Content Marketer NYC kris ruby

Blogging for Business

August 24, 2019 by

 

Content Marketer NYC kris ruby

Business Blogging: The Ultimate Guide

How do you write a successful business blog?

Communicating with customers, patients and business partners is the key to new business success in our increasingly digital world.  However, doing so effectively can be a daunting process, especially at the beginning!

Blogging is a great way to build authority, credibility, and search engine rankings.

The goal of a blog is not to blog for the sake of blogging.

Your blog should ideally help new people find you who don’t already know about you. The goal is for them to find your content when they are searching for an answer to their problem. You want to be the answer! The knowledgeable resource who can solve their problem.

In this blogging for business guide you will learn:

  • My top tips on how to get started blogging
  • How to keep blogging after you have gained momentum and traction
  • A free SEO checklist for your blog

Why should your small business have a blog?

A blog is a great way for small business owners to connect with clients, increase search engine optimization (SEO) results and get your content found by key prospects.

According to Inside View, research shows that B2B marketers who blog generate 67% more leads than those that do not.

Other research shows that business websites that have a blog with more than 20 posts per month get five times more traffic than those who blog significantly less (less than four times per month). Blogging should be a critical part of your ongoing communications strategy.

Companies such as Whole Foods, IHG, Starbucks, and YouTube all have blogs. Their content is consistent with the brands’ key messaging and includes thoughts from the CEO, recipes, and even travel tips.

Why should you start a blog for your business? 

Blogging is a form of passive income that grows over time. 1 quality blog post can generate leads for years. It is an investment in sales. As any B2B marketer will attest, blogging is an important component of a PR strategy for lead generation.

Why should you start a business blog?

What are the effective use cases of corporate blogs? 

  • Lead generation
  • PR-Media Machine
  • Thought Leadership

1) Lead Generation

Business blogging is a critical component of an inbound marketing strategy for lead generation.  Blogs are digital assets that accrue value over time. They lead to increased revenue. As the page gains authority, the leads start coming in. I can’t tell you how many times I have said to a prospect, how did you hear about your business? They almost always say I read an article you wrote- and usually- the article is from 5-10 years ago!

2) Media Opportunities + Brand Awareness

If your business takes thought leadership marketing seriously, then you already understand how important publishing content is. TV producers, bookers, and journalists are always looking for the best source to quote, but if they can’t find you, they won’t book you. No, a website without a blog is not enough. They need to see an example of your talking points on any given issue- and your blog posts serve as a behind-the-scenes look into how you think about topics. They can make inferences on where you will land on trending topics in the news based on previous posts you have written. My TV career started with a blog post I wrote.

A TV producer found an article I wrote and booked me to appear live on air to talk about the topic. Blogs don’t only lead to revenue opportunities, they also lead to tangible media opportunities, which are also worth thousands of dollars in ad value equivalent if you had to purchase that air time. Taking blogging seriously can lead to recurring sales and recurring media opportunities and invitations from national TV bookers.

3) Improved trust with search engines

Your brand reputation matters. Are you more likely to trust a website that hasn’t updated its website in ten years or a website that published an article last month? Publishing blog posts shows that you are still in business and ‘in the game’ of your industry. Blogging is a great way to attract new website visitors and SEO rankings in organic search results. Timestamping is another way to improve trust with search engines, which is why Ruby Media Group has added all of our content to the Blockchain with WordProof. It’s not enough to just say that you update your content; time-stamping technology like WordProof can visibly show Google that you are updating content, which will have a positive impact on your SEO long term.

Advantages of Business Blogging

What are the main advantages of business blogging and content production?

A website without a blog is a brochure and nothing more. The blog is the most important part of your business website. Websites don’t rank; individual pages do. This is why it is critical to build out authoritative pages above and beyond the skeleton of your site (the service pages).

Benefits of Business Blogging for Executives 

What are the benefits of business blogging?

  • Increased brand awareness
  • Increased revenue + traffic
  • Attract new customers
  • Remind past clients you still exist
  • Improve search engine rankings
  • Thought leadership marketing & PR opportunities
  • Nurture prospects from cold to warm

What are the benefits of blogging for small businesses, lawyers, and doctors?

  • Enhanced page one search engine results (SEO)
  • Increase search visibility for keywords (SEM)
  • Get found by reporters (PR!)
  • Build brand authority and subject matter expertise (thought-leadership marketing)
  • Enhance company reputation as a leading expert (online reputation management)

What is the most challenging aspect of having a business blog?

Maintenance. Most business owners take a ‘set it and forget it’ approach to their content. This is a big mistake that results in declined search engine rankings over time. If you aren’t prepared to update content for quality, freshness, and optimized search terms, think twice before starting a business blog. A business blog is not a one-off endeavor. Blogs must be maintained. Links break. Redirects fail. Images become blurry. Themes break. Viruses happen. Statistics change.

While launching a blog can be positive for your online reputation, it can also severely damage your business reputation if you keep up content that is out of date and factually incorrect. This is the number one mistake most executives make with blogging. They think it is enough to hire a content agency once and never look at the content again. What they fail to realize is that this hurts them in the eyes of Google, but also in the eyes of their customer. People want to see that you take your commitment to the truth seriously. This means having an editorial content policy where you commit to content cadence, updates, and fact-checking.

BUSINESS BLOGGING STATISTICS:

B2B Marketing Stats

  • 36% of Fortune 500 use their blogs for thought leadership, product promotion, and engagement.
  • Companies that blog receive 55% more traffic than companies that don’t and have 434% more indexed pages compared to those that don’t.
  • Active company blogs have 97% more inbound links than websites without blogs. (Source HubSpot)

BLOGGING FOR BEGINNERS: HOW TO GET STARTED

How to use blogging for business (tips + tricks)

What is business blogging and what is a business blog?

Business blogging is the practice of distributing thought-leadership content that ties into your larger B2B digital marketing goals and objectives.  The goal of blogging is to drive potential customers to your website and keep them engaged with your content.  Ultimately, you want to convert business blog readers (leads) to customers through an inbound marketing strategy.

“Your blog should be a personalized expression of your brand.”- Kris Ruby

What is the purpose of a business blog?

The purpose of a business blog is to write about content in the ecosystem of your industry. For example, if your company books guests on television, you would write about all of the topics related to that ecosystem that a person who wants to get booked on TV may search for. This includes media training tips, TV makeup, best lighting for an at-home studio, increased WIFI for TV news interviews on Skype etc.

A business blog serves as micro pieces of content that bring someone into your orbit who may be looking to hire a business just like yours. As a result of reading your article on the topic, they are more likely to click around on your site to see how your company can help them achieve the higher-level goal.

TARGET AUDIENCE MARKETING: WHO ARE YOU REALLY WRITING FOR?

The RMG Rule of 3

How do you create content for your target audience?

When you think about content marketing and blogging for your business, there are three audiences you are writing for.

Audience 1: New customers, patients, clients

Audience 2: Existing customers, patients, clients

Audience 3: The Media

Every blog post that you publish should always address someone in one of the three buckets. For example, this article can be used to reach all three audiences. How? Well, a doctor who is looking for help with medical marketing could find me from this blog post. I could also share this blog post with a current client that wants to further understand content marketing while I am developing a strategy for them. I would rather send them to a resource I have written on the topic than direct their attention elsewhere, so it is a win-win!

Third, the media can see that I am a knowledgeable expert on social media marketing and content marketing from this post. If they are looking for a source in this area, this article clearly achieves that purpose that I know what I am talking about if they are doing background research on me. If you publish a piece of content that does not fall into any of these 3 buckets, it most likely has zero value for your practice or business and should be deleted.

How to write a blog post to promote your business

Your blog should be targeted toward prospective customers, clients, and patients and it should answer questions prospects have when researching other companies to work with.

Before you start a business blog, ask yourself the following questions to formulate a strategy:

  • What will the decision-makers want to read in our target audience?
  • What do you want to be positioned as?

Tip: Create content around specific keywords related to your business or medical practice.

Tip: Do keyword research before you write an article, not after.

Put yourself in the shoes of the target audience.  What are they searching for on Google?

CONTENT FORMAT

How do you structure a blog post?

What content format is most appealing to your target audience?

For example, busy professionals may want to hear a podcast during their workout or commute whereas prospective patients may want to read a long-form written article.  If you are a chef, a step-by-step listicle or video would be more applicable.

Content formats include:

  • Audio (Podcasts)
  • Written articles (long-form content/ blogs)
  • Videos

What type of business blogs are central to a company’s digital marketing efforts as part of a cohesive B2B content marketing strategy?

Types of blogs for business content:

  • How-To-Guides
  • Reviews
  • Whitepapers
  • E-books
  • Case Studies
  • Business Intelligence/ Insights (long-form content)
  • Comparison posts
  • Roundup
  • Guides
  • Tutorial
  • Checklist
  • Worksheet
  • Gated content (opt-in)
  • Listicles
  • Slideshow (SlideShare)
  • Knowledge base content (how to use the service)
  • FAQ content (best practices for working with the business)

HOW TO WRITE CONTENT EXECUTIVES WANT TO READ

Look at the type of content that ranks. Is the format different than the format of your article?  For example, does the content appear in a featured snippet and people also ask box? Or does video content rank? This will give you a good clue as to how you should format your content. If you were thinking of writing a listicle, but Google ranks a podcast or video in the top search result, that should give you a clue about how people want to consume the answer to this information.

You have to listen. Look at what is already ranking, and learn from it. Make it better, but do not reinvent the wheel in terms of the type of content and format of content that works best.  Is your article objectively better than what already ranks in Google’s top ten search results?  The goal is to rank for closely related keyword search terms and user intent.

How do you create an effective business blog?

An effective business blog has a specific outcome and desired end state. After reading the content, you need to move the user to a desired end state or action. Effective content results in actions, clicks, calls, and inquiries. Ineffective content does nothing. Content quality trumps content output. The key to creating an effective business blog is understanding the questions people have about the service you offer and writing content to answer the questions.

Corporate Blog Strategy: Ideas for your B2B business blog

How do I come up with content for my blog?

Maybe you want to be positioned as a key opinion leader on consumer behavior.

If you are a digital marketing agency, your target audience would be CMOs at large companies.

If you are targeting CMOs, think about the content they are searching for on Google.  For example, you could write a blog post that says, “We have conducted new research on your target audience that you might find interesting.”

For a coworking client we worked with, we created a “spaces” section, which included a picture of the coworking member’s office space and how they utilized the space in a new and visually exciting way. Readers enjoyed seeing real-world use of the space and gained inspiration from the posts.

Other blog topics for a client in the coworking space could include:

  • Personalizing Your Office Space
  • 5 Best Practices of Successful Business Owners
  • How to Stay Focused When Working Alone
  • Travel Tips for the Everyday Businessman
  • Conducting Casual Meetings: How Casual is Too Casual?
  • Affordable ways to decorate your office

Their blog included tips such as: how to work from home, office space trends, business travel, a new member of the month spotlight interviews etc.

The key is to write content that is interesting to the people you want to attract in your sales funnel.

What is search intent and why is it important for your B2B content marketing strategy?

Does your content meet the searcher’s intent? This is the #1 most valuable key takeaway from this whole blog post. You must learn to optimize anything you write to answer this question. Your URL must match the topic you are writing about. Things must correlate together to meet the searcher’s intent.

The keyword and topic must ALWAYS match the searchers intent.

Google knows if you are achieving this objective after observing the bounce rate. This is why keyword stuffing is essentially useless. If you are on page one of Google for a search term, but the bounce rate is high, you will not remain on Page 1 for long, because Google takes bounce rate into consideration when it comes to ranking. They want to give people two things: the best content that matches the searcher’s intent and a good user experience. This is why they prioritize things like AMP, speed, HTTPS, and mobile-friendly sites.

User Experience matters just as much as the words on a page do when you are trying to rank. If your content is great but the user experience is poor, your chances of ranking will always remain low. You have to think about breaking up your text with visuals and graphics to keep people on the page for longer. Write for humans instead of robots, but also make sure your content can be understood by both.

Does your article give searchers what they are looking for or does it lead them on a wild good chase?

What is the searcher’s intent behind the keyword?

Ideally, you want to try to rank for “buy” terms that show a user is a few steps away from buying a product and is far along in the sales process. Someone searching for “NY doctor” has a different search intent than someone searching for “NYC allergist Waccabuc NY who accepts insurance.” See the difference? One is broad and is most likely a window shopper. The second is someone who is optimizing for someone who is ready to “buy” and choose a provider.

  • Visual instruction with a video?
  • Explanation with words?

Make data-driven decisions

Data and user behavior signals show what people want. Listen!

What content will satisfy users on all levels?

It is important to remember that people learn differently. While text may be ideal for some of your audience, the other half of your audience may only be interested in listening to your content on a podcast while they are commuting. A one-sized approach does not fit all when it comes to content marketing in the 21st century.

Blog growth strategies: Checklist

Prior to clicking publish, make sure you can answer the following:

  • Will marketing decision-makers read this or want to read this article?
  • Is this consumer-centric content? B2B or B2C?
  • Who will this content appeal to? Does this content truly appeal to my target customer?
  • Is this content useful?
  • Would someone want to link back to this article or blog post?
  • Is this content sticky/ evergreen? Is it timeless?
  • Will this advice be useful one year from now?
  • Does this content solve a searcher’s problem?
  • Have I left every stone unturned? Or will someone still have more questions after reading this?
  • Does this article cover the full depth of the topic?

PRO TIP: 

Ask your friends what your article is about. If they can’t tell you what the article is about in one or two words, how can Google figure it out? If humans can’t navigate your article, how do you expect robots and crawlers to be able to?

Write shareable content.

Would you email this article to a friend? If not, it is probably not that valuable. If you wouldn’t email your article to a prospective client, current client, or member of the media, rewrite the article until it meets that criteria.

How can I use blogging to promote my business?

Blogging is a powerful inbound marketing tool to promote your business.

The key is to use blogging as a way to attract prospective clients into your funnel.

Pro Tip: Create content about your target audience that is most relevant to your prospective clients.

BUSINESS BLOGGING 101: How to build a successful business blog

How to write a blog post

Start writing down the questions you are most frequently asked. Then, write content around it. Be sure to do keyword research on the search volume to make sure your posts are optimized around topical phrases people are using to search for content in your industry.

Blogging for the sake of blogging is a mistake most business owners make. You must do keyword research before you start blogging instead of after or you will be wasting your time and resources.

Remember: What you find interesting may not be what your target audience is searching for. This should also be done in step one of building an integrated marketing communications plan for your business.

PRO TIP: Research the search terms people are using before you start writing!

How to improve your SEO & Google ranking with blogging

How does blogging help your business?

FACT: Google rewards fresh content.

The best way to build organic backlinks is with blogging.

Google favors websites that consistently publish fresh content. Writing high-quality content and updating old content to increase the user experience should be a top priority in any business content marketing plan. Blogging is the #1 way to make Google happy, as long as you are blogging high-quality content.

Posting a bunch of thin content less than 200 pages will not make Google happy and will lead to a high bounce rate.  The content you put out must be high quality in order to have a chance at ranking. Thin content will not rank. What is thin content? A blog post that is 200 words is an example of thin content.

Your blog content must be substantial. Typically, long-form content that is greater than 1,000 words has a much better chance of ranking on page one of Google search engine results. One key tactic (and secret weapon!) to consider for business blogging is the strategy of historical optimization.

Tip: Deeper coverage of a topic leads to a higher search volume and a greater chance of ranking.

What is historical optimization?

Historical blog post optimization is when you go back to your old blog content and update each post to make sure the article has fresh and relevant content for your readers. This post is an example of historical optimization.  We originally wrote it a few years back but optimized it this year to make sure it is in line with best practices and the questions people are searching for!  Are your older articles targeting the wrong keyword? Optimize for the right keyword through historical optimizations and updated keyword research.

Optimizing your blog content for Google

Knowing what people search for around a specific topic will help you to create better topic clusters. It also leads to more useful content for the people searching for it. That is the magic of keyword research. It isn’t just about ranking or keyword stuffing. It is about fully exploring the depth and scope of a topic in its entirety to answer every possible question a searcher may have about a topic that you may not have thought of.

What pages rank for the keyword you are trying to rank for? Update your article with more relevant search queries. People’s search patterns change over time. Plus, with the increase of voice search and artificial intelligence, people will be using different phrases to search than they are when they are typing them. Consider this when you are updating your content.

Is there a topic you can expand on?

  • Study the keywords competing website pages rank for.
  • What do they rank for but your page does not rank for? This could be an opportunity.
  • Add a few paragraphs in your article to add value while inserting those keywords.
  • Study popular searches relevant to your main query.

BLOG TOPICS: WHAT SHOULD I BLOG ABOUT?

How do I write a business blog or article?

Blog Tip: The best source for new content topics for your blogs is the questions your clients already ask you!

What questions are your prospects and clients asking you? Write them down.

This is a critical component of developing your blog strategy.

If your client or patient asks you a question, they know they need more information on it and can’t find that information online. Jot down the question and turn these questions into a blog. Then, send them the link!

Develop an adequate resource guide to answer the questions your clients have. Take advantage of this opportunity to develop content that people actually want to read!

Business Blogging Ideas

Not sure what to blog about? Consider using one of the AI GPT-3 Marketing tools to generate new ideas for your website.

  • Scour Reddit forums to see what questions your prospects are asking
  • Use Google Trends to search for new ideas
  • Join relevant industry Facebook groups and type in your main keyword to see what questions people have about your business

For example, someone searching for business publicity may search for:

  • How do I get more media attention for my business?
  • How do I get a blogger to write about my startup?
  • How do I get someone to respond to my HARO pitch?

Further along in the journey, they may then search for: Top NYC PR Firms or What is the cost of a PR agency?

Before they can search for the solution (you!) they will search for their problem. The words and phrases they use to describe their problem are often not the first things SEOs think of when they are writing content to rank in search engine results on Google.

Another example:

How do I get on TV? vs. TV Booking Company in NYC.

Or

How to get on CNN vs. PR and Media Relations Services

People search for their problems. It is your job to be their solution in search.

ACTION TIP:

Have you provided strategic insight that will help your prospect or end-user solve a problem?

Yes! The problem or pain point I helped my prospect solve through this blog post is _________________________

HOW TO CREATE A SUCCESSFUL BLOG STRATEGY

What should a business blog post include?

Every corporate blog post should include keywords, images, infographics, answers to questions your prospects have, and rich media content.  It should also include extensive keyword research and optimization. Here are some great free keyword research tools to help you get started.

When you are conducting SEO keyword research, you want to closely evaluate a few critical factors including:

  • Monthly search volume
  • Search traffic potential of a topic
  • Ranking difficulty
  • Domain Authority of page 1 search results

Free keyword research tools:

The best content is….

  • Authentic information with the inside scoop
  • Information you can get from your customers
  • Data/ key insights from industry experience
  • Stories on the people/clients/sources you have unique access to

CONTENT MARKETING AGENCY SERVICES | RUBY MEDIA GROUP | NYC

The truth is, even if you write award-winning content, authority and credibility still have a huge impact on the content you create and the ability for that content to rank. When Google is determining E-A-T, they are measuring authoritativeness, trustworthiness, and expertise. All of these are core public relations functions. When you look at, “Who is the most qualified person to write an article?” Public Relations services can instantly boost your perceived credibility in a digital landscape and can position you as the most qualified person in the eyes of Google. That is why digital PR must become a part of every content marketing strategy. Content marketing without digital PR is like a fish out of water. It just doesn’t work or make sense. If you are looking to boost your credibility, contact our content marketing agency in New York for a consultation.

Who is the most qualified person to write the article? (Hint: This is where a PR firm can help you!)

BUSINESS BLOGGING STRATEGY

Here are ten more tips for creating a successful B2B blog for your business:

  1. Create an editorial content calendar: Don’t just wing it. A schedule of topics and deadlines will keep you focused and allow you to build up momentum and followers.
  2. Know your audience: Who are you trying to appeal to? Write to that audience. If you’re trying to reach customers, do not use the blog to talk about employees or company news (use a press page for that). Write only about what is important to your prospects and what they want to read.
  3. Link your blog. Discussing key trends in your industry? Link back to a previous article you wrote on the trend. Be sure to link articles, discussion posts, and tweets to your blog to increase traffic to the site.
  4. Create a blog roll: Add relevant industry blogs to a blog roll on your site to direct users to other viewpoints on the topics you are writing about. Add these blogs to the “blog roll” to show strategic alliance and to get on the radar of the bloggers you want to impress.
  5. Invite a guest: A blog serves as a personalized expression of your brand and will serve as a platform for the company. You can encourage employees and members to contribute to blog content. In turn, they will often help to promote their content and, as a result, bring more readers to your blog. You can also invite experts in your industry to guest blog. This is great for increasing backlinks for SEO and positive link juice!
  6. Share helpful information: Maintain a balance between posting unique content and sharing content from related blogs to your industry. All of your content should address the pain points of your target audience.
  7. Update frequently: Your blog should be updated at least several times a week and should continually include tips, articles, industry news, etc. For example, if you design office spaces, then post inspirational ideas and create a contest for a customer. Readers will repost and re-tweet contest information and provide feedback on the ideas.
  8. Integrate SEO keywords: You want your blog to make its way up the Google rankings. To do that, you need to insert Search Engine Optimization (SEO) words into the copy. Learn what keywords you want to rank for and optimize accordingly.
  9. Promote your blog: Tweet a link to your blog post, talk about it on Twitter, send out a teaser in your newsletter, mention it when you do interviews, and put your blog address in your e-mail signature line.
  10. Keep tabs on your progress:  Google Analytics will provide key insights into click-throughs, who is reading your blog, and what posts are most popular. This is extremely important when you are planning an editorial calendar. For example, if you are writing for a 30-50-year-old audience, but the majority of your blog readers are in their 20s, you need to tweak your content to their media preferences. If you are spending a ton of time writing content that isn’t getting high traffic, you may need to alter your content calendar accordingly. Remember, you are writing for your audience first and foremost.  The content that they want to read may not be what you want to read.

Screen-Shot-2014-10-21-at-5.46.18-PMBottom photo Credit: Hubspot

Blog Promotion Tip: One of the best ways to build buzz for your article is to include interviews with well-known subject matter experts who will promote your content once you click publish. Leverage their built-in networks and fan base to drive traffic to your article. The more they promote your link, the more SEO juice you will build.

Pre-Publishing Blog Post Checklist

    • Have you clearly defined the goals of your content marketing strategy?
    • What is the main topic of your blog?
    • What are the subcategories of content for the blog?
    • What SEO keywords do you want to rank for?
    • Who is your ideal reader and prospect that you want to optimize content for?
    • How often will you publish new content?

 

HOW TO OPTIMIZE YOUR B2B BLOG FOR SEO 

It is no secret that Google prefers long-form content. Just look at the first page of the SERPs for any target keyword. You will rarely find a top-ranked page on page 1 that is less than 2000 words.

Use your keywords throughout the copy of your blog but be sure not to keyword stuff. Measure keyword density and use variations of your target phrase.

Higher Click-Through Rates (CTR’s) can often be attributed to more compelling titles!

Consider creating clickable blog graphics with free information to keep people on your B2B blog for longer. If you are not a graphic designer, don’t worry! You can use Canva to create stunning visual graphics.

BOOST YOUR BLOG CONVERSION RATE OPTIMIZATION TIPS:

How can I double my conversion rate on my blog?

  1. Want to increase the click-through rate (CTR) of your blog posts? Use free headline analyzer tools like CoSchedule and Headlime.
  2. Link to previous articles you have written to increase the average duration of time users stay on your website. Keep a master list of topics, keywords, and links to pull from.
  3. Add statistics, original data, and sources to your content. Use Cite4Me to site sources.
  4. Break up the blog post with visuals by including links to user-generated content (UGC) on Instagram. Embed the link within the blog post by clicking “Add media” and drop in the link.
  5. Include a call to action (CTA) at the end of your article to encourage visitors to take a sales-driven action. Clearly lay out what action you want your reader to take next.

FREE BONUS!

Blog Post SEO Checklist

  • Is your blog post more than 2000 words?
  • Have you used your target keyword in the headline?
  • Did you add in keyword tags and select the proper category?
  • Did you use keywords in Alt tags?
  • Did you include your target keyword in your H1 tag?
  • Did you remember to use the keyword in the image file name?
  • Did you use the primary keyword in the page URL?
  • Did you remember to add internal links to pass link juice and page rank?
  • Did you use an on-page SEO checker or plugin like Yoast to make sure the content is optimized for search engines?
  • Did you update the meta description with relevant keywords?
  • Did you run your copy through Grammarly and Microsoft Word to check for grammatical errors?
  • Do you have CTA’s clearly written out at the end of each blog post?
  • Did you remember to break up long paragraphs of text?
  • Did you add images to break up text?

Pro Tip: Make sure the “about the author” is included at the end of each b2b blog post. This helps with E-A-T.

WHAT TO DO AFTER PUBLISHING A BLOG POST

How do I promote my business blog?

Publishing a new article is the first step in the content creation process. The next step is sharing the content and increasing visibility. After you have published a new piece of content, do the following to promote your business blog:

  • Post it to LinkedIn
  • Post it as a new highlight on Polywork 
  • Submit the article for indexing on Google
  • Post the article on Twitter
  • Add the article to relevant video content on YouTube
  • Post the blog to your Google my Business page as a new status update

How to Promote Your Blog

After you have written your blog post, be sure to publish it in as many different distribution channels as possible to get the most out of it.

BLOG PROMOTION TIPS: CONTENT PROMOTION TACTICS

How can I promote my blog?

  1. Submit new blog articles for indexing on Google and Bing. Use the Google Search Console URL Inspection Tool before requesting indexing.  To submit a URL for indexing to Bing, log in to your Bing SEO webmaster account and click ‘submit URL’
  2. Update your Instagram bio to include your latest blog post when you publish new content. Use (link in bio) to drive traffic to the article.
  3. Post the blog on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Pinterest.
  4. Post the article in relevant social media groups pertaining to the topic of the article.
  5. Update your Google My Business listing with a link to your latest blog article.
  6. Ask your employees to consider sharing the new blog article on their personal social media.
  7. If your article mentions other partners, media, or influencers, tag them in all social media promotions to increase the chance of your article being shared. Tag business partners and brands in both the picture and the caption to increase exposure. This will alert people in their network they have been tagged.

How do I get more people to see my blog posts?

How to promote blog posts:

  • Paid promotion
  • Guest posts
  • Sponsored content
  • PR
  • Syndication
  • Social Media Amplification

If you want a blogger to promote your business blog, it is important to understand what they are looking for.

How to build backlinks

What does a blogger want?

  • Strong inbound links
  • New followers/ increased traffic
  • Hot stories that are newsworthy
  • Trends
  • Curated Content

READ: How to pitch bloggers

B2B BUSINESS BLOGGING CONTENT MARKETING RECAP

  • Longer blog posts rank better if you are trying to improve your search rankings on Google.
  • Embed social media content into blog posts and consider adding rich media and videos too.
  • Add sub-headers to break up content and use bullet points and numbered lists to break up the text.
  • Include visuals to make your B2B blog more engaging.
  • Link to valuable resources within your blog and cite all sources.
  • Consider promoting other influencers and key opinion leaders in your blog content to drive traffic.
  • Link articles, discussion posts, status updates, and tweets to your blog to increase traffic.
  • Keep blog posts informative and relevant for fans to be engaged with the content
  • Encourage employees to contribute to blog content.
  • Invite industry experts to guest blog.
  • Maintain a balance between posting unique content and sharing content from related blogs to maintain credibility.

FINAL THOUGHTS: 

How do I create a successful business blog?  

Creating a successful business blog starts with defining success. What is success to you? Are you writing content to educate your audience to decrease sales time and support inquiries? Or are you writing a business blog to increase search engine rankings to warm up inbound leads?

For some, business writing is an academic exercise that is deeply fulfilling. For others, it is a means to an end for lead generation and new business development. While most agencies will tell you that success is determined by the output of content production, the truth is, success is measured by the input, which starts with you.

If you do not want to churn out cookie-cutter content, you need to be involved in the content production process. Success is a means to an end. But one thing remains true; success is determined by your participation level in the process.

 

The Future of Business Blogging in Web 3

How will business blogging fit into Web 3?

Blogging has a place in your Web3 content marketing strategy. Many new platforms have emerged like the Ethereum-based blogging platform Mirror.Xyz

Blockchain & Crypto Blogging Platforms

Are there any business blogging platforms built on Blockchain?

Steemit and Hive are two options but I do not recommend them for new users. They are very advanced and you can’t delete what you have written. WordProof is a plugin that we use to timestamp all of our content to the blockchain.

Decentralized blockchain platforms will continue to emerge but for now, we suggest adding a tool like WordProof to your site so you have more control.

Outsource Your Blog Content | Content Writing Agency | NYC

Ruby Media Group is a full-service, content-driven PR agency that elevates businesses through targeted, high–impact storytelling. Working in tandem with Ruby’s social media editorial team, our communications and marketing professionals create customized, brand-driven stories to reach your audience with the greatest impact. Using our proprietary social media profiling tool, we find the right channels to target your audience. Our PR team then develops compelling story angles based on the benefits you provide to your clients and potential clients. Through powerful B2B article placement, we amplify your business–driving a surge in leads and sales for your business.

Are you looking for a content marketing company to help your business get more inbound leads with content that converts? Contact us today. Search engine optimized content helps you rank faster if you want your content to appear on SERPs. Blog writing services include SEO and technical knowledge to upscale your B2B marketing campaign.

Are you ready to become a go-to expert in your industry but need executive thought leadership content?

Outsource your content creation. Services include content strategy, content optimization, SEO copywriting, SEO plan, blogger outreach, public relations. Get started today.

 

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*Date last updated 2023

RESOURCES

How to Craft Effective Content Calendars

 

About The Author

Kris Ruby is the CEO of content-writing agency Ruby Media Group. She is an award-winning and seasoned content marketer with over 15 years of experience. Kris has completed the AHREFS Academy Blogging for Business course and handles content marketing for private medical practices, bestselling authors and Top NY Doctors.