If you run a business in the 21st century, you will have to venture online. In order to run a successful business, you will have to get people to notice you and your brand with a strong social media presence. But before you even think about that, you need to generate content to share via these media. You do this by creating a blog.
Your blog is your headquarters for content. It where you set ground rules, showcase your brand, establish your reputation, share your knowledge, and show your expertise.
Without a blog, it is difficult, if not impossible, to get a return on investment in social media. You have to create a loyal following and you do this with a regularly-updated interesting blog. If you share content from your blog posts that interests your social media fans, they will follow you all the way back to your headquarters.
And when they do, make sure it is worth their while.
How do you do this?
Make your content matter. People love blogs that provide specific, well-written, entertaining information that they can use. Most of us follow a link because we want to find ways to accomplish a goal, fix a problem, or be entertained.
Your blog should be more than just a pretty place that offers moderately interesting chitchat. To make it fabulous, it should be a worthwhile place that welcomes, nourishes, and serves people. If you provide content that does this, your guests will want to come back for more and you will find out how creating content leads to sales.
We have provided ideas for content in previous posts, but we wanted to share this useful image with you.
Remember that the content you create has to be true to your brand while it entertains your customer. You should be a good writer if you want to blog regularly. The great news is that writing is not an art, it is a craft, and like all crafts it is something you can learn to do. Taking a creative writing course inspires confidence in most people who want to blog, so it may be a good place to start.
If you want to learn how to blog and write for social media, join us for The Social Brand, our social media workshop
