How To Start a Company Blog
Blogging is a somewhat nebulous term. It’s a popular storytelling medium that’s as vast as the Internet itself. If you’ve been updating your website and thought it might be a good idea to add a blog, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed. There are lots of different aspects to blogging, but we’ve broken down what you need to do in order to easily start a company blog.
Create a Company Blog in 5 Easy Steps
Step 1: Decide to Blog
This might seem redundant because you’re already reading up on how to start a blog. What we mean when we say “decide to blog” is that you need to decide WHY it is that you want to write blog posts? Sure, blogging can be excellent for improving your site’s SEO, but the true purpose of blogging is to entertain and inform. The only reason blogging improves SEO is that search engines recognize it as a useful place for the people using them. Connecting with these people SHOULD be your goal.
Step 2: Pick a Topic
After you’ve decided that providing the Internet with your expertise (and humor) is a worthwhile way to spend your time and effort, you need to pick a topic. Your industry as a whole is probably too broad to cover, so narrow it down to the key subjects that you consider yourself an expert in.
Got a topic? Good. Now, pick a niche. Narrowing your topic further allows you to demonstrate your expertise in an uncluttered field. It also helps build a loyal customer base. People will come back because they’ll know you as the place to learn about the subject they love. You don’t have to be the top blog on your chosen topic on the Internet, but you should aim to be the best in your own, narrow corner. You can leverage this loyal niche in other ways.
Step 3: Define Your Audience
You should already have some idea of who you’re writing for when you selected your topic. Really defining your readers will define HOW you’ll deliver your message. Finding your audience helps you find your voice. What does your ideal audience member want to read? Knowing your ideal reader will also assist you in picking what topics to write about once you get to that step.
Step 4: Set a Schedule
You’ve got a topic and an audience, so you start writing. Well, stop the presses! There’s one last thing you need to decide: How often do you want to post? “As much as possible,” is not a time on the calendar and is not an enforceable deadline. Think about how much time you have to dedicate to writing, because it’s always quality over quantity, and writing will be harder in the beginning as you find your voice. Also, consider your topic. If there’s lots of areas to cover or a constant stream of new information, then maybe posting more often is necessary. However, if the news is stable and the topic well documented, then maybe you can maintain a more spaced out posting schedule.
The main thing is to be consistent. Think of it like a standing appointment with your readers - you wouldn’t want to be late. We recommend setting your ideal schedule, then scale it back to start. If you make your content goals for 3-6 months, then begin to increase your number of posts until you’ve reached your ideal schedule with the practice that came from starting small.
Step 5: Get Writing
The last step is to finally put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboards) and start writing. We recommend brainstorming 5-10 simple topics that you’re familiar with and write on those to start. Knowing you have to write about topic A then B and so on takes the uncertainty and anxiety away, especially when writing about a familiar subject. Write for your readers, but don’t forget to include some writing for SEO to help more people discover your unique understanding.
Including blogging in your content marketing strategy is a good move, but don’t forget to define your audience and find your niche. If that and everything else we’ve mentioned sounds like too much work to get started or you just don’t have the time to blog on the regular, you could always hire someone to do it all for you. However, if that’s not an option, we hope this post helped to simplify your next steps. Happy writing!
By Jordan Latham
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We hope everyone stays safe during this crisis. We are happy to offer consultations to review your digital brand and suggest solutions at no-charge to you during this time. Our goal is to see all businesses thrive, and we especially would like to help those that are suffering due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can contact us here or call 703 378-0000.
