Doesn’t it demotivate you when you sit down to check how many shares your latest blog post got and you don’t see a huge number? You worked hard on this one! How can people not be interested in the subject matter you chose? Well, you need to be more acquainted with the problem.
The thing is, the success of a blog seldom depends on the subject matter. It entirely relies on how the topic has been presented. You can write about UFOs if you want; but until your blog presents it in an attractive way, it’s no use.
Here are some really simple yet effective tips to make sure your next web content piece is as creative as they come!
1. Cater to Your Target Audience
For corporate blogs, you already have a target market in mind. For instance, if you sell social media services like we do, your blogs will specifically address small business owners and entrepreneurs. Create your content keeping in mind the age and the interests of the people you want to speak to.
The target audience does not only determine the persona you will take on while writing; it should also be at the very center of your marketing strategy. Different people react to things differently—make sure you know what works for your audience.
2. Start Strong
After the title, your first paragraph can make or break your blog. It is the second impression the reader gets, and if it’s not interesting enough, there is no chance that they will scroll down. With your intro, you have to make them feel like your article is worth their time.
Practice writing a hook; an attention-grabbing one-liner that leads to the topic indirectly. Then go ahead and launch straight into what the article is going to be about. Readers like knowing what they are going to learn—so tell them!
3. Be Simple but Impactful
When they’re reading blogs, most people prefer to go through them in one go. My advice is to keep things simple. Your readers may be an intelligent lot, but they don’t want to use their cognitive power too much for some light reading online. So keep your readability in check to avoid people from taking an exit before they get to the CTA. You can do this by referring to the various content evaluation software available online for free.
Besides readability, keep your tone in check. Instead of reading like a Wikipedia page, your blog should sound like you’re directly addressing the reader. Light and conversational wins the race!
4. A Sense of Humor
If you want your blog to stand out, you should humanize it as much as possible. Instead of straightforward, serious language throughout, it is advisable that you make a couple of quips, use a little wordplay here and there, and add a bit of witty banter. The longer you keep them entertained, the more they will want to stay. A sense of humor goes a long way and in any case, it shouldn’t look like a computer wrote it!
5. Being Genuine
Too many blogs are surfacing these days with not enough ingenuity. The same old kind of content repackaged and reproduced just doesn’t sound real enough. To gain more traction on your page and engage your readers, bring in your real personality to shine through the writing. In the bio section, give as much information about yourself as you’re comfortable with. If they know you, they’re more likely to be interested in what you have to say.
Be honest about whatever topic you choose. Present both sides of the argument and try to be as genuine as you can. With so many blogs to read, readers can judge your sincerity.
6. Make it Palatable
It is common knowledge that the internet has lowered people’s attention spans.
Instead of settling down for hours with a good book, we are now more interested in bite-sized content for instant gratification. While you can’t do much to change the reading culture, you can try and make your content easier to digest.
Make sure your blog doesn’t have any text blocks longer than two paragraphs. If there are too many words with no indication of where a thought begins and ends, web surfers won’t stick around for long. Break up your text into several headings and sub-headings—and make them interesting!
7. Consider Long-Form Blogs
Long-form blogs have become an extremely popular way of boosting your web traffic. They are articles of extended length that cover various aspects of the subject matter in quite some detail. Users love it when they can find all available information on a single page. This is why long-form blogs are so popular; they have the potential to rank higher on Google Search Results.
If more traffic comes to your blog through organic search results, it automatically means more sales in the end!
8. Avoid Direct Advertising
Remember that a blog is not an advert. It isn’t there to talk about your brand directly, so never try to directly advertise your product or service here. Instead, your brand is presented as a subject matter. For instance, if you have a business for wedding cards, your blog could feature anything from ‘X Forgotten Wedding Customs’ to ‘The Trendiest Wedding Card Designs for 2020.’ The more variety you offer to your readers, the better it is for your online visibility.
Creative aspect aside, remember to ask a question at the end of your blog. Content that urges readers to respond scores significantly higher on the engagement scale. Here, you can also place a link to your website with a prompt to visit.
9. Be Regular
However well you write, your blog is not going to generate much traffic if you aren’t consistent about it. This doesn’t mean a post every hour; spamming does not work well either. To be regular, try making one blog post every alternate day, or every three days. In fact, it doesn’t matter how often you blog, just make sure you don’t disappear for long periods of time.
Between new content, you can keep sharing links and tidbits on your various social media pages. The trick is to let people see your brand is alive and thriving!
10. Illustration and Visuals
Whenever we read something, we activate the right hemisphere of the brain that is responsible for logic. If you want your readers’ left brain to kick into action, you have to activate it with fun visuals.
The more creative illustrations or visuals you bring in, the more chances there are of the reader sticking around. Our creative brain is also responsible for emotions we use to engage with the world.
This means that if the overall experience of your website is artistic enough, there are more chances of people sticking around for longer and ultimately making a purchase.
11. A Strong Personal Voice
An opinionated, strong voice goes a long way. If you start out like just another lukewarm writer, what you have to say won’t be interesting enough. Previously, writing for the internet was supposed to be emotionless and stoic, especially in the corporate niche. Now, we know that people like to hear opinions on everything from the best shampoo brand to the latest hit TV show.
Whether or not they agree with you, they like a person who can hold their own. If your views do resonate with the reader, they are more likely to follow you and become a subscriber.
One last tip: keep trying. Your blog is not going to be an overnight success, but don’t use that as an excuse to slack off. Keep crafting creative web content for your readers with these tips in mind, and you’re sure to reach your goal sooner or later.
