In this guest blog post, Designli CEO/Co-Founder and friend of the Founder Institute Keith Shields outlines some of the best advice entrepreneurs can use to create a blog for their startups that can drive traffic, increase engagement, and boost conversions.
Blogging is a great way to attract customers to your site who might not otherwise come your way. As a startup, unfortunately blogging is the first thing to go by the wayside when things get busy. But, if you get your systems in place and hit your groove – and above all else, understand the importance of regular thought leadership – you’ll learn to make it a priority.
People navigate the web through search engines and if you can answer a question they have or provide tips they need, you will see potential clients or users click-through to your page. When launching a blog for your startup, keep the below strategies, tips & tricks in mind so that you can create content for your website that attracts and engages users.
Write What You Know
People will share content that they find relatable. Nothing is more shareable than a thought that everybody has had but nobody thought to delve into before. A trick for finding and producing this relevant content is to be constantly taking notes. Even if you think that an idea is too small or too specific, write it down anyway. You might be surprised at how much you have to say about it once you get started. This method can be used to plant the seeds of any number of different types of posts. Your startup has an area of expertise that people are bound to have questions about. By blogging about you and your company’s focuses, you can attract your target audience.
Think Like an Engine
We use search engines to answer our questions. So, for people to find your answers, you have to imagine what they might type into Google. If, for example, the person wants to know about how to design, an effective website they might type “best”, “website” “design” and “tips” or just the question “how do I design a good website”. Google will pick up keywords and find relevant sites. Use those keywords in not only the text of your blog post, but also in the title tags, meta content, URL and tags on photos. But beware of keyword stuffing, if Google picks up on excessive tagging, it may punish you.
Use Good Pictures
Speaking of photos, pictures are a great way to keep the attention of a reader. By providing your own images to a blog post, you create a connection between yourself and the reader, while rewarding them for coming that far. These pictures could be descriptive, like step by step instructions for making or installing something. They could also be more thematic, like little cartoons or designs. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Unlike text, which tasks your reader with creating their own visualizations, an image gives them all the information up front. Your readers will appreciate the change of pace.
Weave in Your Product
A blog is just a blog if it doesn’t serve your startup’s needs. So, don’t be afraid of self-promotion. The most fluid way to go about this is by providing hyperlinks in the text of your blog post. By including links that open in new tabs, your reader can explore the services you offer, during or after they browse your latest post. Supplement these in-text links with other buttons or subtle pop-ups. Make sure any links or pop-ups you include in your post don’t distract from the content. Your reader wants to learn something, and if you can help them, that can be the first step in building a startup-client relationship.
The New Perspective
Much of the shared content that doesn’t fall under the #relatable umbrella is news. Whether it be a newly discovered fish or a comment made by a politician, posts that relate to current events get clicks. Depending on the aim of your blog, there are different types of news you should be keeping an eye on. If your site is tech focused, it is helpful to follow other tech blogs on Twitter to stay up with what is relevant. The more you can keep up with trending topics, the more likely whatever your take on the matter is will be the first one out there. The more you develop a reputation for hot takes, the more return traffic you will see at your site.
Sharing is Caring
Put your posts where people can see them. This can mean sharing on Facebook and Twitter, yourself or convincing influential people in your circle to share that content. Posting the content on websites where large groups of people gather to share work is another way to drive content toward your particular site. Sites like Medium and Tumblr expose users to content related to their interests, so tags will direct people toward your content. Don’t forget good old fashioned email. Draw existing and potential customers in with an engaging subject line and title, then link them to content or products they might be interested in.
Do a Little Digging
Reading other blogs can inspire your own blog posts. Maybe you want to take someone’s premise a step further. Maybe you want to counter their opinion. By exposing yourself to as much blog content as possible, you will be able to stay on the cutting edge in terms of style and topic choice. By reading other people’s content, you can shape your personal writing style and avoid creating cliché content that has been done a million times before. Input = Output. The longer you spend on the research and brainstorming for your posts, the more depth they will have. This sets you apart from a lot of blogs that are meant to act as brain candy, not mental sustenance. This might mean heading to the library or getting deep into some jargon-y websites to better understand the nuances of your topic. This might also mean writing 3 or 4 drafts of a post to make sure you are saying exactly what you want to say as efficiently as possible.
The conventions of startup blogging are always changing, but hopefully these tips will put you on the right track to blogging for the benefit of your startup.
