New to the blog world? Want to increase traffic to your website? CityBlast, a Long & Foster preferred partner, outlines four steps to creating engaging blog posts that will increase traffic to your website.
When it comes to online marketing, blogs are all the rage and for good reason. If you want to increase your online presence, content is king. But your content creation needs to be steady, innovative and interesting, and as with most things in this business, that’s easier said than done.
Here are four key steps that will help you produce an engaging blog article.
1) Pick Your Topic: The very first thing you should do when starting a new post is to figure out exactly what you’re trying to achieve. Are you trying to land new clients? Show your expertise in a particular area of real estate? Knowing the goal that you’re trying to accomplish will help narrow down your topic.
Great blog posts engage the audience by discussing issues that are important to them. You therefore need to always have your target audience in mind when picking a topic to write about.
Reviewing your blogs and noting which ones are performing best, is also key to helping you figure out what your audience is interested in reading.
2) Put Pen To Paper (or Fingers to Keyboard): Here are some tips to avoid writer’s block and get your article started.
- Write your first draft quickly. Get out all of your ideas and if it’s too long you can always edit the piece down to a lower word count.
- Edit thoroughly. Sometimes it helps if you don’t look at the post for a day or two between writing and editing. But when you do, replace passive writing with active writing. Swap any overused words with synonyms. Make your writing concise.
3) Gift Wrap It: If the blog is the “product,” then the format is the “packaging.” According to a Nielson study, 79 percent of readers scan the package before reading it.
The best way to package a blog is with pictures. A good ratio to go by is 1 picture per 200 words. A killer headline is the second part of what gets people to click on your post. You should brainstorm at least 15-20 headlines and then use the best one. They should contain keywords and numbers, and they should be catchy. Use online headline generators to help you if you get stuck.
4) Share Your Content: Once you’ve got your final draft and the format is looking great, it’s time to post it and tell the world! Use social media, and ask your network to like, share, comment or retweet your article to get it out to as many people as possible. And remember, you’re allowed to share it on social media more than once.
Write, Edit, Repeat
With some effort and persistence, well written blog posts will increase your online presence and drive traffic to your website. Just remember, provide content on a regular basis, focus on the needs of your audience, and don’t forget to spread the word! Once you nail these fundamentals the results will speak for themselves.