It’s clear that one of the best ways to keep your site interesting, and encourage your visitors to visit your site often, is to use a corporate blog. However, as was found by Forrester Research, most B2B blogs are ‘dull, drab, and don’t stimulate discussion.’
The report goes on to say that over 70% stick strictly to business topics, or publish only press releases or public news. With this approach, it’s no surprise that they attract few repeat readers and fewer comments.
But don’t despair. There are ways you can improve your blog’s performance, and create an attractive, reader-friendly web site that has a significant impact on your business.
Post often
One of the biggest issues with writing articles for your web site is creating fresh content regularly. Schedule time on a regular basis to write something – anything – that may be of interest to your visitors. This may seem silly at first but when you get into the habit of writing regularly, it becomes easier and you get better at identifying what sort of information your visitors will like.
A friendly voice
Don’t be afraid to let a little personality slip into your writing. Press releases and product updates may be of use to some, but a toneless, business-only blog will do little to incite interest.
An idea might be to try to blog on a slightly wider range of topics, and look for ways to offer an opinion too. This may take the form of a product review, or a commentary on an event within your niche. It’s possible to stay within your business niche while offering a little of your own view, and such an approach can encourage people to share theirs too.
Offer value
Rather than talking about what everyone else is talking about, try to find out something that people could use, and share the information. A good example is the Sales Impact Group web site, which offers a “knowledge centre” of articles on a wide range of topics.
Another approach may be to interview someone of interest to your industry, and publish a transcript or video. By giving something to the community, it again will encourage others to give back in the form of comments and links, and you may well find that you get back more than you give.
Share the love
Many web sites try to exist in a vacuum, and their blogs are written in the same way. This is not the way the web works. In a similar way to offering value, linking to other relevant sources of information can build reader trust and establish your site as an authority.
When people are able to view your site as an authority within your niche, they will return to your site as a source of interesting and useful information. By being open to linking elsewhere, your site benefits from the value this gives your readers. For example, if your site about sports shoes gave a link to an interesting article about running, a visitor would remember your shoe site as a good source of information and be more inclined to return.
So remember, if you want to maintain a site that encourages readers to return, post often and be willing to offer something of interest and value to your readers.
