Price Prediction 2022 – Is it a Buy?Lucky Block Partners with Dillian Whyte ahead of Heavyweight Showdown with Tyson FuryNFT Pixel Art – The Best NFT Collections for 2022