We know it can be daunting to juggle day-to-day tasks while doing your job. Some days just getting through emails can really be a challenge! So since time’s a wasting, we’ll run down a few quick tips on keeping your blog looking great with fresh topics, current trends!

SOME QUICK BLOGGING TIPS:

1. Make a list of interesting topics.

This isn’t nearly as hard as it sounds! You might not realize it, but the very answers you tell your clients & customers every day are perfect topics! You’d really be surprised at how much awesome knowledge you shout out daily that would make for great blog ideas!

1. Be a resource for your customers. What do they need or want? Create content that helps your customers succeed. The more you do this, the more they will engage with you. How do you know what they need or want? They are already asking you!  If they are looking for more in-depth information about your products and services, and if they can find it on your website, it’s a win for both of you!
2. Answer customer questions. Pay attention to the most common questions you get.  These are great topics for your blog. Most places probably get asked the same questions time and time again. Why not use a blog as a public forum to answer those hot topics? You’ll be killing two birds with one stone—answering the questions and creating a blog that is relevant to your target!

2. Make Blog Calendar.

Once you have some topics we find it easiest to make a quick outline and calendar. Write each topic as a title and plan one or two for each month. (ex. January: When is the best time to refinance a loan?) Once you have created this schedule, the stress will be taken away. You can write each blog as you need according to your schedule, or if you have the time, get some ready weeks or months ahead of time.  

3. Make it short & sweet.

People looking for answers don’t have a lot of time to read, just like you don’t have a lot of time to write. Start out with 500 words, and work your way up. Chances are you’ll have more to write than you think! If your blog starts to become an essay, it’s no problem. Break it up into a series and suddenly you have 3 blogs to post.

4. Make it SEO friendly.

What does that mean? SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization! Google is arguably the most popular search engine, and to help your website show up you need to be blogging! Using keywords that target your audience, feature products & have a few links to social media profiles can really do wonders to generate leads for your company! Keywords are the words and phrases that people will be typing into Google (or other search engines) in order to find you! If you are trying to get attention for loans, you’ll want to include lots of words and phrases that people will be searching for related to that topic, in order to show up!

5. Formatting and headlines help SEO too!

The format you use on the backend of your website for a blog is important for SEO!  

Here is a quick guide:

• Title: Start with a catchy title around 7 words long. Put your most important keywords into your title!  
• Heading 1: Follow the title with another short sentence that will be styled as heading one. You can place this immediately after the title, or after a short intro paragraph. Having these two keyword heavy sentences relatively close to one another helps get Google’s attention.
• Heading 2:  It is a good practice to add titles to sections or paragraphs in your blog and use the heading 2 section to help them get the SEO attention you need as well.
• Short list: At some point in your blog, it is great to include a list. This can be a numbered or a bulleted list. It is another great way to highlight important keywords and get great SEO attention.
• Wrap it up: Add a final paragraph with a way to contact you. This is also a great place to add back links to other pages on your website (Like the contact page, and the page that references what you blogged about ex. Loans). After this, you’re all set!

6. Keep it simple.

You are an expert on whatever subject you have chosen to blog about, but you are writing this for someone who may be a beginner.  Try to take your technical language and make it accessible to anyone who may be looking for the information.  Explaining something to the layman is the best way to keep someone interested while informing them at the same time.  Technical jargon may work at your business internally, but it may go over the heads of your readers!

7. Offer resources.

You will most likely have helpful resources to offer your blog readers. These can be awesome elements to add into your blog. It is even better if you can link back to other blogs you wrote, or informative pages on your own website.  With that in mind, here are some helpful blog writing resources that we recommend if you would like to learn more about blogging!

• What to Blog
• Small Business Blog Tips
• Heading Hierarchy

8. People Love Pictures.

If you have a relevant picture to share, it is always good to add photos to the post. Make sure your picture has a title with keywords as well as a description that is full of keyword heavy terms.  Make sure you add a photo as your featured image as well. The featured image will be what shows up when you and other people share your blog on social platforms. If you want to use stock photos, this blog has some great tips on the right way to do it.  

 

Obviously we can go on and on about blogging for your website. The key is to not get overwhelmed. You know what you’re talking about, so the main point is to share your knowledge with people who will be interested in learning what you know!

 

Blogging does not have to be complicated, but it does certainly take time! If you are in the market for a team of professionals to assist marketing needs ranging from blogging and social media to design, look no further than Thrive Creative Group’s Dedicated Resource! Contact us or fill out our online questionnaire to learn more about partnering with our small business team of 10 to handling your website, design and marketing needs for much less than paying someone on your own payroll. We would love to learn more about your business’ needs today!