Today we are going to talk about blogging. More specifically, we are going to talk about 10 big blogging mistakes you need to avoid on your business blog.
For those of you reading this who do not have an active blog for your business, let us share a few blogging stats you need to know about:
- 77% of internet users read blogs
- 70% of consumers prefer blog posts to ads
- 60% of consumers say blog posts are valuable in the early stages of the buying process.
- Blogging can help your website get up to 55% more visitors
- Having a blog can increase your ranking potential by 434%
- 92% of marketers consider written content like blogs to be worth the investment
Done correctly, a business blog is a great way to engage existing clients, connect with new ones, provide value, and establish thought leadership.
But doing it wrong can result in wasted time and effort, or worst of all, the loss of customers and your reputation.
Here’s another stat you need to know:
More than half of consumers will stop what they are doing if they encounter issues when viewing content.
If you have a business blog (and those stats above should convince you that you should!), then please make sure that you are not making any of the 10 blogging mistakes that follow.
10 Business Blogging Mistakes to Avoid
When it comes to blogging mistakes, there are ten common mistakes we see business blogs making over and over again. Let’s dive into what those mistakes are.
Blogging Mistake #1: Not Having a Structured Blogging Process
One of the most significant blogging mistakes businesses make is not having a structured blogging process in place. A structured blogging process is a clear, organized workflow encompassing everything from brainstorming and planning to writing, editing, publishing, and promoting your blog content.
A structured blogging process helps maintain content quality, tone, and style consistency, establishing a strong brand identity. Secondly, it streamlines the entire blogging process, allowing you to plan and manage your resources more efficiently and ensure timely publication. Lastly, it helps you stay focused on your objectives, keeping your content relevant to your audience and marketing goals.
Don’t have a structured blogging process? Our Blogging Checklist is a comprehensive checklist that guides you through every stage of the blogging journey, ensuring you stay on track and optimize your efforts. It includes:
- Planning and research
- SEO optimization
- Editing and proofreading
- Optimizing publishing
- Promotion and distribution
After years of experience helping businesses start and grow their blogs, take our advice: to make the most of your blogging efforts, you must implement a structured process. No need to reinvent the wheel either – grab the free download below.
The Complete
Start-To-Finish
Blogging Checklist
Want to turn your blog into a powerful marketing tool that drives traffic, increases SERPs, and boosts your brand?
Grab this FREE blogging checklist to ensure every blog you post is optimized and working for you… not against you!
Blogging Mistake #2: Not Committing to Blogging
One of the biggest blogging mistakes that business owners make is underestimating the effort it takes to create a successful blog. To experience measurable business results from your blogging effort, you must plan on publishing two to four posts a month minimum and keep the work up month after month to gain traction.
A blog content planner can help you plan your blog strategy and keep your publishing on track. We use ours to support our blogging schedule and as a strategic tool for optimizing each blog post and turning our blog into a powerful marketing tool.
Blogging Mistake #3: Creating a Blog That Is Not Reader-Friendly
Small changes in how you write and present your content can increase the appeal of your business blog. Here are some tips to help with readability:
- Whether you write a 500-word blog or a longer 1000-word article, break it down into smaller content blocks using subheadings and bullet points. This helps the reader scan through the most relevant information.
- Add a text-based description to images and videos on your business blog to help people with sight disabilities read the blog through a screen reader.
- With the growing focus on the equality of sexes in the workplace, a gender bias in your business communication may be seen as unacceptable by some of your customers. Use ‘gender-free words such as ‘they,’ ‘their,’ and ‘them’ instead of gender-biased words such as ‘his,’ ‘her,’ ‘she,’ and ‘he.’ Similarly, avoid the use of words considered ‘sexist.’ For example, substitute the words actress and policewoman with gender-free words such as actor and police officer.
Online apps like Grammarly check the readability score of your blog and offer suggestions for improvement. The readability score tells you the education level required to comprehend the content. A company in the B2B space will, in general, have blog content with a higher readability score than a B2C company.
Blogging Mistake #4: Writing Blog Content That Has No Value
For your business blog to succeed, you’ll need to write informative, creative, and persuasive blogs. Don’t use the blog just to promote your business, products, or your people. Instead, focus on who you write for – answering questions and helping them make buying decisions. Before finalizing each blog topic, ask, ‘What’s in it for the reader?’
A well-written blog starts a conversation with the reader. To initiate that online dialogue, write your blog as though you were talking to someone.
The last thing you ever want is for a reader to get to the end of your blog and say, “Ugh… I can’t get those 5 minutes back!”
Blogging Mistake #5: Bad Writing, Spelling, and Grammar
Good writing is more than just crafting grammatically correct sentences. Good writing is writing concisely and in a manner that engages your audience.
We mentioned the tool Grammarly above for checking your content readability. It’s also a great tool for checking grammar and spelling. If you invest in the paid version, it can also check for plagiarism and offer writing suggestions.
If writing isn’t your forte, consider hiring a marketing company with skilled writers to help you with blog content. There are several reasons why hiring a blog writer may be a better idea than writing the blog yourself; here are three of them:
- You don’t have the writing skills to create content that will appeal to your customers.
- You don’t have the time to write quality content. (the average time to write a blog post is 4.1 hours)
- You don’t know how to write a search engine-friendly blog.
The writers at UberStrategist are skilled at learning your brand voice and creating content that will resonate with your readers. You don’t have to do it all on your own…let us help!
Blogging Mistake #6: Not Understanding Blogging Terms and Elements
For most business owners, the aim of starting a blog is to increase website traffic, create shareable content, generate leads, or establish expertise on a subject. However, you will not be able to achieve any of these if you don’t understand the components of effective blogging.
Even if you hire a blogger to write content, you must understand the basic blogging terms (e.g., meta tags, long-tail keyword phrases, meta descriptions, anchor texts, and permalinks) and how to use these aspects of effective blogging to improve your blog’s search engine performance.
Blogging Mistake #7: Not Utilizing the Power of Images and Videos in Your Blog
Let’s start this with another stat:
- Articles that include visuals get 94% more views than those without
Adding visuals makes blogs more attractive and inviting, whether it’s an image, diagram, caricature, video, or infographic. Adding the right visual content will increase clickthroughs to your post and make it easier to understand and remember the information you’ve shared.
Visuals can also add a dash of humor and establish credibility (for instance, interviews with industry experts and customer testimonials).
Our team uses Canva to create unique branded images for our blogging clients, including feature images and images that break up the text.
If you use stock images, avoid legal issues by paying for a subscription or using royalty-free images. Some of our favorite sites are Pixabay, Pexels, and Unsplash.
Also, don’t shy away from adding videos to your blog posts! Video marketing has been quickly becoming a must in content marketing. In fact, it was on our list of 2023 content marketing trends and strategies. Some types of videos you can create and embed in your blogs include tip videos, how-tos, customer testimonials, product demos, behind-the-scenes looks, and industry insights.
Blogging Mistake #8: Failing to Track Blog Analytics and Goals
Is your blog achieving the goals you had hoped to achieve? If your blog aims to increase leads, define a lead (e.g., email newsletter enrollments, eBook downloads, customer queries?) and then measure the number of leads generated. If the objective is to improve website traffic, measure growth in organic visitors to your website.
Adding a call-to-action, or CTA, to your content allows you to guide potential customers toward actions you want them to take. You can ask readers to view related posts, subscribe to a newsletter, sign up for a webinar, or contact you for more information. This gives you additional metrics that you can measure.
Blogging Mistake #9: Not Sharing Your Blog Where Your Audience Hangs Out
Do you remember the famous line from the movie Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come”?
Well, the same is NOT true for your business blog. Just because you wrote an amazing blog with a ton of value for your audience does not mean they will flock to your website to read it.
What you need to do is share your blog content in the places where your audience hangs out. Perhaps that is on Facebook or LinkedIn, or maybe it’s Instagram or Twitter. Regardless, you need to know where the people you are targeting spend their time and then share your new content there so they can easily find it.
Blogging Mistake #10: Not Connecting Blogging to Your Larger Marketing Efforts
Last but not least, on our list of blogging mistakes is failing to connect your blogging efforts to your overall marketing strategy. Creating a business blog in isolation is not enough; it should be an integral part of a strategic, comprehensive marketing plan.
To truly harness the power of blogging and make it work for your business, it’s crucial to ensure that it blends in seamlessly and works in tandem with your other marketing efforts. Here are some ways blogging can and should work with various marketing channels:
- Email Marketing: Share your latest blog posts in newsletters, and use email automation to send tailored blog content to subscribers based on their interests.
- Lead Generation: Use blog posts to capture leads by offering valuable content in exchange for contact information, such as ebooks, whitepapers, or case studies.
- Social Media Marketing: Share your blog content across your social media channels, and engage with your audience in conversations around your blog topics.
- PR: Use your blog as a platform to showcase company news, industry insights, and thought leadership, enhancing your brand image and credibility.
- Influencer Marketing: Collaborate with influencers in your industry by featuring them in your blog posts, conducting interviews, or inviting them as guest bloggers.
- Events: Leverage your blog to promote and report on events you attend or host, such as conventions, webinars, or workshops.
- Paid Media: Promote your blog content through sponsored posts, display ads, or native advertising to increase visibility and reach a larger audience.
- Community Management: Use your blog as a hub for engaging with your community, answering questions, and encouraging discussions to foster a sense of connection and loyalty.
Integrating your blog with the various marketing channels mentioned above can create a cohesive and synergistic marketing strategy that drives better results. Need some help crafting and executing your strategy? Contact the marketing team at UberStrategist today!
Maintaining a successful business blog requires being mindful of common blogging mistakes and avoiding them as you create and promote your content. By implementing a structured blogging process, committing to a consistent posting schedule, creating reader-friendly and valuable content, and integrating your blog with your overall marketing strategy, you can effectively engage your audience and drive positive results for your business.
Keep these potential pitfalls in mind as you progress with your blogging efforts, and watch your blog transform into a powerful marketing tool for your company.
