Blogging has become ubiquitous these days, and that’s why it’s so hard to stand apart and stand out. Chances are, your niche is already taken. So instead of regurgitating the same content, try to write differently. So don’t go making rookie mistakes. Instead rise above, and create something that discerns you from the rest.
Here are 5 mistakes that cripple blogs.
1. Writing without a Defined Target Audience
Catering to a niche audience is Marketing 101. You have to choose an audience to blog for. Niche blogging attracts specific readers who are interested in your content and want to learn more.
They’re more likely to return and keep reading and even share with their friends. If you write for everyone under the sun, you’ll risk losing readers that were attracted because of a previous post.
2. Not Creating an Email List
An Email List is a record of your most loyal readers. It allows you to send out a weekly or bi-weekly newsletter to keep your audience updated. It’s 40 times more effective than social media. It keeps your most loyal readers engaged and interested. Without an email list, you’ll risk losing your most valuable asset. These are critical blogging mistakes.
3. Blogging without a Schedule
Whatever topics or marketing techniques you choose; you’ll have to be a consistent blogger. This is the internet. If you don’t deliver consistent content, you will become irrelevant. That’s why it’s best to stick to a schedule. Whether you post weekly, bi-weekly or tri-weekly, stick to the schedule.
That way, people will start expecting you to post and keep checking in for more. The smart is to reward their loyalty and interest, otherwise expect continuously diminishing returns.
4. Relying on SEO or Social Media for Traffic
Instead of relying on keywords and social media promotions, think of writing for your audience. Google’s search algorithm has been continuously updated to avoid spammy web pages with sparse or little useful content.
Don’t disregard keywords entirely, but don’t make them your only plan of action. They’ll only get you short spikes instead of steady, sustainable, organic growth.
5. Neglecting Persuasive Copywriting Techniques
The most experienced bloggers ensure that their posts contain certain elements which aren’t immediately obvious to novices. Their introduction and headline hooks you and they empathize with the reader’s pain points.
It’s about getting the audience’s attention and giving them information they can actually use. A traditional structure that reads like a news piece or a normal post won’t get as much traction. It’s one of the biggest mistakes that cripple blogs. Here are a few copywriting techniques that’ll get your reader’s attention:
Use AIDA
AIDA (ATTENTION INTEREST DESIRE ACTION) is a marketing technique that helps push any blog post or advert. ATTENTION relates to a catchy headline or introduction. INTEREST pertains to useful or actionable information in the blog.
DESIRE relates to the benefits listed in the blog that will interest the reader. ACTION relates to the Call to Action (CTA) that is necessary to direct the reader to the product/service you’re promoting.
Talk About Benefits NOT Features
If you’re pushing a product or a service, talk about the benefits. If you talk about the features instead, readers won’t immediately get why the information is good for them. So make your blogs benefit-centric.
Get Personal
Readers care about fulfilling their own needs. So put more of them and less of you in your own blog post. Speak to your reader directly so they know whatever is in the post pertains to them specifically.
