Carly Stec Content Marketing Manager, @carly_stec impactbnd.com/ resources | Page 1 | Share on: Twitter Facebook Linkedin Written by: Rafael Teobaldo Before You Hit Publish impactbnd.com/ resources | Page 3 | Share on: Twitter Facebook Linkedin Optimize Your Blog Title Marketing expert Marcus Sheridan often uses what he refers to as CSI – Content Saturation Index – to convey the importance of carefully choosing blog titles your audience is actually looking for. The idea behind CSI is that there’s so much content out there in the form of blog posts, that you simply can’t afford to write terrible ones. Typically, marketers fall into two traps when coming brainstorming blog titles. 1. Getting Cutesy – Sure, witty blog post titles are fun to come up with, but they’re completely self serving, and unless you have a large audience no one is ever going to find it. Compromising the behavior of your audience as well as SEO best practices for a cutesy title is extremely risky, and a common downfall for many blogs not getting read. 2. Over Optimized – Keyword optimization is a catch 22, as while you can’t ignore it altogether, over optimizing your post based on search engine data can be a slippery slope toward turning off your audience. Instead, optimize for your ideal persona or reader based on the questions they need answers to. Chances are they’re not searching for “ pool installation in CT ,” but rather, “ what do I need to know impactbnd.com/ resources | Page 4 | Share on: Twitter Facebook Linkedin before installing a pool? ” Knowing the difference is critical. With the proper techniques and a clear understanding of what your audience is searching for, it’s entirely possible to rank high for the specific keywords and queries you know your readers are interested in. (Click to enlarge) There’s already tons of cutesy, uninspired blog posts circulating the web. Don’t add to the mix by falling into the two traps outlined above, as that market is already saturated. Besides, terrible blog post titles is not a market your business wants to find itself in. Focus on solving problems, answering questions, and less on being witty, cute, and funny. Focus more on the problems your readers are having, and align the impactbnd.com/ resources | Page 5 | Share on: Twitter Facebook Linkedin language of your blog titles with it. For instance, consider the manner in which you ask questions. “How do I.....” “What’s the best way to....” “What type of.......” Generally this is how we ask questions when we’re searching for solutions. Rather than get cutesy with pop culture references, focus on helping to solve the problems of your readers. They’re counting on you. impactbnd.com/ resources | Page 6 | Share on: Twitter Facebook Linkedin Spelling/Grammar One of the easiest ways to discount your business’ credibility is to fall victim to spelling errors and poor grammar. Built in spell check features aren’t always reliable, and many of us don’t have access to an in house editor, which is why it is important to read, and reread all of your content. Even our personal relationships are affected by poor articulation. A study of 1700 adult online dates found that 43% of users consider bad grammar decidedly unattractive while 35% think good grammar is appealing. (Source: Colour Works) In other words, there's no denying that first impressions matter. If your content is plagued by poor grammar, it's likely that people will think twice about the quality of your products or services. By presenting readers with sub par content, you are putting your business at risk of losing valuable word of mouth marketing. Even worse, you'll be subject to negative word of mouth attention. According to a survey conducted by Galaxy Research, 58% of business leaders say poorly written emails with grammatical errors and typos affect their decision to award a contract. impactbnd.com/ resources | Page 7 | Share on: Twitter Facebook Linkedin Moral of the story? Spelling and grammar is no innocent mistake. Take the time to respect the process and ensure your audience is consuming content of the highest quality. Quick Tip: Read your content backwards at least once. I’ve found that reading my writing backwards makes it easier to identify spelling mistakes because it forces me to focus on each word. impactbnd.com/ resources | Page 8 | Share on: Twitter Facebook Linkedin Format In order to effectively ease the readability of your content, you want to break up your post into more digestible subheadings. Headings and subheadings can be used to set expectations for your readers, and make it easy for them to pick out the sections that resonate best with them. People love lists. Incorporating bulleted lists into your content will provide you with an opportunity to present information in a fast, accessible way. When I first started writing posts for IMPACT, our marketing director brought my spacing (or lack thereof) to my attention. Rather than presenting large chunks of text, consider where you can insert a break. If you were to read the post out loud, where would you pause to take a breath? This usually serves as a good rule of thumb when revising your spacing. impactbnd.com/ resources | Page 9 | Share on: Twitter Facebook Linkedin Keyword Integration Remember that time Google announced it was encrypting all of its keyword data, and in the process, crippled your once measurable SEO strategy? Chin up, there are still ways to measure valuable keyword data in order to optimize your blog articles. Here’s 3 to get you started: 1. Google Trends 2. Wordtracker 3. Wordtracker Scout Identify the keywords that you have chosen to guide your post and consider their strength. Are there alternative keywords or phrasing you can implement that indicate a higher search volume? Revisit your content and triple check your title, content, and meta description to be sure that you are taking advantage of the strongest keyword options possible. impactbnd.com/ resources | Page 10 | Share on: Twitter Facebook Linkedin Insert Relevant CTA Before you hit publish, is your blog post fully optimized for lead generation? While your posts should aim to help readers and provide them with the resources they need to overcome their challenges, it’s also prime real estate to further their education with premium content in exchange for contact information. Incorporating a CTA into the bottom of your blog post will provide you with an opportunity to present an actionable offer that aligns with the information you just laid out. We encourage you to wait until the end of the article to present a CTA because you want to pull your readers through the entirety of the article, rather than offer it up too soon and suffer from reader drop off. Quick Tip: Generally below the post CTAs perform much better, as they follow the natural progression the reader takes in consuming your content. Be sure it’s relevant to the post in order to increase conversion rates. For more on creating CTAs that convert, check out our free ebook covering data from our own research. impactbnd.com/ resources | Page 11 | Share on: Twitter Facebook Linkedin After You Hit Publish impactbnd.com/ resources | Page 12 | Share on: Twitter Facebook Linkedin Email Blog Subscribers In a perfect world all of your blog subscribers have your page bookmarked and are checking for new posts religiously. However, we all know marketing is far from perfect. Assume that most of your blog subscribers are extremely busy people. It’s likely that they aren’t perusing your blog while they enjoy their morning cup of coffee. It’s more likely that they’ve just arrived at work after a profanity laced commute and are just trying to get through their email inbox without being bothered by their boss. See that? We’re understanding how our audience is behaving, and as a result, we can develop a strategy that aligns with this. The best practice here would be to set up an instant notification to your impactbnd.com/ resources | Page 13 | Share on: Twitter Facebook Linkedin blog subscribers that sends the newest content directly to their inbox. You know...the place where your audience is likely spending a good portion of their morning. Once you’ve acquired a high volume of subscribers, the instant notifications your company sends will ensure more residual traffic coming back to your website on a daily basis. Check out the article we published on how to double your blog subscribers to learn more about a simple tip that pays huge dividends in acquiring a higher volume of readers. impactbnd.com/ resources | Page 14 | Share on: Twitter Facebook Linkedin Social Amplification Rather than wax poetic on the value of social media here in 2014, let’s just agree that leveraging the various platforms at your disposal in order to gain traction for blog articles is a necessity, not a luxury. However, before you go posting anything, you should be aware that there is a science behind effective social media sharing. Rather than simply copying and pasting the title with a shortened link back to it, consider how your audience is behaving in each social media network. For instance, we can hypothesize the following: ● Facebook – What are the people close to me up to? ● Twitter – What breaking news or trends am I missing out on? ● LinkedIn – How can I do my job better? Ask yourself how you can position the sharing of each of your blog articles to align with these behaviors. In doing so, your content will provide greater context and result in more visits back to your website. Quick Tip: Your co workers or employees social media accounts provide a valuable, often untapped resource when it comes to expanding the reach of your message. impactbnd.com/ resources | Page 15 | Share on: Twitter Facebook Linkedin Serve the Twitter Audience Aside from providing your followers with promotional content, how can your business position itself as a resource in an online setting? Other than your product or service, what else can you provide them with? Twitter provides businesses with a platform to create information that does more than just promote, it informs. By monitoring industry related hashtags, or particular keyword phrases, you can uncover a realm of uncharted consumer questions waiting to be answered. Who better to answer them than you? The goal is to address the needs of the average consumer in your industry, and provide them with an answer to their questions, or a solution to their problem with no catch. By providing users with useful information and advice, you are able to establish strong potential customer relationships, while keeping your name at the top of their mind. impactbnd.com/ resources | Page 17 | Share on: Twitter Facebook Linkedin Identify Co Marketing Opportunities Co marketing campaigns aim to deliver greater results in terms of visibility, reach, and sales advances that could not have been accomplished without the support of another brand. Simply put, co marketing occurs when two like minded brands align their marketing efforts to promote each other’s product or service, or in this case their blog. While a hybrid product is not created, a co marketing undertaking allows brands to leverage their relationships with other brands, and in turn increase the traffic back to their blog. When it comes to your blog posts, co marketing opportunities not only allow you to expand your reach, but they also provide both partner’s audiences with fresh, informative content. Keep in mind that it’s a good idea to hash out your expectations with your co marketing partner prior to the launch of the promotion. This will help both parties determine which channels they should be sharing the blog post on, and at what frequency. impactbnd.com/ resources | Page 18 | Share on: Twitter Facebook Linkedin Include it in a Newsletter If you have a company newsletter – and if you don’t...you should! – start incorporating a few excerpts or teasers from your blog articles in order to drive your recipients back to your website to read more. Recipients of your newsletter will welcome any resourceful content you’re sharing, and in turn, will improve their overall experience with your brand. Be sure to track how many clicks these receive, as you may uncover some follow up topics or ideas for future content in general. impactbnd.com/ resources | Page 19 | Share on: Twitter Facebook Linkedin