Whether you clicked through to read an article of this title because you think this might be a problem or if you’re just interested to see what I define as a disaster, you’re in luck. It’s no secret that some of the worst-plotted websites (at least in terms of content) are those that advertise hosting and design services.
Most hosting and design sites have such a cookie-cutter feel that it can be difficult to even spot the branding. When it comes to blogging, all most design services do is reblog press releases or curate entire blogs from other sources. None of the above will help get your site seen, but being smart about your blog and its positioning in your marketing plan can. With that in mind, here’s a handy checklist of items that could be dragging down the effectiveness of your blog.
1. Your Blog Is Too ‘Techy’
One of the biggest pitfalls of tech blogs is that they become so technical that even their clients — even some IT clients — find it necessary to research some of the bigger words or more obscure TLAs (three-letter acronyms). It’s important to not only know who will be reading your posts but also how savvy they are about the tech.
The best advice here is to write somewhere in the middle. If some of the language is a little heady for consumers, curiosity about the definitions could well open up a dialog that leads to a conversion. Don’t intentionally seed your copy with tech talk, though. An acronym or two should be plenty.
2. You Do All Your Own Writing
Technical professionals and technical writers are two different things. As a tech professional, you understand the technology that is part of your everyday. Technical writers, however, typically possess knowledge on a range of technical subjects. It makes sense, then, that you would want someone with technical writing experience, not just an understanding of the tech, to write your blog.
There are loads of technical writing services out there, but not all of them properly vet their writers before assigning tasks. As the owner of a copywriting company that deals in considerable volume with tech copy, I can tell you that knowing who is writing for you is not just a good idea; it’s mandatory. I can also tell you that consistency will fall by the wayside quickly if you rely on in-house staff to fill out your blog.
This is why I think you should contact BeezContent. We vet all our writers — staff and freelance — to make sure they can manage every task handed to them. This is true of any reputable custom writing service you may choose to hire.
3. You Don’t Do Any Writing
Sometimes, the pendulum swings in the exact opposite direction. You blog on a whim or just reblog curated content with no commentary or explanation. Your followers are not interested in being tossed a bone. What they want is a relationship with the brands they use, and they want to trust those brands as well.
Now, I ask you: how is anyone going to trust your brand if they either, a) never hear from you or, b) see you only reblogging other people’s content? The key to success with blogging is getting a good rhythm going and building on it. When content is expected and it shows up, it tells people loads about how you run your business … and how efficiently you’re bound to handle client requests.
Conversely, when content is expected and doesn’t show up, or just disappears for too long a time, people stop caring about it. They also stop following your brand and move on to a more engaging competitor. For the sake of your readers, your marketing budget, and your page rankings, be consistent with content delivery. It’s one of the most crucial factors for success.
4. Your Content Is All the Same
Another rut in which many tech-based blogs find themselves stuck is a woeful lack of diversity in blog content. Some blogs are nothing but product reviews. Some are nothing more than rewrites of other content. Some never get out of one subject area.
Now, I say this knowing full well that consistency is an important part of the process. On the surface, a blog that is only about one thing with one format is a good idea … if you’re writing in a very specific niche that only wants information on one thing. For everyone else, a little trial and error might be necessary here.
Test different blog styles and formats. See if your bounce rate improves by just changing the structure of a couple articles. Once you know what your audience likes, you can narrow down the content types to just a few and start rotating popular content in and out. It’s the best way to satisfy the largest number of readers and nurture valuable leads.
5. You Aren’t Promoting Properly
Since I brought up leads, your blog is the centerpiece for good content in any marketing plan, but it takes support content to make it a success. If you aren’t doing all of these things to promote your blog, the problem may not even be the blog; it might be the blogger …
E-mail — New blog posts require an email blast to your entire list or to the list segment that is most apt to interact positively with the content.
Social Media — Your blogs should be promoted on all social channels. Test individual blogs with different visuals in posts, tweets, etc. to determine the type(s) of visual messaging of which most of your audience take note.
Press Releases — Writing blog content around new product and service launches creates a fantastic opportunity to feature your post in a press release. This will stretch your reach a little further and help boost off-page SEO.
Come On, Get Relevant
As a closing thought, the one thing that most content in your industry lacks is a sense of evolving. The kind of static approach that worked in the 1990s just doesn’t work with an older millennial and emerging gen-Z customer base. Our web design copywriting professionals know how to target the right information to the right audience. Contact us today and learn how you can make your brand look more relevant with just a little tweaking to the quality and consistency of your content.
