Your social enterprise blog may be full of valuable advice, but if you haven’t grown and nurtured an audience, it’s unlikely to be widely read. To build a social enterprise blog following, you need to put your content in front of your target audience and give readers good reason to keep returning for your new posts. If you’re ready to increase your readership, give these tips a try.
Reach your audience
In order to build a following, you first need to reach your audience. And with the amount of worthwhile blogs and other reading out there, even enthusiastic readers can’t be counted on to return to your blog without regular reminders of your content.
Consider how you can promote your posts across channels. Depending on the topics you cover and where your audiences find information, you may want to share all of your posts across your social media accounts, or post them to particular channels depending on each one’s focus. You can boost these posts for a small investment to reach more people outside of your existing network.
To grow your readership further, be sure to SEO-optimize your posts with keywords your audience is likely to search. You can also increase your presence in search by adding posts to Google My Business. These expire each week and need to be updated to keep content fresh, but, like a search ad, can capture a searcher’s attention right at the moment they are looking for it.
Catch your readers’ interest
As you craft a blog strategy and write your posts, remember the principles of good writing. It’s unlikely that you will be the only person on the Internet making a specific point. To stand out and build a social enterprise blog following, you need to create posts that are more enjoyable to read and make their points clearly. Spend time editing your own work, and get feedback from others so your published posts are the best they can be.
Follow the “show, don’t tell” rule. When you can, use compelling stories and examples to engage your reader. Pair these anecdotes with data to illustrate your points. Incorporate visuals thoughtfully, so they complement the text. Looking for inspiration? Over the past few years, interactive journalism has pushed the envelope in terms of exciting new methods of telling stories through combinations of text, images, data visualizations, audio and video.
Video can also grab your audience’s attention, but you should incorporate it with care. Think through what aspects of your blog would be best conveyed in video, and which are actually strongest as text. You can also incorporate podcasts or other forms of audio. For more on how to avoid pitfalls of the “pivot to video” and instead build video into your marketing strategically, read Sophia Bernazzani’s Hubspot post “Why the ‘Pivot to Video’ Is Dangerous for Publishers.”
Showcase a range of perspectives
Don’t limit your blog to a single point of view. Instead, ask a variety of collaborators to share their expertise, either as contributors or through interviews. Even if you already have several people writing for your blog, take some time to think about the topics and perspectives you’re missing. Do you have employees, board members or other internal stakeholders who could add a new angle to your story? What about the people who benefit from your products or services?
Make it actionable
Make it easy for readers to take action based on what you’re sharing. Use tools like Hubspot’s lead flows and embedded forms to encourage readers to sign up for your blog digest or company newsletter so you can share upcoming posts with them. You can also end your posts with calls-to-action encouraging your readers to RSVP to your events, make a purchase, follow your company on social media or join your cause.
