Creating fresh and relevant content for your B2B corporate blog might seem daunting. However, regularly updating your blog with useful content will not only give your readers more reason to become brand evangelists, but will also give a definite boost to your SEO. Here are some best practices to employ—and some pitfalls to avoid—while promoting a healthy and beneficial content marketing strategy for your business.
DO research what is important for your clients. Pick topics that would be helpful to them or address questions or concerns they might have about your industry.
DO split up your posts into multiple parts. This ensures that no posts are too lengthy and overwhelming for your readers.
DO highlight members of your staff. Make your B2B blog seem more human by profiling a staff member’s job or contribution to the team. Or, reach out to your staff to create blog posts describing your business offerings from their perspective.
DO re-purpose your blogs for social media, white papers, newsletters and/or press releases. You’re creating all this great content, be sure to re-use it to get the most mileage out your content marketing efforts.
DO cross-link to other posts and pages on your site. Refer back to other articles from your site and make sure to include easy-to-spot links. This encourages your readers to spend more time on your blog.
DO read other people’s blogs. Part of becoming a better blogger is to see what others in your industry are writing about.
DO use the trades to research hot topics in your industry. This will also help when converting your blog posts to press releases since your posts will be timely and relevant to your industry.
DO use plain English. No one wants to read a report, so it’s okay to write like you talk. If it’s easier for you, record yourself speaking about your topic first, then transcribe it.
DO use a professional to help manage your content marketing. If you find yourself procrastinating, either have someone else in your organization to handle your content creation or hire an agency that specializes in content marketing to provide your site with fresh, relevant, compelling content on a regular basis.
DON’T get too personal. Keep your B2B blog professional. While it’s great to highlight extra-curricular work activities that promote your business’ non-profit efforts (such as walk-a-thons or charity sponsorship), skip the family photos or company retreat photos. Some things are best kept private.
DON’T get political. Your corporate blog is not your personal soapbox. Stick to industry topics that apply to your clientele. Leave out your political views and avoid all other potentially incendiary topics.
DON’T get too sales-y: remember, your blog is there to help your readers—not be an online commercial. It’s ok for your blog posts to have a light call to action in conversational English but skip the hardcore sales shtick.
However, if you are mentioning services that your company does offer, DO highlight the name (or phrase) related to the service and include a link back to the service page on your company website. Readers can choose to read the informative content only or exercise their option to learn more about your services. But the point is: the choice is theirs.
The most important part of any content marketing strategy is to regularly generate fresh content. By using the suggestions above, you can start to craft a plan that will be easy to execute and connect with your readers. Blog on!
