If you’re reading this, then you probably understand the value of maintaining a strong blog presence for your B2B brand. For instance, Blue Seedling’s blog is consistently an effective channel for generating inbound leads and retaining interested prospects.
As someone who has been writing blog posts regularly since 2014, I’ve learned what works – and what doesn’t – when it comes to writing blog posts. Here are 4 simple ways to upgrade your next blog post.
#1. Prioritize quality over quantity
You know how in school we had to write papers and essays that were a certain word count? Perhaps it’s ingrained in us during our school years, but sometimes we’re overcome with the urge to make our blog posts longer than necessary – most likely to make it seem like we’re providing more information.
But as long as it’s getting the message across and delivering value, word count is simply a number. And if it’s done right, a concise blog post can be impactful and a quick read – a win-win for you and the busy professionals you’re targeting.
Check out some of our shorter blog posts that our readers love:
- Today, I sent an email with a 100% open rate. Here’s what I did. (One of our shortest and most popular blog posts!)
- Extend your reach and budget: A quick guide to creating derivative content for B2B marketers
- Email deliverability tips you haven’t heard of
#2. Separate your core blog posts from your SEO-driven ones
SEO evangelists will preach a set of best practices for each of your blog posts to perform well in search engines. And while including certain keywords in specific places could help with SEO, it could also compromise the voice and quality of the content.
In most cases, we recommend that you separate your quality blog posts from the SEO-purposed ones. When you’re writing an SEO post, go crazy with the best practices. But when you’re writing a blog post to attract and retain readers with valuable, insightful, and on-brand content, there’s no need to get caught up on SEO.
#3. Feature (good) points from previous posts
Some marketers believe that blog posts shouldn’t be repetitive for fear that the overall post will seem boring or that readers won’t be interested in reading about the same topic again.
But if what you’re writing about is just that good – relevant to your audience, linked to a valuable resource, super on-trend at the moment (think generative AI in 2023) – then you should be taking full advantage of it. If a blog post, theme, link, attachment, or specific point really hit home with your readers, don’t hesitate to feature it again. In fact, recycling, refreshing, or updating an old, popular blog post is a great idea for your next one.
#4. Experiment with different formats
While a well-written blog post will deliver results, consider translating key points into different formats to make for easier reading or skimming.
For example:
- Tables allow lots of information to be presented in an organized manner.
- A visual aid, like a graph, can have a high impact and leave an impression on your readers.
- Bullet points make for easily digestible key takeaways. (See what I did here?)
The bottom line
Blogs continue to be a popular and well-utilized medium for B2B startups to educate and capture their target audience. Try out these simple tips for your next post, and happy blogging. 🙂
Further reading
