Is Your Blog Worth Subscribing To?

So, you have a blog that you regularly post to. Chances are fairly good that you either write your blog, or you employ a marketing company to write it for you. Either way, you probably read the content prior to it going live, so it’s important that you ask yourself one question: If this blog wasn’t published by your company, would you still read it? Let’s examine the dynamics of a properly optimized, yet interesting and readable blog that people would want to subscribe to.

First, let’s preface this conversation with one simple truth: there are some subjects that are just plain boring. If you’re in the type of industry that is regularly referred to as uninteresting, you’re at a slight disadvantage, but certainly not one that you cannot overcome. An interesting, thought provoking, well-trafficked blog is attainable regardless of the subject matter. Ultimately, it all depends upon the writing style.

There are a variety of writing tactics that you can employ to help make your writing more interesting. For starters, you don’t need to talk solely about your company. While it is a good idea to discuss a topic that is at least related to your industry, you don’t need to use your blog to solely peddle your services. Talk about your competitors sometimes. Realize that if someone out there is reading your blog, that person may be reading other blogs within your industry (i.e. your competitors). If you’re solely talking about your own company, it may be construed that you’re avoiding your competition, when this should never be the case. In the end, you should be proud of your services, and willing to put those services up against those of your competition. Readers will recognize your willingness to compare yourself to other brands, and will reward you for it by continuing to read your blog.

You can also talk about services that may not be directly connected to your industry, but that are indirectly connected to it. For example, if you own a moving company, it would be perfectly logical to write a blog about the housing market, particularly if new home sales are on the rise (i.e. new home sales increasing = more people moving = greater demand for moving companies). In the end, it’s important to remember that your blog is not only supposed to peak interest enough to obtain subscribers, it should also be properly optimized with keywords and phrases so that it ranks well amongst search results. If your blog cannot be found with (relative) ease, then no one is going to potentially be reading it anyway.

In short, make use of your keywords, but be interesting and conversational. Work key phrases into your writing in an organic way. Don’t sound like you’re trying to pitch your company, and don’t use industry jargon that people won’t necessarily appreciate. Think of your blog like a conversation you’re having face-to-face with someone on the street. If you anticipate that person tuning out what you’re saying, you’re doing something wrong.