Attracting attention to your business, encouraging more sales and/or enquiries, sharing updates, demonstrating industry authority – there are a lot of different reasons why your business needs to have a well-maintained and regularly updated blog; 91% of B2B marketers report that their companies make use of a blog or other forms of content marketing, and with 77% of people on the internet reading blogs, it’s easy to see why.
But filling a blog with content isn’t as easy as simply deciding on a topic and throwing something out , there has to be a strategy and clear business reasons for every piece of content you create, each piece needs to play a part in your greater marketing strategy to be worth the time and expense – so how do you decide what to include on your blog?
What makes the cut, and why?
What is Your Blog Aiming to Achieve?
Before you can start creating and uploading content, you need to determine what strategic direction you’re heading in, and what you want your blog to achieve – this will not only help you decide what content to create, but also what metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) you’ll need to keep track of.
There are different types of blogs that you might want to use for your business, for example – you might want to use the platform to upsell products and services and share content that is specifically focused on educating customers – or you might want to reduce customer service interactions and use the blog as a self-help platform and FAQ.
Over time, your blog will evolve and change – and just because you’re using the content in one way now, doesn’t mean that it needs to remain fixed; but there has to be some level of cohesion and a structure that makes it easy for readers and visitors to navigate, and understand what they’re expecting to engage with.
Popular Types of Content on Business Blogs
Despite social media providing a popular platform for customer service and interaction, blogs are still a popular choice for those who want to find out more about their favourite brands – in fact, 46% say they enjoy reading their favourite brand’s blogs, and 52% say they would rather go directly to a company website or blog for content (compared to the 25% who prefer to use social media or the 22% who look for third-party articles).
The type of content you produce will depend on your direction, your audience, and your goals, but some of the types of content that may prove popular could include:
Interviews
Do you have interesting team members, influencers, or star-backing behind your marketing? If there is an angle, where an interview would be interesting – then the content may be worth creating.
Questions / Answers and Troubleshooting
This is often especially popular with complex topics or programs and provides more in-depth information to readers. This can be ranged from simple ‘beginner’ content, to expert advice and beyond.
Showcases
Whether you’re gathering materials from your audience (User Generated Content is often very budget friendly because you’re not paying to create the material) or have a specific topic you want to cover – having a showcase of content can be interesting, themed, and be tied into specific marketing events.
Anecdotes and World-Building
Blogs can be used to develop the brand personality and grow industry authority. It is essential however, that the content is accurately delivered in the brand voice, and in the correct tone.