6 reasons your blog isn’t driving results
I’ve written many times about the fact there are no silver bullets when it comes to marketing and blogging is no exception. Even a blog that is well targeted, well planned and well written will take a while to gain traction as you build up your bank of posts and word starts to spread.
However, if you’ve been plugging away at your business blog for months and months and still aren’t seeing results, it could be you’re missing something. Here are some common problems we’ve identified that could be holding you back.
TL:DR
- You haven’t set any goals
- You’re writing about what you want to write about
- You haven’t included a CTA
- You’re not making the most of SEO
- You’re not socialising your blog
- You can’t write
1) You haven’t set any goals
This might sound obvious but how can you know whether your blog is generating results if you haven’t actually set any targets? Whether you want to increase brand awareness, establish your authority as an expert or generate leads, it’s important to be clear about what you’re aiming for and how you’ll measure your progress. By keeping these goals in mind, you’ll also find it easier to know what content to include and what’s merely a time consuming distraction.
2) You’re writing about what you want to write about
In this time poor age we live in, no one is going to read something they don’t actively want to (or have to) read. So your starting point for your blog needs to be your target audience. What subjects interest them? What problems could you help them solve? What stories could you tell that would resonate with them? What insights could you share that will benefit them? If you have your own agenda at the forefront of your mind rather than theirs, you won’t get very far.
3) You haven’t included a CTA
If you don’t have a call to action at the end of your blog post, you’re leaving your reader at a dead end and they’re likely to click away from your site. You need to guide people to take further action, whether that’s emailing for a quote, sharing the link with their network, or simply reading another post.
4) You’re not making the most of SEO
We don’t pretend to be SEO experts but we do know that there are some very simple things you can do to improve your search engine rankings. Most important is to do your keyword research and then make sure you’re including those words and phrases in your blog posts – especially titles. Remember that you need to use H1 tags for your main title and H2 for your subheads because this is how search engines rank page content for importance.
5) You’re not socialising your blog
Especially when you’re first getting started (and in our experience, for as long as you blog for your business), you will need to get active on social media. It’s the best way to get your posts under the noses of the right people. You need to share every single one. Do this more than once, on different days, across as many channels as you can. Test different calls to action. Use images. Create graphics. Basically grab people’s attention any which way you can and make sure they end up clicking through to your website.
6) You can’t write
Gosh, that sounds a bit harsh, doesn’t it? But sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. And there’s no point in you wasting your valuable time creating post after post after post no one is ever going to read. Writing well isn’t just about being able to spell and punctuate properly. It’s about inspiring and educating and entertaining and provoking your reader. It’s a complicated blend of art and science, as much about psychology as it is linguistics. There’s a reason why people get paid to write – it takes skill, experience and a lot of practice to do well.
There’s no shame in admitting that writing isn’t your strong suit. If you can’t write – or you don’t enjoy it, or you simply don’t have the time – then why not let us help? Contact us today to find out more about our blogging packages, which start at two posts a month.
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