Not just another blog post: 5 tips for blogs that make an impact

In the ever-more-crowded digital world, just creating content isn’t enough. You have to create content that gets discovered, speaks to your audience, inspires them to take action.

Many business owners complain that they see a positive impact on website traffic from creating content, but it doesn’t translate to leads or sales. In fact, blogs have an average ‘bounce rate’ of 70-90% – meaning people read posts without taking any action afterwards.

So, how do you solve a problem like an unengaging blog post?

1. Know your audience. Take time to understand your audience’s needs, speak their language, and create content to help them solve problems or overcome challenges by giving them the information and expert insight they need.

2. Add value, always. What do you want your readers to take away from your content? How do you want them to feel after reading it? What action do you want them to take? Answering these questions will help you structure your content in a way that adds value to your audience, every time.

3. Have a clear structure. Blogs are most compelling to read when they have a clear beginning, middle and end.

• The beginning sets the scene, offers key statistics that back up your reason for writing, and outlines what you’ll be discussing and why
• The middle explores the issue and its impact, as well as potential solutions
• The end includes a summary of key takeaways, an impactful closing statement, and a call to action.

4. Make blogs easy to skim. Most people skim blogs to find the information they need, and nothing is more off-putting than a wall of text. To help people find the information the need:

• Use headings and subheadings
• Include numbered and bullet-pointed lists
• Highlight key quotes
• Signpost to other relevant blog posts and pages on your site (this helps your bounce rate too!)

5. Trust yourself. Don’t second-guess yourself, worry about getting things wrong, or fear nobody cares what you have to say. Write honestly, authentically, and don’t be afraid to show your passion. That’s more engaging than anything else.

Alice Reeves, is Co-Founder and Director of The Joyful and The Joyful Academy and has more than a decade of experience in journalism, copywriting/editing, and content marketing. 

She ran a Bite-sized Learning event for Brighton Chamber: How to blog like a pro. For more learning and topical events, head over to our events page, or sign up to our mailing list to stay up-to-date with the newest events from Brighton Chamber. 

If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk