A blog is one of the easiest ways to keep your clients up to date on what’s happening in your business and also to share your experience and knowledge online. This guide is designed to help you to plan your blogs, generate ideas for posts, encourage people to share your blog across social networks and to handle any negative comments.Plan your blog posts
Throughout the year there are hundreds of different events happening in your business, the industry you operate in and the wider world which you can blog about.
National and international events
As well as the obvious dates in the calendar such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Halloween, there are plenty of other special days you can blog about and relate back to your business. For example, in March in the UK its National Bed Month and National Vegetarian Month plus St. David’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day. International days celebrated in March include International Women’s Day and World Theatre Day.
There is a special day, week or month dedicated to pretty much every cause, event and occasion you could think of, so check out which ones are applicable to your industry and set a reminder to write a blog post a couple of weeks before the event.
Industry events
Other events to look out for are industry specific conferences and exhibitions which you can write about both before you attend and after you visit. For example, Internet World in London is Europe’s largest digital marketing event and takes place on 24 – 26th April 2012, so if you’re attending the event you could blog about your expectations for your visit or write a roundup of what you learnt after attending the event.
Events specific to your business
If you’re planning to speak at a conference or organise a discussion forum then blog about it before hand to raise awareness and receive feedback on your plans. Other events specific to your business which you can plan blogs for include product launches, special offers and sales.
What to blog about
Once you’ve planned your blogging schedule and included topics you know you’ll be able to write about you’ll then need to expand on this to ensure your blog is updated regularly. Writing a new blog post two or three times a week will mean your website is constantly being updated with fresh content and your website visitors will have something new to read whenever they visit your website.
Other events to look out for are industry specific conferences and exhibitions which you can write about both before you attend and after you visit. For example, Internet World in London is Europe’s largest digital marketing event and takes place on 24 – 26th April 2012, so if you’re attending the event you could blog about your expectations for your visit or write a roundup of what you learnt after attending the event.
Events specific to your business
If you’re planning to speak at a conference or organise a discussion forum then blog about it before hand to raise awareness and receive feedback on your plans. Other events specific to your business which you can plan blogs for include product launches, special offers and sales.
What to blog about
Once you’ve planned your blogging schedule and included topics you know you’ll be able to write about you’ll then need to expand on this to ensure your blog is updated regularly. Writing a new blog post two or three times a week will mean your website is constantly being updated with fresh content and your website visitors will have something new to read whenever they visit your website.
It’s not always easy thinking of what to write though so the best starting point is to share what you know. Think about what you do in your business and how other people will benefit from your experience and knowledge.
For example, at Pure Ink we blog about copywriting and marketing and include tips, advice and opinions which will benefit our readers. We’ve written ‘cheat sheets’ which cover the basics of copywriting; reviewed copywriting books and podcasts; given our opinion on other companies marketing campaigns and copywriting; rounded up the best marketing news stories of the week and highlighted the best marketing and copywriting resources on the web. Whatever your business does, you will be an expert at it so share your knowledge through your blog.
Blogging for social media
Blog posts can be shared by hundreds of people within seconds via social media but with so much information being posted online, how can you ensure people hear what you have to say? It takes time to build up a loyal following on your blog but regularly posting insightful information will mean people will gradually start to take notice. The key is not to be tempted to rush blog posts so you can just post something for the sake of keeping your blog up to date. By writing blog posts which other people actually find useful, you are far more likely to have your posts shared by your followers on social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Blogging for social media
Blog posts can be shared by hundreds of people within seconds via social media but with so much information being posted online, how can you ensure people hear what you have to say? It takes time to build up a loyal following on your blog but regularly posting insightful information will mean people will gradually start to take notice. The key is not to be tempted to rush blog posts so you can just post something for the sake of keeping your blog up to date. By writing blog posts which other people actually find useful, you are far more likely to have your posts shared by your followers on social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
To gain exposure for your blogs on social media you can make the people in your network the subject of your blogs.
You could interview people in your network or write reviews of their products, services or even their blogs as a way to encourage the people featured in the blog to link to the post and share it with their network.
Handling criticism
People can be quick to criticise online as they are safely hidden behind their laptops and it can be really difficult to not take criticism to heart if someone has left an unfavourable comment on your blog. There are a few ways you can handle any negativity though...
Ask for specific examples
If someone has been negative about your blog post but not said specifically what’s wrong with it then find out what exactly they disagree with. It could be that the tone of voice is out of sync with your other posts, or maybe your blog has spelling errors or perhaps a point you’ve made is factually incorrect. By asking for specific examples you can soon separate the people who are just being negative for the sake of it and the people who do have a valid point and who could potentially offer more constructive criticism.
See it as a learning process
It’s not easy to chalk a bad comment down to experience but try to step back from the situation and see what positives you can take from the comment. Criticism can actually be a great way of improving your blog writing. For example, if someone has pointed out that the data you’ve used to back up a point is out of date then it could be time to source some new statistics, or if you’ve been pulled up on spelling then ask someone to proofread your blogs before posting them.
Don’t try to please everyone
The best defence against negative criticism is to take the time to write well researched and informative blogs which give your readers information they can apply to their business or which simply entertain them. You can’t please everyone and you shouldn’t try to.
Handling criticism
People can be quick to criticise online as they are safely hidden behind their laptops and it can be really difficult to not take criticism to heart if someone has left an unfavourable comment on your blog. There are a few ways you can handle any negativity though...
Ask for specific examples
If someone has been negative about your blog post but not said specifically what’s wrong with it then find out what exactly they disagree with. It could be that the tone of voice is out of sync with your other posts, or maybe your blog has spelling errors or perhaps a point you’ve made is factually incorrect. By asking for specific examples you can soon separate the people who are just being negative for the sake of it and the people who do have a valid point and who could potentially offer more constructive criticism.
See it as a learning process
It’s not easy to chalk a bad comment down to experience but try to step back from the situation and see what positives you can take from the comment. Criticism can actually be a great way of improving your blog writing. For example, if someone has pointed out that the data you’ve used to back up a point is out of date then it could be time to source some new statistics, or if you’ve been pulled up on spelling then ask someone to proofread your blogs before posting them.
Don’t try to please everyone
The best defence against negative criticism is to take the time to write well researched and informative blogs which give your readers information they can apply to their business or which simply entertain them. You can’t please everyone and you shouldn’t try to.
By writing about what you love and sharing your expertise, your enthusiasm and knowledge will be evident and you will start to grow a positive community for your blog.
By trying to please everyone the key message of your blog will become diluted and you’ll be in danger of losing what makes you unique as a blogger.
Blogging is a great way to connect with your customers, your website visitors and your social communities. It takes time to build up content and attract regular readers but it’s well worth it as a successful blog will demonstrate your industry knowledge and passion for what you do and enhance your brand exposure.
Blogging is a great way to connect with your customers, your website visitors and your social communities. It takes time to build up content and attract regular readers but it’s well worth it as a successful blog will demonstrate your industry knowledge and passion for what you do and enhance your brand exposure.
Sarah Evans is joint owner of the UK copywriting company Pure Ink,which she co-founded in 2008. She has been creating content for clients' websites and offline projects for over five years and has worked with clients such as Avon, Best Western, Ford and the Private Health Partnership as well as a range of other companies in the B2B and B2C sectors.
Sarah specialises in search engine optimisation copywriting, developing tone of voice for clients and also crafting headlines and tag linesfor projects.
http://SocialBusinessToday.net - The Best in Social Business
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