Blogging can seem like a long, time-consuming task and whilst I can’t say that it’ll take you 5 minutes, it doesn’t have to be arduous and it most certainly doesn’t have to take over or take you away (for long) from other pressing business tasks.

Many businesses ask: Why do I need a business blog? And the answer is simple –– it builds authority, rapport and allows you to showcase your expertise whilst also offering depth to your audience and Google, so it can rank and see what your website is all about.

These tips are quick and easy to implement. Take a look at how you can readily digest and put these ideas into your own blogs...

What to write: business blog topics

The hardest part for many people when they sit down to write is knowing what they want to write about. Start by creating a spider diagram of ideas –– you know your business best so begin by thinking about;

1) What do customers frequently ask you?

2) What pain points do they have?

3 What would be their current daily struggles?

4) How can you bridge the gap?

5) How can you make things easier for them?

6) How can you relate to them?

7) What stories would engage your audience?

Refining your idea is the start of your blog strategy and makes the step of jumping in and writing easier as you have a point of focus.

Think about the words that you use

Even if you start with a story that’s about you, your business and your brand, make sure that you pull it round to be about your audience. People want to see themselves on the page. They need to see that you’re representing them and that they can draw something from what you’ve written.

In your structure, think about swapping I for we, you and you’re. Let me give you a brief example to demonstrate the concept;

When I took the bus, I was late for work but it’s not my fault and they’ll just have to cope until I get there –– this isn’t my doing.

Versus

I was running late for work and I do hate to be late because it impacts the way others see you and the portrayal of yourself within the work environment, plus, you always feel like you begin on the back foot with the walk of shame as you enter the office door and awkward eye stares greet you from your colleagues...

You see, it makes it relatable when your reader can see that you’ve pulled them in and included them in the emotion of the story. I wouldn’t want to be the person with those eyes on them at this point in the story. (By the way, I’m never late, this is fictitious).

Research and real life

Use a mixture of what feels right and what suits the blog that you’re writing. If it would benefit from the weight of research, data and a quote behind it, then include it. However, if it doesn’t work, don’t force it..

For example I might add, ‘writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.’ Mark Twain.

Now, quotes are great but when you’re offering help to someone who is struggling to find the right words let alone cross them out –– dependent on your frame of mind this may not prove useful or motivational, however, it may be thought provoking and food for thought for some.

Bare this in mind: Perception may well be subjective but you want to draw in your reader and not alienate them.

Write with flow

This really just means to keep it conversational and natural. You don’t have to talk like a university professor it you aren’t one and you don’t have to take the voice of an authority that isn’t relevant to you.

Try thinking of your written work as a conversation between two people. Visualise who you’re writing to and the kinds of things you would say to them. You don’t have to use big words unless that’s you and relevant to your audience. But you do want them to feel a part of your tribe and included –– so write with this in mind.

Connect your paragraphs and sentences by thinking how you end and start the next. Does it flow into one another? Have you made sense or gone off at a tangent?

NB: By writing with flow you can still keep it professional. What you’re doing is setting the tone, making it relatable and easy to digest.

Keep it simple

Don’t overcomplicate your business blogs. Keep it simple. Think of the outcome you want to achieve and who you’re writing to. This opens up the conversation and creates a piece that is easy to understand.

Think of the words you use, how you put them together and use one word over several if your reader can grasp the point faster.

Edit in your brilliance

This is why we have drafts. You can dump all of the information down and then filter it out and tweak in your editing process. This is why it’s easier to define it as editing in your brilliance. That way you’re not thinking that you’ve created a rubbish piece. No. It’s refining your piece to build something that you will publish and be proud to share with your readers.

Perfection is of course mythical and you shouldn’t expect your initial draft to be everything you want it to be. You can fine tune this in and turn your draft from caterpillar to butterfly.

My recommendation would be the allow time to edit in for spelling and grammar and then flow. It sounds mad I know but it takes fresh eyes and a different focus to spot the edits then flow.

Call to action

Never forget this. Every piece of content should have one, especially your business blogs. Again, this doesn’t need to be complicated. It could be as simple as;

Come and follow me at.....

Or

Ending the blog with a question before you leave a short paragraph of company blurb.

How often should I blog for business?

There’s no magic answer here. This is dependent on your strategy and the aim of your blogs, where you’re at on your journey and what your audience needs. You also want to consider what you can give to the process –– is it you writing or are you hiring a freelancer or maybe you have a team that can do this for you?

The other thing to think about is how you repurpose the content for social media and newsletters for your subscribers. Having a few key evergreen blogs on your website around areas that relate to you, your business and your audience will help to stamp your authority and build rapport with your reader (and also search engines.)

Think quality, visibility and how you want to be seen.

You can even consider having a pillar piece (essentially a longer form guide) that then links back to several other blogs that you write. The importance with your blogs is to ensure they remain current, even if you need to make a few tweaks to keep them up-to-date from time to time.

Can you incorporate these tips into your business blogs?

See how you can make your process easier to work through and the time you can save yourself when you have a strategy with which to approach your blogs.

Whether you’re looking for blogging tips for small business, medium or even big business then the principles of inclusion remain the same even if your approach and strategy may differ slightly.

Want more? Check out my easy to follow, short and digestible business blog with impact course that breaks it all down and shows you how. You can learn by video just how to create real blogs that wow and draw in your ideal audience.

Plus, this course now comes with my content tips and tricks guide full of my know how and tactics that I have complied (see what you get here) –– so that you can get to grips with the copy you need in your business. This also includes a x30 days of social post generator ideas page and my “must have” blogging tips..

Have a specific question? Feel free to reach out. I respond to all of my emails personally and love to connect with real people. You can mail me at: ambersmith@simplyamberlou.com and browse the website here.

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