Do you want your blog to become a heavy hitter in your industry? Would you like your voice to become an industry expert? Creating and managing a blog is one of the best content marketing strategies you can adopt. In fact, managing your blog should be a priority in your business plan. In fact, if you’re starting or growing any business, like a bar, including content marketing in your bar business plan template is a must.
Content marketing is one of the best ways to interact with leads, maintain relationships with existing customers, and inform your audience about the latest trends in your niche.
These are some of the best content marketing strategies you can use to grow your blog:
- Build A Seamless Site
Start with the layout of your blog. It should be easy to understand and logical to maneuver. Take a look at the navigation. The navigation bar, the content, and the entire aesthetic of the site should be relatable. If it doesn’t mesh well, the reader will leave the page. Include a search box in plain sight. It should be easily visible so that visitors can quickly search for the content they need.
Keep in mind that more than half of all internet searches occur on mobile devices. This means your blog needs to be mobile-friendly. In fact, Google uses a website’s mobile-friendliness as a factor when ranking it in search engines. In light of these things, hiring a freelance web designer or keeping one on staff should be a part of your business plan.
- Increase Your Site’s Speed
Neither search engines nor visitors like slow websites. Google frowns upon slow-loading webpages. Therefore it’s very important that you monitor the speed of your website. Use tools like PageSpeed or Pingdom to study your site’s performance. These tools also provide suggestions on how to increase your website’s speed.
If after implementing all the tips, you’re still not seeing any improvements in page load speed, then it’s the server that’s the issue. You may have to select a better hosting plan or simply choose a better host.
- Write Stellar Content
You’ve likely heard, ‘content is king’. This is because it keeps followers and visitors engaged, happy, and craving more. By writing top quality content, you get to broadcast your expertise. It’s also a chance to help your audience grow, spread brand awareness, and build brand perception.
To keep the momentum going, your content needs to be interesting and fresh at all times. Always endeavor to do something new and different. This will keep readers engaged and yearning for more.
Here’s how you can accomplish this feat:
- Tell Stories. Readers like to relate to stories, especially if they’re personal.
- Adopt a Conversational Tone- Use a voice that strikes a balance between personal and professional, while staying true to your opinions and ideas.
- Avoid Fluff. Readers can smell it and won’t appreciate it.
- Include Visuals- Videos, infographics, and photos are a great way to get readers’ attention.
If writing is not your forte or you think you won’t have the time to dedicate yourself to a blog, consider hiring a content writer. List this as a possibility in your business plan as a part of your future growth strategy.
- Optimize For Search Engines
Search engine optimization is necessary for making your website and its content searchable in Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. Here are a few tips on how to boost your rankings in search engines:
- Optimize the meta description and meta title. Include keywords. The page title must be around 60-70 characters. The meta description is around 160 characters.
- Incorporate main keywords in the subheadings and post title. Use a specific title.
- Create interlinks with posts. Use new posts to form links with older ones. You can use Google Analytics to see what your top pages are. Use these to form interlinks.
- Include links to other reputable sites. Ensure the link is to a valid URL. Search engines really like this action.
- Integrate long-tail keywords into your blog content.
- For images, use descriptive ALT tags.
If SEO practices seem a bit too technical for your liking, mention that you may hire an SEO expert in your business plan.
Whether you’re a start-up or an established company, a blog is an invaluable asset to your success. It should be a part of your growth strategy in your business plan. By implementing these tips, you can expand your blog, and consequently your business.