There are a lot of articles out there that tell you that your blog is one of the most important parts of your website, but if you’re like most, you probably haven’t seen much evidence to back up that opinion. No one, except for the occasional spammer, seems to pay any attention to the content, so why is it there? “For SEO purposes” is the most common answer, but here’s my question for you for today: What if you could get more mileage out of that content? What if your blog was directly responsible for more conversions? It could be, and it should be.
Chances are you’re paying for the copy on your blog, and, obviously, you want (and should expect) it to be good on the off chance that someone actually reads it. I really think you need to raise the bar on your expectations, though. That copy can work a lot harder and go a lot further. Want to know how? Keep reading.
Key Elements to Engaging Copy
For starters, you don’t just want people to “read” your blog. You want them to engage with it. Several things should be part of your blog to make that happen.
First and foremost, you need to provide your audience with content that means something to them. Your blog posts should always be on point and answer the question of why your brand is so important to the reader before he or she has the chance to wonder or ask.
Next, your blog posts need to be applicable to the lives and experiences of the people reading it. This is not the story of how someone simply discovered a product, but how the product discovered the person. It’s the story of how this product has known the person his or her entire life and has been waiting for this moment to reveal itself in this way (and a blog can manage an epic reveal in any number of ways and from a seemingly infinite number of perspectives).
Next, your blog titles and visuals need to immediately draw the reader in. Neglect either one, and you’re sacrificing engagement.
Finally, all effective blogs have a clear call to action. Whether you decide to ask for a sale or simply direct people to like and share your post on social media, a CTA will really help you increase engagement.
Getting Your Audience to Engage
So now you have the setup strategy, you also need to ensure that engagement happens. How do you do that? Simple: You start a conversation with your copy. Keep the focus on the reader. Speak with a voice that communicates friendliness and respect. Take an active interest in the reader with your copy.
Every post should have three key parts: a compelling title, a conflict, and a resolution. If you haven’t figured out yet what problems or pain your product or service alleviates for the customer, it’s time to make a list and incorporate elements of that list into each and every blog post. This is also a vital part of virtually every other marketing strategy you will ever put together, so it’s well worth hashing out now.
One of the best ways to capture and maintain engagement is to ask lots of questions in your posts and leave them open-ended. Sometimes you’ll answer them; sometimes you’ll solicit answers from your readers. You don’t want to end every blog post with a gratuitous call for discussion, but for some topics, it’s a great way to get a conversation going. It also helps if some of the questions you ask have a slight element of controversy – enough to spur discussion but not enough to start a flame war on your website.
Beyond the Blog
The last and, arguably, most important part of your engagement strategy is to make your content shareable. You want to either directly or indirectly encourage sharing by making your social media buttons easy to find and easy to use. “Know anyone who’s an expert on this and might want to weigh in? Share this post with them, and let’s keep the conversation going!”
So there you have it: a perfect recipe for increasing blog engagement. If you’ve been going it alone and you’re worried about whether you’re covering all the bases in your writing, why not see what kind of difference working with a professional copywriting company can make? Many of the best blogs out there are fueled by freelancers and agencies who have had loads of experience elevating the effectiveness of copy in countless industries and niches. We’re here to help if you need us, and we know how to make your blog content more engaging.