Your First Blog Post

Most people know how essential blogging has become to running a business and increasing revenue; however, many small businesses have trouble implementing this marketing tactic. Blogging requires quite a bit of time and effort, and let’s face it, most small business owners work around the clock, leaving little time to worry about starting a blog. But for those people how are ready to give blogging a short, here are some helpful tips to make your life a little easier.

Introduce Yourself!

This step is easy to overlook but you need to introduce yourself. If you want people to read your blog, they should know who is writing the blog so include a brief autobiography and the history of your business. Try to answer the following questions:

• What does your business offer?
• When was your business established?
• Where are you located?
• What sets you apart from your competitors?

Readers need to feel a strong connection to any author if they are going to continue reading whatever content is being published. And do not forget pictures of yourself, your fellow blog writers, and your business’s employees. This will help you gain the trust of your readers.

Explain Your Purpose

Why are you starting a blog and what do you want people to read? Readers need to know what to expect from a blog’s author to decide whether that blog will be relevant to them or not. Maybe you are starting a blog to answer common questions that customers ask you or you are going to provide your opinion on the industry you belong to.

Not sure what your purpose is? You most likely own your own business because you are excellent at something. Maybe you decorate cakes and bake pies better than anyone you know. Maybe you are an expert gardener and know the secret to growing healthy, delicious tomatoes. Whatever you are an expert at, share it! Readers will realize that you have valuable knowledge to provide to them and they will be more likely to come back to your blog and continue learning about your business. Whatever your purpose is for starting a blog, spell it out for readers so they know what to expect and will more easily remember you the next time they surf the Internet.

Revise and Format

Revise your first blog post then revise it again! You will surely have quite a few spelling and grammatical errors. Blog posts full of mistakes can be judged as unprofessional and may turn away potential customers. Also, think about formatting your blog in a way that is easy to read. As Adam Thompson explains, “your blog post could contain the best content in the world, but if doesn't look inviting, attractive, and easy to read, you’re less likely to earn social shares or natural backlinks.” Consider using proper titles, subtitles, and bullet points to organize your blog post and make sure to utilize bold or italicized fonts to grab your readers’ attention.

Finally, add some relevant pictures and graphs to you post. I know from personal experience that staring at a big wall of text of a computer screen causes to me to lose focus and your readers will too. Pictures, graphs, and charts will keep your readers attentive and more likely to continue reading your blog.

Get a Second Opinion

Do not overlook how beneficial constructive criticism can be. Ask a few friends or family members to take a look at your blog draft and be open to criticisms and suggestions. Maybe your formatting is difficult to read or you overlooked a few typos. Maybe a friend is generally confused after reading your draft because the content is disorganized or too vague. Whatever the complaints may be, try to stay open to suggestions and consider revising your blog once again. Receiving criticism may be frustrating and discouraging but it will help you retain readers in the long run and promote your business.