“B2B marketers who blog gain a 67% increase in lead generation over their peers that don’t.”
If you’re not blogging for your business yet, that’s ok. I’m not going to go on and on about why you should be doing it, because at this point — you should know.
Suffice it to say that content marketing is really important when it comes to your overall business growth. A well-executed blog is good for your brand authority, reputation, and discoverability, i.e., how easy it is for would-be customers to find you.
B2B marketers who blog gain a 67% increase in lead generation over their peers that don’t. (Hubspot) Mull over that for just a second. If your goal is to grow your company, blogging could be the ticket.
Now that you know that — how do you get started?
1. Start with what you know.
It’s no secret that the key to writing is writing what you know. You’re a title agent and you know closing. Think about all the most common questions you get from real estate agents and write them all down. How about questions you get from buyers and sellers? Write those down, too. Now turn each one into a blog.
2. Keep it conversational.
This is a really common mistake I see with someone who is new to blogging. There’s this misconception that for people to respect what you write, you have to sound smart.
This is not so. You should write the way you would speak.
A blog is all about quick, digestible information that someone can use. Most people aren’t looking for academic writing.
Make headers, numbers, and bullet points your new best friends. Readers are busy and like to skim content.
3. Be consistent.
You don’t have to post 3 times a week, or even once a week, but you should aim to be consistent.
In their Beginner’s Guide to Social Media & Blogging Moz (the SEO experts) suggests that posting at least once a month is imperative. If a viewer comes to your blog and sees it’s been six months since the last time you posted, it gives the appearance that you’re not in the game and not committed to following through on the things you start.
This is not the way you want people to perceive your company or personal brand.
4. Work with guest bloggers.
Reach out to other industry influencers or experts for new content. Not only is it more fresh content for your readers, but it’s a great opportunity to expose your blog to their followers. As I am guest blogging for TitleTap, I’ll be sure to promote the heck out of this article to our PropLogix followers, as well as to my personal followers.
That will potentially bring brand new readers to this blog.
5. BE a guest blogger.
It’s a lot of work to just write for your own blog, but the opportunity to guest post is one that should not be missed.
For example: it’s my hope that you’ll enjoy this article and maybe want to check out other content I’ve written, or learn more about the company I work for. (hint, hint.;))
The point is, you’ll increase your company’s exposure by writing unique content for other industry blogs.
6. Edit, edit, and repeat.
Once you write up a post, be sure to read through a few times. You’ll catch things on the third time you didn’t see the second. Also, it’s always helpful to leave it and come back with fresh eyes the next day. Most importantly, employ a co-worker or even trusted family member to be an editor. What seems clear, or compelling to you may not make sense to another person.
By the way, if you missed it and want more details watch a replay of our webinar on blogging here.
Lindsey Gordon is a marketing and communications guru at PropLogix (THE due diligence experts) where she writes for the company’s blog, among other things. She’s a regular word-nerd with a background in journalism and welcomes any questions about blogging or marketing. You can reach her at [email protected], or on LinkedIn.