FAQ: making sense of the weird and wonderful world of blogging
This post is part of our ‘FAQ’ series – a closer look at the frequently asked questions of digital media.
When it comes to blogging, do you feel like you’ve missed the boat? Are you so overrun with questions that you’d rather skip the whole blog thing entirely? In recent years, blogs have become common place – but for those who’ve yet to publish a post, it sometimes seems as if it’s too late to get started.
Don’t let a lack of information stop you from exploring all the options and opportunities that blogs offer. In this post, we’ll cover six frequently asked questions (FAQ) and provide blogging tips that will set you up for success.
6 blogging tips of the trade:
- Why is blogging important? Nowadays, if you want to establish your authority on a subject, blogging is the way to go. Along with sharing insights, you can also use your blog as a major component of your digital strategy. Ideally, your blog will bring more traffic to your site. If all goes as planned, your readers will complete actions that align with your business’ goals (like watch your videos or download your whitepaper). This is also known as conversion.
- Who should I write my blog for? Write posts that speak to your target demographic – what do these people need to know, and what are they interested in reading? Understanding your ideal audience will help you determine which topics you should cover, and which should be avoided.
- What tone/style works best for blogging? While each business has a unique voice, keep in mind that blog readers respond to conversational, approachable writing. Keeping posts short and sweet also helps – maintain interest by breaking up text with images, GIFS and videos. Of course, the almighty listicle remains popular – lists are easy on readers’ eyes (and attention spans).
- How often should blog posts be published? While there isn’t a hard-and-fast rule on how often you should blog, you should aim to be consistent. Whether that means weekly or daily posts, keep to a schedule that your readers can rely on.
- How do I stay on schedule? Maintaining an editorial calendar is immensely helpful for planning and scheduling posts. When trying to come up with topic ideas, many bloggers find it useful to insert series of posts into their calendars. Start with a broad idea, and then break that idea into bite-sized sections that can be developed into individual posts. Before you know it, you’ll have enough subject matter to cover months’ worth of posts.
- I’ve published my blog post. Now what? Now that your first post is available for consumption, you’ve got to get it in front of your target audience. This is where social media comes in handy. By sharing your post on platforms that your target audience uses, you can build a community and, ideally, gain a loyal following of blog readers.
At the end of the day, blogs are meant to engage, inform and entertain. When you write about what inspires and interests you, chances are that others will be interested, as well. Blogging doesn’t have to be an overwhelming, scary undertaking. It can actually be an incredibly engaging and rewarding venture – if you ask the right questions first.
As always, please leave any questions we missed in the comments below – we’ll make sure to get back to you!
For more on writing for the web, check out our SlideShare presentation below: