Blogs as Marketing Tools

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Blogs are exploding on the Internet. Evidently, people have a lot to say.  They are using the Internet to publish things at an astonishing pace.

Although it’s impossible to say exactly, in 2021 it’s estimated there are over 600 million blogs online. And over 6.8 million blog posts are published on any given day,

Astounding, isn’t it? And the blog reading universe keeps getting bigger as more people around the globe get internet access.

Blogging started in the mid-nineties as a means of personal journaling. Bloggers shared their thoughts, dreams and desires.  Since then, it’s come a long way.

Everyone Can Publish a Blog

Publishing used to be constrained by physical limitations. You had to have a printing press or a publisher and a distribution network to reach a good-sized audience. No more. Today, most publishing is done by users for users.

Blog software is readily available online for free. WordPress is the most popular blogging platform today and you need nothing more than a keyboard and internet connection to get started.

Blogging is a low-cost form of marketing that can build your brand’s identity.

Blogs can be hosted on public sites for free or with host companies for less than $10 per month.  A domain costs roughly $12.  In other words, you can spend as little as $10-$20 and create a blog.

Why Blog?

Blogs are a revolutionary marketing tool.  Think of them as mini-magazines that give businesses and individuals a dynamic vehicle in which to promote their products or themselves. They build brands and attract attention in a way that advertising can’t do.

If you’re like most bloggers, you’ll want to consider writing posts for one of the following half-dozen reasons:

1. Help grow a business — Blogging to grow is effective for small startups on up to large, established corporations looking to expand their market.
2. Build a relationship with your customers — Your customers want to know what you’re up to and what’s coming next.
3. Promote your e-commerce business — Blogging is one of the most popular and effective e-commerce strategies. With the United States as the second-biggest e-commerce market in the world, it should come as no surprise that it’s home to millions of bloggers.
4. Make extra cash on the side — Once you have an established subscriber base, you can sell products, services or accept ads to generate revenue.
5. Gain credibility as an expert in a niche — After you’ve authored numerous blog posts on a specific subject, you develop a reputation as a subject authority.
6. Drive traffic to your website — Many businesses start blogs to increase their online visibility.
7. For fun and self-expression — There’s nothing wrong with starting a blog for selfish reasons.  Perhaps you have a hobby and want to build a community for participants.  Or maybe you want to test your writing chops by writing blog posts when the spirit moves you.  Or maybe you just want to document a journey, whether physical or mental.

Blogging is a great way to gain exposure and credibility for your business.

What Comes First?

Businesses of all kinds start blogging as a way to build up a long-term audience. But the opposite also happens with bloggers starting businesses as an extension of their publishing.

According to Shopify Blogs, “One of the biggest challenges new businesses face is building an audience for their products. Bloggers, on the other hand, often work backwards, building an audience first by consistently putting out good content, and then exploring ways to monetize their traffic.”

No matter which group you fall into, having a blog can accelerate your success.

Blogs Encourage Interaction

Part of what makes blogs unique and so compelling is the interaction between the copywriter and the reader. Compare blogs to newspapers, magazines, books and even television in which the user sits idly by, passively absorbing the information delivered to them.

Get your blog readers involved. Ask them to comment on your posts.

With blogging, readers get involved. They comment on posts. They offer opinions, criticism, and suggestions. They’ll even take quizzes and surveys, which you can easily create using an online quiz maker.

In essence, they become a community who share a common interest and get to know each other. And they may even interact not just on the blog itself but also on social media where bloggers promote their posts!

Getting Started as a Blogger

If you want to start a blog, or become a blog copywriter, there’s no shortage of guides on blogging. Get some background and then find blogs that match your interests. Spend some time as a spectator. Follow popular blogs and do a little reverse engineering. Take note of the blog’s:

Then develop a plan for writing your own blog. Start by choosing a name that accurately reflects your focus. Bonus points if it’s clever and catchy.

Choosing the right name for your blog is important. It needs to speak to your niche and be memorable.

Blogger Ryan Robinson advises careful consideration before making a decision. “Your blog name is the first thing people see when you show up in search results and can tell them about who you are, what you’re writing about, and even your personality,” he says.

Determine your objective and what you’ll need to do to achieve it. Blogging is a journey, and you’ll want to have a roadmap. Even if your direction changes as your blog develops and grows, you’ll need to have a solid plan before starting to write.

Develop a roadmap for where you want your blog to go, even if it’s a fluid plan.

According to blogger Neil Patel, “With any blog topic, your choice may easily spread into other areas of interest. Don’t feel that the initial topic of the blog will pigeon hole you for life. Feel free to experiment with a few topics, and see what best matches your interests and passions.”

Kidd, a California-based company that helps people launch online businesses and build profitable blogs, recommends starting with a narrow niche. “Niching down allows you to focus your resources where they will be most effective. You may already have a topic in mind for your blog, but to narrow down, you want to look at the sub-topics.”

For example, if your topic is a broad general category like a pet blog or dog blog, you can niche down into various sub-topics to come up with ideas for content. Some might be:

• Dog foods
• Dog training
• Different dog breeds

Pet-related blogs written by pet owners and pet lovers are some of the most popular.

You could even take one of those sub-topics and go another layer down. The sub-topics for dog training could be:

• New puppy training
• Obedience training
• Agility training

Can you see how any of those bullet points could lead to multiple blog posts?

There’s no shortage of blog post ideas online. See what others have done in different industries and then adapt their concepts to your specific niche.

Monetizing Your Blog

You’ve probably heard of bloggers making thousands off of their blog. That’s certainly possible, but blogging is extremely competitive, and it can be a while before you’re generating enough traffic to be profitable.

“Focus on monetizing your blog only when you’re consistently getting 75-100 visitors a day,” suggests one blog start-up guide. Nonetheless, it advises setting up your blog following one of four business models right off the bat so that you’ll be ready to generate income when traffic does start flowing:

1. A content-based business that sells advertising — ads promoting other businesses
2. A content-based business that sells digital products — ebooks, templates, software, etc.
3. A service-based business marketing its services — accountant, lawyer, maid service, personal trainer, etc.
4. An e-commerce business selling physical products — jewelry, toys, clothes, etc.

On a personal note, I follow model #3, using my blog to introduce my copywriting services to customers. My 200+ blog posts showcase my writing chops and help me rank high on Google so prospects searching for a copywriter can find me. While my blog itself doesn’t sell anything, it brings me new clients, which is a form of monetization.

10 Steps to Writing Your First Blog Post

Blogging is a skill like any other — the more you do it, the faster and better you’ll get. Those first few posts are often the most difficult. But soon you’ll find your rhythm.

Here are 10 steps to get you started on cranking out Blog Post #1:

1. Pick your topic — Choose what you’ll be writing about. Select a subject for your post that you’re comfortable with.
2. Consider your audience — Think of your ideal reader. What do you want him to know? What do you think she cares about related to your chosen subject?
3. Research — Do a quick Google search. What’s already been written on the subject? What’s lacking? Or can you take a new slant on an old topic?
4. Outline — Start listing your main talking points and putting them in order.
5. Back up your points — See if you can find any facts, figures or insightful quotes to add to your post. They’ll give your copy credibility and give the reader a more well-rounded understanding of the subject.
6. Show your personality — You don’t want the post to sound like a high school research paper. Ugh! So be conversational and add in a little bit of yourself, whether that’s through humorous comments, personal anecdotes or opinions.
7. Edit your copy — Once you’ve written your first draft, review it. Read it aloud if that helps you catch an awkward or run-on sentences. Proofread for errors. You don’t want careless mistakes to detract from the content. Some blog writers set their posts aside for at least a day before proofing and sending them out. Having a little distance helps them see errors they might otherwise have missed.
8. Sprinkle in photos — Copy by itself can be a bit blah. See if you can find one or more stock photos that work with your text. If budget is a consideration, websites like www.pexels.com and www.unsplash.com offer free photos. And of course, if you have or can take your own photos, that’s even better. Other visuals like charts, artsy graphics, infographics, screenshots and even video can also supplement your blog post.
9. Publish and promote — Put your post on your blog and look for ways to drive traffic to it such and as linking to it on your social media accounts.
10. Respond to comments — If you set up your blog to accept comments, be sure to respond to them. Get some interaction going between you and your readers. Failing to respond is a sign that you don’t respect or care about your audience.

Hire a Blog Writer

Not everyone is cut out to be a blogger.  For some people writing is fun; for others it’s a chore.

If you find writing to be a chore or have limited time, stop torturing yourself and hire a professional blog writer.

If you fall into the latter category, or if blogging isn’t the best use of your time, hire a professional blog writer. You can determine your level of involvement. Come up with the topics yourself or let the blog writer offer suggestions.

You’ll want to choose your blog writer with care.  The saying “You get what you pay for” is more often true than not when hiring a copywriter.  While you can find Third World writers willing to compose blog posts for as little as $25 a piece, the quality is often lacking, as someone who is not a native speaker of your language won’t be proficient. Also someone charging $25 a post probably isn’t an experienced copywriter.

Select a blog writer who is comfortable with your subject matter. A beauty writer would likely not be a good choice for a blog on software design.

Work with a copywriter who has experience blogging and a comfort level with your subject matter.

Readers have no shortage of blogs from which to choose.  If your blog isn’t well written and interesting, it won’t attract a loyal following.  And if having your blog represent your business is your objective, then quality copywriting is a necessity.

Ideas for Blog Posts

Need some ideas for what to write about in your blog posts?  Consider these 10 recommendations:

1. Offer advice and tips — Your subscribers consider you an authority.  Put into writing your most helpful suggestions.
2. Comment on current events — What’s in the news?  How does it relate to your blog’s focus?  Write about how it affects you.
3. Post a video — If you’ve come across a video that makes a point you feel is relevant to your subscribers, post the video.  Be sure to add an introduction and conclusion so readers know why the video is important to you.  Of course, you can also create your own video.  Your subscribers will love seeing you and hearing your voice.
4. Tell a story — The best way to communicate a point is with an anecdote.  Everyone loves a good story.  The trick though, is to relate it to your main subject matter, so be sure you draw the connection.
5. Get nostalgic — Talk about days gone by and bring up all your warm, fuzzy memories.  You can draw subtle connections between your brand and the positive feelings your audience associates with the past.
6. Host a contest — Who doesn’t love winning? Invite your subscribers to weigh in with their ideas and award the best commenters with a prize.  You’ll be amazed at the audience participation you get.
7. Invite guest posts — Welcome others to write about their views.  Bonus points if you can get a guest post from an industry giant or celebrity.
8. Talk about trends — What’s hot now? What’s the next big thing?  Write about how it relates to your blog’s focus.
9. Take a survey — Poll your readers on a particular topic. Use a blog post to share the results and your conclusions.
10. Weigh in on a controversy — What’s got everyone talking? Present the different sides and give your opinion.

Regardless of which of the above ideas you choose, be sure to keep your focus narrow.  Each post should have one main concept.

For example, instead of writing about antiques in general, write about antique typewriters.  Even better is to zoom in on vintage typewriters made by Underwood.

Now explore that topic in detail, enlightening and delighting your readers.  The result will be far more compelling than a general post that never dips beneath the surface to bring up intriguing facts.

Applying SEO Principles to Blog Posts

Once you’ve gone to the trouble of writing your blog post, you want to be sure it gets read.  In addition to your existing subscribers, strive to have your blog posts get found on the internet via Google searches.

You or your hired blog writer will need to pay attention to search engine optimization (SEO) techniques when creating your posts. That means strategically choosing keywords, creating good title and meta-description tags and using alt tags on your photos.

Using SEO best practices is the right way to attract more subscribers to your blog.

Blogs that are integrated into your corporate website can help your site gain search engine ranking, which then translates into increased traffic. If you add content to your blog on a regular basis, Google will notice that your site is fresh and is a good source of information on your chosen subject area

Start Blogging Today!

The benefits of blogging are significant in terms of building your brand and creating demand for your products or services. Well-crafted content by a professional blog writer can go a long way in boosting your visibility and positioning you as an authority in your industry.

Don’t let another day go by with your competitors gaining steam via their blog. The best time for you to hop on board this exciting marketing vehicle is now!