You have your business and have just taken the leap into the online world. You are now among countless others seeking to tap into the vast market that is the internet. Exciting yet daunting times. You know you want people to first find your page and content. And secondly, you want them to enjoy it when they get there and keep coming back for more. But how do you start? With a blog post, of course. And these handy tips will talk you through how to approach your first ever blog post for your business.
Take Your Time
You will only ever get one opportunity to write the first ever blog post for your business. Do not rush. You should carefully consider what information you want to include, and how you want to word it. Writing is never at its best when it is rushed. And your first ever blog post for your business should be, above all else, high quality. Make a plan. Use drafts. Do not be afraid to revise and review your work.
Now, if writing is not your strong suit, you should consider consulting a professional. Whether you choose to engage the services of a professional blog or content writer or an editor to make revisions to your own words, you should not rush this either. You owe it to yourself and your business to choose your writer or editor carefully. Make sure you take the time to explain to them exactly what it is that you want. Be clear and constructive. And be sure to set them a reasonable deadline and cost for each post so they can produce quality work for you.
Introduce Your Business
Since this will be the first blog post for your business, it should primarily cover what your business is. What product or services do you provide? This needs to be concise yet detailed. You want your readers to gain a clear understanding of what you are offering, but you do not want it to be so wordy that they lose interest. You want the post to be descriptive when it comes to your products or services, but not so long that people become confused.
Do not be afraid to introduce yourself in the first blog post. Including a little detail about who you are, your employees, and how your business got started is a great way to give the blog post that human touch. Your audience will like knowing they are dealing with a real person. And, as a real person, you should come across as having genuine pride and passion in your business. This will help readers feel like you can be trusted and are worthy of their attention and money.
Use Visual Aids
One of the most reliable ways to grab your reader’s attention is with the clever use of imagery. Pictures and videos stand out beyond text and are more likely to catch the eye and interest of your audience. For your very first post, you should avoid doing this excessively. However, when used sparingly and correctly, visual aids can really make a blog post pop and encourage people to read even more. Remember that the heart of your first blog post should be the words, so that is where you will want to devote your main focus. But a picture of your product or a photograph of yourself and your employees can have a very positive impact on the style and success of your post.
Use Links Wisely
Including links to your other pages is a great way to layer your site and keep your readers engaged in your content. But for your very first blog post, you will likely not have much content to link. Avoid falling into the trap of rushing other content pages simply to have pages to link. While layering is a useful trick for improving the success of your site, this is only the case when you are linking to relevant and quality content. Wise use of links in your first blog post would be linking to your contact information page. Directing readers to your social media links is another way of boosting your visibility. This is especially true if you offer your audience the ability to share your blog post on their own social media.
Allow Comments and Feedback
This can sound scary, especially if you are not particularly seasoned in writing online or engaging with an online audience. But having a strong online presence and offering your customers the ability to engage with you is such a powerful marketing tool. Gone are the days when businesses were out of reach to the average consumer. Social media and online blogging have created platforms for people to contact businesses directly with comments, suggestions, questions, and feedback. Opening yourself and your business up to these will keep your readers far more engaged as they will feel like you are listening.
Of course, you will need to be prepared to field negative comments and complaints. While this is certainly unpleasant, it also affords you the opportunity to demonstrate to your readers and potential customers that you have the ability to manage such negativity with professionalism and grace. A business that treats a complaining customer with respect, and assists them, for all the world to see, sets the example and will entice other customers toward it. So, be brave and let people reach out to you.
Read more about how often to blog for business.
