The Curious Incident of the Blog in the Night Time
Getting people to really engage with your blogs means letting your real personality and experience shine through. Some actionable tips on how to go about that.
A great blog post engages as quickly as possible.
It’s what I’ve tried to do with the title of this post.
If you’ve read the book, “The curious incident of the dog in the night time”, you’ll know it’s about a boy who is on the autistic spectrum dealing with some disturbing events (I don’t think I’ve just ruined it for you with a spoiler).
Dig deeper though and you’ll see it’s actually about how we, as individuals, all see the world. As author Mark Haddon put it:
"Curious Incident is not a book about Asperger's... if anything it's a novel about difference, about being an outsider, about seeing the world in a surprising and revealing way.”
Putting your unique perspective into a blog post, no matter what the subject, is a great way to engage people.
The Impressona checklist for a great blog
Writing a blog can be a daunting thing. The cursor just sits there, blinking at you. No matter if you’re just starting to write blogs or you’re a seasoned blog writer, it can be hard to get going. Our team of talented blog writers in Bristol have put some tips together for you when it comes to writing a blog post.
1. Why are you writing a blog, and what do you want it to achieve?
The very first step is to ask why you’re writing it in the first place. Are you trying to help customers understand a particular point? Maybe you want people to come to your site after finding it in a search on Google. Perhaps you just want to get something off your chest? Following on from this get an idea of what you want the results to be. Facebook follows? Article shares? Leads? This will guide you to particular ways of structuring your piece to get the results you want.
2. If you don’t make your research regal, then your content is the court jester
People don’t want to read any old stuff. They want current and actionable articles that give them something. Remember the copywriting maxim of “What’s in it for me?” If your reader doesn’t feel it’s in their interest to read your stuff, then they won’t.
Look at what people have already written on the subject then try to improve it (learn to love content gap analysis, it’s your best friend). Lastly, fact-check everything and make sure all your claims are verifiable. Ideally, provide a link to a reputable source.
3. Ask for what you want
Your mum probably told you “if you don’t ask, you don’t get”. Same is true in article writing. If you want leads, make sure you ask for contact details. If you want social shares, then ask for them. Simply tell the reader what you want or what action you’d like them to take. Commonly, this is called the “call to action” and without it, your blog won’t fulfil it’s potential.
4. Measure the results
Based on what you wanted to achieve, think about how you can measure results. How many email addresses did your blog post generate? How many social shares? What direct revenue did it create If your goal was closer to the start of the sales funnel, then maybe just looking at how many people visited will do. Make sure you keep a record of what blogs perform well, then work out why. Try to repeat this success in the other blogs you write.
If you don’t take any of the above steps, you can be sure your blog won’t get the spotlight treatment from readers, and it’ll remain in a night-time blackout.
We love blogs, and love to talk to businesses about how a blog can form a vital part of their lead generation strategy.
