9 Important Dos and Don’ts of Blogging

Blogging is a great way to increase exposure for your business – through newsletters, improving SEO, and more. Before you dive in, keep these important tips in mind.

DOs OF BLOGGING

Do Know Your Audience
No matter how often you post, if you haven’t taken the time to figure out who your audience is by putting yourself in their shoes, finding out what they care about, and what they may want hear from you, you’ll end up spinning your wheels.

Do Meet Their Needs
Once you know who your audience is and what they care about, create content that is meaningful to them; something they can apply to their lives. Solve an issue, inspire them, and invite interactions.

Do Send a Newsletter
RSS feeds have been less and less popular in favor of newsletters. Keep in mind that your audience can’t be expected to check your site on a regular basis looking for new blogs. Make it easy for them, and send all new blogs via your email newsletter.

Do Tell a Story
Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to convey information. Use analogies, stories, and real-life experiences to engage your audience’s emotions.

Do Back it Up
As with anything having to do with websites, make sure that everything you do on your website is being backed up on a regular basis. Whether you’ve been blogging for a few weeks or for a decade, put systems in place to be sure all content is safe should anything should happen to your website.

DON’Ts OF BLOGGING

Don’t Set an Unrealistic Schedule
It’s common for someone to start off blogging every day or every week, only to discover that this frequency is unsustainable. Start off with no more than once a month – you can always increase the frequency later.

Don’t Post on Every Platform Just Because it Exists
Find out where the majority of your audience is – Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, etc. – and focus your efforts.

Don’t Stress Your Audience’s Eyes
Posting one long blog as one long paragraph makes it very hard to read. Break things up. Add titles and headings. Make it easy for your audience to find what they’re looking for.

Don’t Compare Yourself to Others
You’re unique, and your blog should be, too.

And of Course, the Most Important Blogging Do…
DO remember that if you want your business to have a blog but don’t have the time or desire to do it yourself, you still have options. In addition to creating website content, RWS can do all of your blog writing for you as well. Our writers do the necessary research to write comprehensive blogs for your specific company within your industry. Call us today to find out more: 202-409-8113. Happy Blogging!