Yay! You started a blog! Likely because you kept hearing people talk about how important it was.
But wait…where are all the readers?
Well, as you’ve probably started to realize, there’s more to blogging than meets the eye. So if your blog readership needs a little boost, try incorporating some of these best practices:
Focus on your member personas
Blogging is the perfect opportunity to attract and engage your member personas. What are member personas, you ask? Well, they’re semi-fictional representations of your ideal members based on market research and real data about your existing members. By focusing your efforts on these key individuals, you’re more likely to attract qualified traffic to your organization’s website.
Optimize your posts for search
In order to leverage the full potential of your content, you need to optimize your posts for search. To do this, be sure to include one or two high-ranking keywords in the titles of your posts, as well as in the URL. It’s also important to utilize a responsive design, as Google favors sites that are mobile-friendly.
Blog consistently and frequently
The more you blog, the better. Now as an association professional, we know you’re busy. You don’t have time to write 3+ posts from scratch each week. But not to worry. If your organization already has valuable content (i.e. a whitepaper, an eBook, etc.), take pieces of those documents and convert them into blog posts. This is a quick and easy way to keep your site active and engaging.
Incorporate great formatting and imagery
Bloggers are so focused on writing copy that they often forget about formatting and imagery. But bad formatting can actually be a deal breaker for many readers. Make your posts easy to read by including headers, subheads, and bulleted lists, when possible. You’ll also want to include high-quality images whenever incorporating pictures.
Don’t forget a call-to-action
Blog posts are a great way to convert your website visitors into contacts. But in order to do that, you’ll need to include a call-to-action, or CTA. CTAs are words or phrases that try to provoke an immediate response, such as “Download Whitepaper” or “Get Free eBook.” Remember: In order for CTAs to be effective, they need to be explicit and enticing.
Hey, the more people that come to your website, the better, right? Especially if they’re qualified! For more tips on attracting qualified traffic to your organization’s website, download our free inbound marketing guide below!
