Blog posts have continued to remain the most popular form of content in recent years. A blog is a short or long, written text containing useful information. They can generate leads and bring traffic to your website. Furthermore, blogs can bolster your company’s social media presence and help you rank with long-tail keywords. Regularly updated blogs can help users find your website more easily on search engines.In 2020, SEMrush found that marketing teams’ top content marketing challenges were creating content that generates quality leads, attracts traffic, and resonates with their target audience. Marketing teams are looking to accomplish these three goals with their blog content marketing strategy—something that is more easily said than done. Here are a few ways you can make your blog content engaging.
Strategize with differing blog lengths
Depending on your audience, you’ll want to write blogs of certain lengths to engage readers. For example, if you are a healthcare company, you might want to consider writing lengthier, more informative blog posts. However, if you want to receive more shares and engagement on social media, then shorter blog posts will work. Every company has differing strategies for the ideal length of blogs. For instance, Buffer found that the optimal length for their blogs is 1,600 words. According to Bramework, the minimum length for blogs should be between 400 to 600 words. One Medium study found that 7-minute posts capture the most total reading time on average. Once you’ve experimented with different blog lengths, you’ll be able to test which ones work best for your audience.
Research your target audience
Thinking about your target audiences can help your blogs be more engaging, perform better, and attract more people to your website. Your blog’s target audience is the people who the blog helps out the most. Your audience will find value in your blogs and enjoy reading your content. Using resources like Google, social media, and your competitors’ blogs, conduct research on your target audience and find out what they are interested in. After finishing your research, create a list of blog topics that would interest your target audience.
Make your blog informative
Blogs should be both appealing and informational, as well as captivate your target audience. In recent years, blogs have been rated as the 5th most trustworthy source for gathering information online. Readers should be able to receive answers to questions they may have by reading your blog. Not only should the blog answer reader’s questions, but it should also give readers actionable steps to take. Blogs should also have an introduction that hooks the reader and explains the topic of your post. It should make them want to continue reading your blog. Furthermore, you can use statistics or facts to keep a reader interested in what you have to say throughout your blog. Plus, it will make your points more credible and authoritative to readers.
Use appealing images
Instead of using generic stock photos, you could use attractive visuals to make your blog stand out and be more engaging to your audience. There are statistics to prove this—blogs with images get 94% more views than those with no visuals. Make your visuals creative with infographics that include statistics or other related information. Or, you could take your own photos to stand out. Studies show that using pictures of real people instead of stock photos could result in a 35% conversion increase. Additionally, you could create images that include your company’s logo or colors. You might want to consider hiring a graphic designer to create attractive visuals to make your company’s blog stand out and appear more professional.
Share blogs on social media
One important factor in a content strategy focused on blogging is how you share your blog with readers. Most people choose to share their blogs on social media, after publishing them first on their website. In fact, 66% of marketers reported using blogs in their social media content in recent years. When you share your blogs on your company’s social media accounts, you’re giving your followers the opportunity to read them, as well as further engage with the content. Also, you could potentially gain new followers or customers. Sharing your blogs on social media is a surefire way to make your blog content more engaging and available to readers.
Test different blog formats
Blogs can take many forms including how-to guides, listicles, reviews, and more. Different types of blogs can be more intriguing than others, depending on your audience’s interests. You’ll want to experiment with different types of blogs to see which formats your audience likes best. If one type of blog has a higher read rate than others, then you’ll know to repeat that format. One study shares that “how-to” blogs are the third most popular headline preference, while list-based blogs are preferred by 36% of readers. Oftentimes, writing a variety of blog formats work best. Writing a variety of different formats will keep your audience engaged and interested in reading your blogs.
Key takeaways
About half of marketers say that blogging is their top content marketing priority. Obviously, creating a marketing strategy focused on blogging is a priority, although it is easier said than done. If you follow these steps, you’ll be able to ensure that your blog content is not only engaging, but also creates more leads and sales for your business. With so many positives, it’s easy to see why it is vital to make your blog content interesting and appealing to readers.
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