10 ways to keep your blog relevant

A blog is a key content marketing channel, it’s a way for you to show yourself as a thought leader and provide value to your readers. Studies show that 70% of consumers feel closer to a company as a result of content marketing, and 80% of US internet users interact with blogs. So blogging is certainly a strong channel. We write blogs all the time, and we’re hoping that as you’re here, it means you enjoy them, so here are some of our top tips to keep your blog relevant.

1. Think big picture

When you’re creating your blog strategy and content calendar, plan blogs that compliment your company’s overall marketing and PR strategy. It sounds obvious, but it can be easy to go off and write about a topic without considering how it’s relevant to the overall strategy. So be sure to write content that matters, and will appeal to your audience.

2. Be engaging

Reading a blog should be a pleasure, not a chore. Blogs can be pretty informal so write how you would speak, and keep things chatty. This will naturally warm people to your brand as your personality shines through, and keep them coming back. In terms of structure, hook readers with an informative intro that piques their interest and go from there. Which leads to…

3. Have a digestible layout

No one wants to read a big wall of text, so break it up. Utilize headers, images, quote blocks, and bullet points to stop it from being a solid block of text – and always remember to test your layout on mobile. A lot of people don’t have the time or patience to read a whole blog and may just want to read a certain section, so make sure your blog is structured clearly. Another strategy to please those short on time is to make your content skim-able by using H2s and bullet points.

4. Add value

Content marketing is all about providing value to your readers. Give people something back for their time, whether that’s knowledge, advice, or simply entertainment. Make sure you’re sharing accurate and valuable information that’s new to your readers. Add context, and explain why this subject is important, and then have action points, advice, and learnings for people to take away. (And in terms of adding enjoyment, we always find gifs go down a treat.)

5. Do your research

A blank page can be daunting, so having a plan is a great place to start. There’s a reason you want to blog about this topic, so get that down on paper and expand on it. You need to know what you’re talking about before you start, so do some research into the topic, see what other people are saying, and decide the angle you’re going to take.

6. Prove it

If you’ve done detailed research, you should find yourself armed with statistics that back up your point. Be sure to include this data to reinforce what you’re saying. Marketing is all about seeing results, so use data wherever you can to add extra weight to what you’re saying – and always ensure you’re using reliable sources. Utilize graphs or quote blocks to highlight these points and help with your overall readability and design.

7. Don’t skimp on SEO

SEO allows search engines to find your blogs easier and builds site authority. You have to play by the rules to get found, so make sure you’re doing keyword research and then using these phrases in your content. Just don’t shoehorn them in, find a way to work in key phrases that don’t have a negative impact on your overall content. Another key thing to consider is internal links, this also helps keep people on your site for longer as they jump from blog to blog.

You also need to pay attention to SERPs – search engine results pages, so ensure your page title, meta description, and URL are both accurate and engaging.

8. Be adaptive

As with all successful marketing strategies, you need to optimize. Especially if you’re just starting out with a blog, you need to be keeping a close eye on your analytics. You can then see which topics and style of content are being read, and those that aren’t. Over time you’ll also learn which days of the week, and times of day get more traffic too. Use this information to inform your ongoing strategy and don’t be afraid to try new things.

9. Post regularly

Having a regular posting schedule means that readers know what to expect. How regular will depend on your capacity, and on your subject matter too – you don’t want to write blogs with nothing to offer just for the sake of posting. A regular schedule also helps with SEO.

By having an overall blog strategy and a content schedule, you’ll find it much easier to stay consistent, and see the rewards.

10. Promote your blog

You’ve put all the effort into planning, researching, and writing your blog so don’t just publish it and leave it to be stumbled upon. Of course if you’re doing your SEO well, your blog will be found by search engines, but there’s more you can do. Utilize your other digital marketing channels to support the distribution of your blog. Share your blog on social media, paid ads, and in your email marketing campaigns. Also include a sharing block within your blogs so that readers can share your content with others easily.