According to
Hubspot, B2C companies such as car dealerships that blog on a regular basis generate
88% more leads per month than those who do not. Blog posts offer you the unique opportunity to present your customer base with information that you wish they already knew. For example, is the latest auto manufacturer recall really something your customers should be concerned about? Is an extended vehicle warranty actually something a car buyer needs to consider? Using your blog to dispel myths and educate your customer base can act as a serious value-added factor for your company.
Blogs are also valuable for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes. In fact, companies that blog see around 434% more indexed pages than companies who do not. This typically results in increased search rankings for your organization.
Simply stated, blogs are an important and essential component of all major SEO and social media tactical plans. So, how can you write more effective posts for your organization in order to really reap the benefits of blogging?
Find your Voice
When writing a blog, think about who will read it. There is a big difference in blog posts that seek to entertain and those that seek to educate. Tailor the tone of your message to the audience. Are your readers industry experts? If not, you need to skip the technical talk. For instance, Mopar fanatics will undoubtedly understand how torque is measured but your average automotive consumer might need some background. If your audience is predetermined prior to writing the post, it makes it easier to plan your content to incorporate basics like explaining how “pound-force-feet” works in order to clear up any potential confusion.
Write for the Web
Internet surfers have even shorter attention spans than television viewers. You only have a few seconds to grab their attention. The easiest way to do this is with a captivating title for your blog post. After all, crafting the perfect title is the first step in pulling in traffic generated from search engines, social posts or RSS readers. This is also very important for SEO purposes. A blog title should first and foremost provide and accurate description of the subject matter the post will cover. It should also simultaneously entice readers to want to learn more without giving too much away. In order to achieve this delicate balance, keep the title short, about three to eight words maximum. Avoid overly clever, cutesy titles that skimp on valuable keywords which could be used to drive more search traffic to the blog.
Link with Purpose
Don’t underestimate the power of links. They are valuable tools for increasing your search engine rankings. However, you shouldn’t just spout off a list of endless links. This could make your content seem spammy and seriously damage your search engine rank. It’s also an easy way to lose the audience members you do manage to pull in. Give readers a reason to stay on your blog by providing purposeful links that act as a support for your original content or point of view. A link without context is a simple way to bounce your own readers by unintentionally directing them elsewhere.
Lenna Curry is a Digital Marketing Specialist at TargetClick – Powered by Mudd Advertising. Contact her at lenna.curry@mudd.com to learn more about blogging and other forms of content marketing.
