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IMC9: Blogging & Content Strategy

Developing a blog content strategy to get found online.

Notes

What is a blog?

  • A page on your website that is updated regularly Company News
  • Helpful information
  • “Your business diary”

What is a blog for?

Insight into your business Passive helpdesk Credibility / Influence Search optimisation

Why should we write one?

  • Get more leads
  • Educate our customers
  • Improve SEO to key product pages 
  • Support sales / tech support

Who will read it?

  • Who you are writing for?
  • Think of your best customers
  • Pay well, friendly, good referrers
  • Understand what they like

Three types of content

  • Helpful – long lasting and specific
  • Topical – relevant but short lived
  • Product (or service) – sales content

Content type examples

  • Helpful (about them)
  • How to file VAT return
  • How to plan your business cashflow
  • How should I price my services?

Topical (about them)

What does Auto Enrolment mean for me?
What is IR35 and how will I know if it affects me?

Product (about you)

Do I need an accountant?
Benefits of cloud accounting with Xero

Topic ideas

  • Questions that clients ask Hints and tips
  • How to
  • Clever ideas
  • Insider info / secrets
  • What makes you different?
  • Something you want to learn or be better at

Use answerthepublic.com to get topic ideas

Content checklist

  • Is it based around a relevant topic?
  • Am I adding value?
  • Do people desire to see it?
  • Will they share it?

Focus keywords and SEO

Build a keyword list
Use Google Trends for simple comparison or Google Keyword Planner for detail
Add keywords to the blog title and copy

  • (most important areas of on page SEO)
  • Title
  • URL
  • Heading 1
  • Keyword research
  •  Use Yoast SEO WordPress Plugin in WordPress to edit on page SEO

Blog styles

Example style and formats

daringfireball.net (simple design, linear format)
loudandclearaccounting.co.uk/blog (linear format with images)
ratherinventive.com/blog/ (blogs in two columns)
hellopippin.co.uk/copywriting-blog/ (main/popular blogs high-lighted)
communionarchitects.com/articles/ (broken into categories with popular blogs)

Writing tips

Allocate time

Create a regular event in your diary
Find a place that removes distractions
Make a routine, start small

Keep it focused

Write for your audience
Write the snippet first
Read around the subject

Ask for action

Email signup
Find out more
Buy related product
Get in contact for help

Images and video

Increases page views
Helps people scan content
More visible in a social feeds
People more likely to read
(Make sure you check the image license, can you use it for business?)

pexels.com / pixabay.com (free image library)
giphy.com (animated images, mainly silly)
selmach.com/news/going-the-extra…tooling/ (example of video in post)