Blogs are expressional.
Blogs are informational.
Blogs are entertaining.
Blogs are sales tools.
Blogs are the next great communication medium.
Blogs have definitely taken over as the next great communication medium don’t you think? And with good reason! Blogging is free, easy, multipurpose, and can reach a far greater and more diverse audience faster than pretty much anything else I can think of.
Let’s face it. Blogs are everywhere you go on the internet these days, and almost everyone you know seems to have one in one form or another. Even the little snippets you read on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites are blogs, just condensed into a few characters or sentences.
Whether you are blogging about your personal life experiences, sharing information on health and wellness, or trying to market your product or service, blogging is a great way to get yourself heard.
Here are some things to think about as you write your next blog post:
1. Catch your reader’s attention early. Ideally, this should be with the title and the first couple of sentences. You want to capture their interest enough to encourage them to keep reading. A good title and introduction is important to your entire post being read and shared.
2. Keep your reader’s attention by continuing throughout the body of the blog what you started with the title and introduction. Organize your thoughts ahead of time so they flow well and seamlessly. Stay on subject, and refrain from using uncommon words and phrases. Your entire post needs to be easy to read and understand.
3. Summarize your key point(s), give your readers something to think about, or state a call to action, in a brief conclusion. If the post will be one in a series, offer a kind of “cliff hanger” leaving the reader anticipating your next post.
4. When you are finished writing your blog post, read it, reread it, and reread it again. Check carefully for spelling mistakes and incorrect grammar. Step back and imagine you are the reader, visiting your blog for the very first time. Is the text easy to read and understand? Invite your friends or associates to read the draft post and solicit their honest opinion.
5. After you receive the feedback of the “taste test” on your blog post, you may very well have some editing to do. This is a good thing as it gives you the opportunity to make the blog even better! Repeat #4 as many times as you feel you need to until your blog is perfect then post it!
Remember that whatever your blog is about, the main objective is the same, to gain a following. You want today’s reader to come back tomorrow, and to bring another reader, or two, with them. This is especially true if you are in business and using blogging as part of your marketing strategy. The more readers you have, the more potential you have for more readers, which in turn gives more opportunities to talk about your product or service, and make a sale.
Blogs are the next great communication medium. Have you blogged today?