Do Your Blog Posts Pass “The Blog Test”?
by MGB2B
If you’ve been doing your homework, you know that B2B blogs are a must. A few weeks ago, my colleague Kevin Rodriguez went over why you need to have a blog. I’m going to tell you how to write posts. Or at least how to evaluate them.
So you’ve finished writing your post. You’ve spent time molding it into what you believe is a gem of an article, and you’re ready to hit Publish. Don’t. First, take what I like to call The Blog Test, by asking yourself these five questions:
- If I were a prospect, would I find this interesting? Your blog should have a desired target audience. It could be anyone from Purchasing Officers to Chief Engineers to CEOs. Whoever it is, try to imagine yourself in their shoes. If it’s not interesting in their eyes, you may need to consider switching topics or trying a different angle.
- Am I providing insight? Your audience is either looking for help or entertainment, and you need to provide it. While it’s easy enough to regurgitate any information you find on the web, applying your expertise on a topic gives your readers a new way of looking at things. It also gives you credibility. This kind of thought takes time, but it’s worth it – your audience will know the difference.
- Did I back up my stats? If you reference a specific article or throw some stats in your post to make your point, you must provide links to the research. Don’t try to spin the information on your own. All you need is one person to call BS on you, and you’re in deep trouble.
- Is my post optimized for search engines? You can have the most solid, interesting, insightful blog in the universe. If people can’t find what you’re writing, it won’t matter. There are lots of different plugins you can use on your blog to help guide you through SEO, but you need to determine keywords by asking yourself yet another question:
- What is my target audience likely to search for? You know your prospects. Channel them. Think about what would trigger them to look for your products or services, and use those words when you optimize.
B2B blogs are important to have, but they can only be effective if they pass The Blog Test. Give it a try, every time, and watch your web traffic increase.
Tags: business, evaluating blogs, how to write B2B blogs, insights, SEO, target audience, The Blog Test, thought leadership