If it seems like everyone has their own blog now, that’s because they do. Blogging is a central part of successful inbound marketing, and businesses have caught onto that fact. By 2020, the number of bloggers in America is projected to reach 31.7 million. Despite this staggering figure, only a relatively small portion of blogs receives more than 1,000 site visitors each month.
The majority of business blogs don’t follow best blogging practices. If your content writers are making any of these 5 blogging mistakes, it’s most likely hurting your blog’s performance, resulting in less clicks, less subscribers and less conversions.
1. Your Content Writers Aren’t Blogging Often Enough
IBM Research published a study that showed that about 80% of businesses who began a corporate blog never posted more than 5 entries. The researchers discovered that the biggest obstacle to blog posting was “blogger’s block” or “blog fatigue.”
It’s difficult to post to your company blog consistently, but it’s essential for growth. HubSpot research shows that businesses who post 16+ blogs each month receive 3.5x more traffic than businesses who post 0-4 blogs each month. So, how often should you blog? The answer varies, but consistency is key. If you only post to your blog once every few months, you’ll come across as a company who doesn’t have much to say about your industry.
Inconsistent blog posting confuses subscribers and deters would-be subscribers. Make sure you create a blogging calendar and commit to a regular posting schedule, whether that’s once a week or once a day. If you’re strapped for time, you may want to consider outsourcing your blog creation to a capable copywriting agency who can manage your blogging calendar for you.
2. You Approach Content Development Without A Defined Strategy
Only 32% of B2B marketers have a documented content strategy, yet the most success is seen by these marketers who operate around a defined strategy. Additionally, 61% of the most effective marketers hold strategy-oriented meetings with their content team daily or weekly.
If your business blog isn’t backed by in-depth discussions about what purpose it serves, you’re violating one of the cardinal rules of blogging: thou shalt blog with intent. Blogging about your personal interests or topics that randomly spring to mind when inspiration strikes isn’t going to attract the right type of customers.
Each blog topic you choose to write about should directly relate to your industry and address a problem or question your target consumer would realistically have. The best blog topics are based on established buyer personas and present information that your target audience is actively searching for.
3. Your Content Writers Are Virtual Used Car Salespeople
This is one of the most common mistakes, but also one of the most negatively impactful. It’s easy for business bloggers to think that since blogging ultimately leads to prospects and then customers that the blog itself should serve as a blatant advertisement for the business’s products or services.
But the truth is, treating your blog content like a sales flyer or product brochure isn’t going to get you any customers. The majority of people who read your blog got there through a simple Google search. The average B2B researcher conducts 12 searches before engaging with a brand. Almost everyone who initially lands on your blog is just looking to educate themselves a bit more on a specific topic – they want data, resources or professional insights. The last thing they want to encounter is a writer acting like a pushy sales rep – they’re just not at a decision-making stage in their purchase path.
Use your blog to build trust with readers over time. If your readers see that you consistently publish objective, high-quality content on subjects that matter to them, they’re much more likely to offer you their business when they’re ready to do so.
4. You Don’t Use A Content Editor
If you don’t use a content editor, you’re certainly not alone. Almost half of all bloggers (47.6%) proofread their own writing, while only 18.1% use an actual editor. Hiring a content editor may seem like a low priority on your content creation to-do list, but editing is a can’t-skip part of business blogging.
A few typos may seem innocent enough, but their ability to ruin your reputation can’t be overstated. A London-based digital communications agency surveyed 1,003 Internet users to find out what they believed to be most damaging to a brand’s online reputation. Spelling or grammatical blunders came in first place, with 42.5% of respondents voting copy errors as the worst offense.
Your website is often the first place that a potential customer meets your brand. Without face-to-face contact or friendly sales calls to rely on, your entire brand identity falls on the shoulders of your written word. If those written words are spelled incorrectly, what’s that saying about the integrity of your company?
5. You Quit Your Content Development Efforts After Not Seeing Immediate Results
You’ve been told inbound marketing works, so you’ve allocated some of your resources to blogging regularly. After a couple weeks of doing this, you check the analytics. Each of your blog posts has generated a little interest, but not nearly as many page views and shares as you were hoping for.
Patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to inbound marketing. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is quitting prematurely. It’s unrealistic to think that a few weeks of blogging will result in #1 rankings on Google, thousands of unique site visits and your phone ringing off the hook with eager customers.
According to HubSpot research, 85% of companies using inbound marketing increased traffic to their site within 7 months. Although there’s no set timeframe for success, the general rule of thumb is to give your efforts between 6 months and 1 year to really see results.
Starting – and continuing – a business blog is hard work, and it can be discouraging if you don’t see any obvious results at first. But if you stay committed to publishing quality content regularly, over time, your team’s hard work will pay off.
If creating a blogging schedule, brainstorming relevant topics and producing quality blogs is daunting to you, consider outsourcing your content responsibilities to a copywriting agency who can handle everything for you.
