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Tips for Writing a Blog Post for Your Raleigh Business

9/21/2021 | admin

Writing

For some people, content creation it's a creative outlet—a blank slate from which creative thoughts and ideas flow. For others, it's akin to having a root canal. In fact, many people out there would rather have a root canal performed than write a blog post. Blogging should be an essential part of your marketing toolkit. It can provide a wealth of valuable information to potential customers, show them that you're a thought leader, and even have a chance at ranking well in the organic search results for keywords that can drive new business. We want to share with you a few tips on how even the most reluctant business owner can quickly write a blog without having to channel their inner Wordsworth. Of course, you can always hire a professional writer, but if you'd prefer to keep things in-house, here's a quick lesson on how to write a blog post.

Step 1: Content Creation

Before you put literal or proverbial pen to paper, you'll want to come up with a blog post idea. One of the quickest and most effective ways of doing this is to consider and write down your customer pain points. What challenges do they face that your business can solve? For example, if you're a plumber, you might go with:

How to unclog my sink
How to fix my sprinkler system
Signs I need to upgrade my plumbing

The pain point should serve as the title of your blog post and a starting point from which you can expand upon. Remember that you're not giving away any information that isn't already out there on the internet. Unclogging a sink can be done by a handy homeowner. However, the fact that they read your blog post for tips means that you're probably going to be the first person they call when they have a severe plumbing issue.

Step 2: Types of Blog posts

There are six common types of blog posts that you can use Infographic— An infographic is a colorful design that people can share via social media and other image-sharing sites. You'll probably require the services of a graphic designer for the best chances of success.

Newsjacking—Newsjacking is the process of taking a current news story, repeating the gist of it, then providing your unique thoughts. For example, if there is a controversy in your niche, briefly talk about it in your blog post, then explain why you agree or disagree. The "Ultimate Guide" post — An "ultimate guide" is usually a guide that's 1,000 words or longer and provides a wealth of information about a subject. List-Based post — A list-based post is simply a list. "Top ten ways to keep your garden green year-round' is a good example. "How To" post — The "how to" post tells the reader how to do something. For example, "how to safely unclog a toilet." "What Is?" post — The "what is" blog post informs the reader. For example, "What is the best way to maintain my car."

Step 3: Create an Outline

Now that you've got the content ideas down and the type of blog post you'll write, you'll need to create an outline. An introductory blog post outline is as follows:

Title
Intro — 1-2 paragraphs that introduce an overall topic and generate interest in the reader's mind.
Subheader 1 — 1-2 paragraphs of a unique idea
Subheader 2 — 1-2 paragraphs of a unique idea
Subheader 3 — 1-2 paragraphs of a unique idea
Subheader 4 — 1-2 paragraphs of a unique idea
Subheader 5 — 1-2 paragraphs of a unique idea
Conclusion and Call-to-Action — 1-2 paragraphs summarizing the blog post and request the reader perform an action such as "Contact Us."

To see the above outline in action, simply look at this blog post that you're currently reading.

Step 4: Time to Write!

If you follow the above steps, you'll find that writing the blog post will come naturally. Don't worry about grammar or readability just yet. There's a free tool out there that we'll talk about in the next step. Here are a few writing tips for your consideration.

Keep paragraphs short—no more than 3-4 lines.
Break up information with bullet points. This makes your blog post much easier to read.
Don't use technical or overly flowery language. Keep it simple so that anyone can read and digest it.
Vary the length of your sentence. This will help prevent it from sounding monotonous and boring.
Link out to authoritative sources, such as government websites, college websites (.edu), and other non-competitive sites. This can help improve the SEO of the blog post and provides readers with value.
After each period, only use a single space. If you grew up in the pre-internet days, your high school typing class probably taught you to double-space. That's no longer relevant, and single space is the new norm.

Step 5: Edit

For this step, you can hire a professional editor or take advantage of free tools such as Grammarly and Hemmingway. You can cut and paste the content you wrote into either of these two free tools, and they will provide you with grammar and readability suggestions that will help improve the blog post.

Copywriting and Content Marketing in Raleigh

We hope this blog post has provided you with an easy way to create an effective and valuable blog post. However, if you're still struggling, give the marketing experts at AlphaGraphics of Downtown Raleigh a call. We can help with your blog post and content marketing efforts and provide you with a turn-key solution. To learn more about how AlphaGraphics of Downtown Raleigh can help with your sign and marketing needs, you may email us, request a quote, or call us at (919) 832-2828.

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