Some people estimate that as many as seven million blog posts are published every single day. How do you stand out from the crowd? What makes a good blog, anyway? In this article, you’ll see the blog content strategy must-haves for your checklist.
In this guide, we’re exploring blogging trends and creating a blog content strategy that means your site won’t just end up lost in the abyss of posts, and that you can actually hit home with your blog post ideas. What’s the point if nobody is going to read your posts?
The majority of people who are looking for help and inspiration with their blogs are doing. So because they want to drive more traffic. A mixture of content and different types of posts means you can increase your reach. So, ensure there is something to appeal to every type of reader or visitor to your site.
How to Add Value With Every Post: Blog Content Strategy Checklist
Just churning out the same information that is already available elsewhere online probably won’t gain you any traction or popularity. Let’s look at how to create content that adds value, and stands out from the crowd.
- A unique take. You might have an “unpopular opinion” or a “hot take” on a subject. If you’re looking to stoke a debate and get people talking. This can be a great way to build some interest.
- Actionable tips. If you are sharing “how-to” guides or other types of informational content then why not give people tips they can actually use. So, share useful tools with your readers?
- Make your content easy to digest. Don’t convolute content, make it simple and straightforward, and easy for readers to digest. This is one of the reasons why so many people are turning to video and audio content. As the brain processes visual content more quickly.
- Inject a little personality in your posts. People usually latch onto content that has a clear voice and fits in with a brand tone or just your own personality.
- Think about what people are searching for. If search engines are a key source of traffic for you. Then it is a good idea to write content that people are looking for, using tools like Ubersuggest. Or Google’s keyword tools to research this. Writing “10 reasons why I don’t like to eat bananas before 11 am”. Is probably not going to get you much traffic because not many people are searching for related content.
Once you begin to understand the content strategy and its elements. You will understand that a “marketing mix” increases your chances of creating a format that resonates with your potential readers.
Types of Content You Should Embrace For Your Blog
When you visit a blog and find yourself met with walls of text, you’re likely to be instantly put off. The way the internet (and human attention spans). So, have evolved means that the majority of people are expecting their content to be bite-size and easy to consume. The dreaded “wall of text” is something the majority of brands try to avoid in their blog content plan.
Infographics: Blog Content Strategy Checklist
You’ve likely seen hundreds of infographics in your time. They’re a quick and accessible way for people to consume information. That’s one of the reasons why they are so popular among marketers and brands.
There are plenty of free tools for making infographics, such as Canva. There are simple infographic templates, and you can use them to provide round-ups, quotes, or statistics.
One of the great things about infographics is the fact that they have the potential to go viral. One study found that this is one of the most shared formats for content. The power of social media could see your content shared thousands of times if you get it right.
Video Content
In video estimates, 82% of all consumer internet traffic will eventually be driven by video.
In most niches, if you’re ignoring video, you’re missing a trick.
Video can come in the form of product reviews, how-to guides. Just about anything you can think of can be turned into engaging visual content with the right tools.
Video making tools are simple and accessible in the modern age. You don’t have to be a professional filmmaker to be able to put together something that is engaging and useful for viewers. Most modern smartphones even have the capacity to film in high definition. A little practice can enable you to make professional content that resonates with your audience.
Lists: Blog Content Strategy Checklist
People love lists.
They help us to make sense of complex ideas in a simple way. Moreover, allow us to organize information in our brain. They keep information “digestible” as we discussed in our tips for creating top content.
As a content creator, you’re probably already thinking about lists that may be relevant to your audience. Virtually everything can be turned into a list, whether you’re creating “Top 10” lists. And “7 reasons why” lists, and whether you are using video or text to create engaging lists.
Another benefit of list content is the fact that it creates another shareable resource. So, readers are more likely to share this sort of content if it resonates with them.
Case Studies
Of all the types of blog posts, case studies are among the most useful.
A case study can tie together all of the must-have types of content (posts, visuals, text, and audio) and provide your readers with actionable tips that are relevant to their business. They should be data-driven and provide valuable insight for a reader. Remember what we said about actionable tips for your readers.
If you are looking to create “how-to” type content, a case study can provide you with a way to give viewers an over-the-shoulder insight into your skills.
Case studies can show what results you achieved from a project, the lessons you learned, and demonstrate how you are an authority in your particular niche.
Choosing how to present case studies is crucial to their success, and people appreciate content that is visually easy to digest. Venngage shares simple templates for presenting your case study.
Podcasts
Just like video content, audio content has become so much easier to create in recent years.
Some free software like Garageband or Audacity and a half-decent microphone will go a long way towards giving you an audio platform. On top of this, it is a chance to get your podcast published on Apple’s Podcasts app and even reach a new audience in the process.
Did you know that there are companies who will take your posts and turn them into audio content so that people can choose to listen to them rather than read through? It sounds like people being lazy, but this isn’t really the case. Audio content allows people to listen while they are out on a run, driving, or before they nod off to sleep.
Check out the Eventbrite blog, which is one of the early adopters to the “listen to this post as a podcast” technology.
“Complete Guides” Blog Content Strategy Checklist
When you’re looking for your first blog post ideas, you might come up with some broad keywords and categories.
For instance, if you are running a blog about puppies, you might think of the keyword “how to train a puppy”. As you may expect, this is a hugely competitive keyword, and if you’re going to think about targeting it from an SEO point of view, and giving your readers the experience they deserve, a “complete guide” is essential.
“The complete guide to training a puppy” may promise a lot as a title, so make sure you can live up to those expectations with plenty of rich content.
Some topics don’t really justify a “complete guide”. For instance, if you are just looking to cover one aspect of training your puppy then a “complete guide” might be overkill.
Larger pieces of content still need to be presented in a way that is simple for people to consume, but if you can shoot for a larger piece of content and a “full guide” then you are much more likely to gain links and attention for your post. This guide from SEO guru Neil Patel explains that content with 2,500 words or more tends to gain more links from other sites, one of the most important metrics to rank in Google.
Summary – Put Our Tips For Great Post Writing Into Action
A blog content strategy can make sure you’re approaching your content in a way that ensures you get a solid marketing mix, and that you cover topics that are relevant to your readers.
It shouldn’t be about just creating the first thing that pops into your head. Be more deliberate than that, and think about how people will consume your content. Give them something they can dive into and use in their day-to-day life, but also give them something they can watch if they have a spare five minutes on public transport.
A great blog strategy is one that enables people to engage in a way that feels natural to them.
Ben is a tech writer and blogger from the east of England. Ben has a passion for technology and for all things entrepreneurial, and when not writing he can usually be found following sports or listening to music.
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