What is a Blog?

The first question to ask is what exactly is a blog? The word “blog” is a combination of the words web and log. It is a type of website that contains regular entries. The entries are usually displayed in reverse chronological order. It is more casual and personalised in tone than an article put on the company website. Company related articles go on the company website only; the blog is more a platform for conversation, information and communication. In fact what you're reading right now is a blog post from the Sound Idea 'Ideas' Blog. Blogs enable you to establish your expertise in the industry through your value-adding content.

Google loves fresh content and a business blog is the single best tool for creating fresh content. The blog also allows you to target long tail keywords/phrases. Long tail keywords refer to keyphrases that are specific in nature and are focused towards a niche market. For more info on long tail keywords check out this article.

Elements of a Blog

• Software platform

A popular blogging platform is Wordpress. The wordpress software is open-source and can be downloaded. Hosted options are also available.

• Name/Title

There isn’t really a definite rule to how you should name your blog. Blog names may be quirky or clever, mysterious or straight-to-the-point, either way it should be seen as an opportunity to be creative and clever.

• Description

This section appears directly under the article title in the blog feed, the purpose of the description is to pique the interest of the reader while providing a brief overview of what the article is about.

• Posts

This refers to the actual content published on the blog. It is important to remember that content is not only text, but may include images, video, audio and even links to other content. Blog posts are linked to other content. Within the blog you will add links to other related information or links to your company website. 

• Comments

This section appears at the bottom of the blog post, and facilitates conversations about the subject at hand. Make sure that commenting on your posts is as easy as possible, for example: enabling users to comment as guests, therefore not registering before they may leave a comment.

• Sidebar/child page

A typical blog houses a sidebar which contains: information about the author, a list of recent articles covering the same topic, the blogroll, internal links, article categories etc. Ensure that your sidebar’s content matches the accompanying blog posts. It is perfectly acceptable to add a call-to-action with a link to your website on the sidebar. But don’t do it gratuitously, readers don’t want to feel like that are being sold to.

• Blogrolls

A blogroll is a list of other blogs. Most bloggers include blogs that they have subscribed to, like to read, are industry-related, or that they have approved of.

• Archives

This is where older posts are stored. Ensure that your archived posts are organised in reverse chronological.

• Categories

The categories section organises your posts according to the nature of the content. This makes finding articles considerably easier. Note: a single blog post may cover numerous categories, so ensure that your articles are categorised correctly to optimise your posts for search engine rankings.

• Search

As your blog grows the need for a search function increases. Any way to make the users experience on your blog as easy as possible should be implemented.

Why Create a Business Blog?

Besides the advantages of having traffic driven to your company website, there are two main reasons: awareness and participation.

Awareness

As a company you need to be aware of how you are being perceived by the millions of bloggers out there. You also need to follow your competitors; what they blog and how they are being perceived by the online community. As discussed earlier Google loves fresh content and gives preference to fresh content in search rankings, and of course your blog earns that preference every time a new article is posted. The blog also acts as a unique channel to showcase your brand in creative ways, thus building brand awareness and identity.

Participation

Blogging also means you are now participating in this community. You open up channels of communication and add a personal, individual identity to your company. The comments section is a great place to engage users and create meaningful conversation. Comment participation allows the business to build personal relationships with users.

Guidelines to Creating a Great Blog

Define your purpose

Here are a few questions to ask yourself before getting started with your blog:

•    Who is your audience?
•    Who is your competition?
•    What is your blog about?
•    What goals are you trying to achieve?

Set a reliable schedule

It’s important to deliver your blog posts on a reliable, consistent schedule.

Mix it up

Consider a variety of topics, keep it fresh and relevant.

Move beyond the written word

Use photos or video in your posts to add a visually pleasing element or to help further your point.

Size matters

You want your blog to be long enough to say what you need to say but short enough to still hold the reader’s attention. There are no strict rules about the length of a blog post.

Learn how to write effective headlines

The headline is arguably the most important thing on your post.

Design is important

Your blog should have its own style and personality.

Create momentum

What action do you want your visitors to take? You should make sure to include relevant calls to action and social media buttons on all blog posts. Social media buttons are those icons you find either at the bottom or top of the post that allow you to expose the article through social media.

Consider comment moderation

The greatest feature of a blog is that is able to spark conversation with and among your readers.

Categorise and tag everything

Write the way you speak

Blogs are casual, informal (depending on the nature of the post) and conversational

Don’t overthink

Your business blog is at the heart of all your social media action. It is the hub with which you drive traffic towards using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc. The days of dismissing the blog as merely some informal journal are over. If done right, the blog will build up more regular visits than the website.

If you still doubt the potential of a great blog, consider this: Arianna Huffington the previous owner of the Huffington Post blog sold her blog to AOL for 315 million dollars, not bad for a blog hey?

Previous article in the series: Repurposing Content; Next article in the series: Marketing your Blog

Got any advice for starting up a blog, share them with me here or @JulianKarstel.

Julian Karstel is a Digital Marketing Consultant for Sound Idea Digital | @JulianKarstel |Julian@soundidea.co.za | Sound Idea Digital is a full service digital agency |www.soundidea.co.za

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