We’ve discussed the importance of blogging before. A regularly maintained blog not only positions you as a subject matter expert, it helps drive traffic to your site and can generate leads. So how does one increase the value of a blog and drive people to it? Here’s some tips:
Post as often as possible
Finding interesting and relevant topics to write about can be a challenge, but studies show that the more you update your blog, the more people will visit. According to a study by Hubspot, companies that published 16 or more blog posts per month got almost 3-1/2 times more traffic and almost 4-1/2 times more leads than those who posted fewer than four times a month.
Know your audience
Of course, as with every communication with clients and prospects, you have to know what drives and engages them and write posts that speak to those core interests. For senior care companies, topics about healthy aging, medical breakthroughs, caregiving, and how to cope with the challenges of growing older are usually very popular topics.
Write compelling headlines
The headline is what will determine whether or not someone clicks on the article. Things that promise a benefit (Six Ways to Lose Weight, Creating a Plan for Better Aging) tend to do better than simple factual ones. A good example of a “benefit” headline was this recent blog post by our client, LifeCare Advocates.
Include a visual element
The Web is a highly visual medium and a photo or other image is going to create another level of interest in your post. Studies show that blog posts with images have better readership.
Use lots of links
If you’re writing a blog post about a company event and you mention another company who helped sponsor or plan the event, add a link to their website, like our client AMR Care Group did here. If you’ve written about a topic before, link back to the previous post about that topic, as we did in the opening paragraph of this post.
Use social media to promote your posts
One of the easiest ways to promote your blog is through social media. Share your latest blog post across as many networks as you have – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest – and don’t forget LinkedIn, which can be a powerful lead generation tool.
Promote your posts through an email newsletter
Email is an often-overlooked aspect of online marketing, but one of the most effective. Get more mileage from your blog posts by creating an email newsletter, using your blog posts as content and driving people back to your site.
IlluminAge can help you with blog content through our AgeWise program – or for more customized content, try our EngAge program. Contact us today to learn how we can help you create a dynamic and engaging blog.