How to Optimize Your Blog Posts

Posted by Ritch Brandon    Posted in Content Marketing, Featured, Helpful Insight, Inbound Marketing, Marketing    Posted in April 13, 2012    |    No Comments

So how do do I get the biggest bang for all of my work when I start blogging?

Attention-Grabbing Headlines

blog rss iconTake a lesson from the newspaper… grab readers’ attention with a great headline.  Headlines can be controversial, funny, shocking, or clever…but a good one is something that prompts the reader to investigate further.  Here are some tips:

  • Start with “How to….”
  • Start with “Top 10….”
  • Be a little irreverent with something like “5 Ways to Not Suck at…”
  • Start with “11 Essential…”
  • Make a statement, then follow up with “Here’s how to” deal with it.
  • Provide your “Top 10 Tips for…”

We’ve found that headlines like “How to Use Business Blogs to Market Your Business” work well.  ;-)

Compelling Images

People are visual.  If you’ve ever doubted it, look at the recent meteoric rise of Pinterest.  If that’s the first time you’ve heard of Pinterest, download our eBook “How to Use Pinterest for Business” to learn more: http://info.turnyourbrandon.com/how-to-use-pinterest-for-business.  But we digress.   Using a compelling image that catches attention in much the same way a great headline can will make your article much more popular.  There are free image sites like http://www.iconfinder.com/ that can help.  Keep in mind that images that are not specifically offered under common creative license are, almost certainly, copyrighted images.  Don’t use those without permission.  Bad karma.

Formatting

Break the article into sections so it’s not a sea of endless text that makes a reader’s eyes glaze over.  Use bullets for lists when appropriate.  Insert relevant graphics that help tell the story.  Don’t use funky colors, animations, or fonts that MIGHT “look pretty” but more than likely make the article difficult to read.  Remember the power of white space.  Designers call it “negative space”.  If you’re not sure what we mean, check out any Apple package or their website.  They’re masters in simplicity and formatting.

 Calls-to-Action

In sales, a good salesman knows they have to ask for the business.  Calls-to-action are where you ask for the business.  For every page on your blog, your website, and every article, there should be a clear call-to-action that invites the reader to download something, attend a webinar, schedule a consultation or SOMETHING that is relevant to the post.  Your objective is to engage the reader with as much content as possible…and then turn them into leads and then customers.   Calls-to-action are the bridge to Moneyland.  Build them!

If you’re not a graphic whiz, try using PowerPoint or Keynote to layout a nice “download now” button and then save it as an image that you can use on your blog.  Or hire someone to help by sending an email to HelpME@TurnYourBrandON.com or calling us at 404-955-9447 or contact us by completing the short form at this URL: http://info.turnyourbrandon.com/request-a-marketing-consultation.  That was a call-to-action, by the way.  ;-)

This article is an excerpt from our eBook: An Introduction to Blogging for Businesses.  The entire eBook is available as free PDF download.




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  • About Ritch Brandon

    Ritch Brandon is President of BrandON! marketing.technology. He has more than 15 years of marketing, strategy, and operations experience, working in a number of industries including consulting, healthcare, outsourced services, finance, banking, real estate, energy, distribution, and manufacturing in multi-billion dollar companies to small start-ups. His prior roles include serving as Vice President of Marketing for a boutique consulting firm, Vice President of Marketing & Strategy and Vice President of Operations for a $1 billion Atlanta-based company, and Strategy Consultant for a $2 billion engineering and manufacturing firm. Ritch is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with both a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and an MBA. He has also completed executive continuing education coursework at Arizona State University’s Services Leadership Institute and Harvard University’s JFK School of Government. Outside of the office, Ritch volunteers for the Atlanta Humane Society and is an avid car nut, dog lover, college sports fan, real estate investor, and craft beer and wine enthusiast. He founded the non-profit Sack the Plastic Campaign to raise awareness of the issue of single-use plastic bags.