There’s more to writing a successful blog post than words. I know, the irony?! Writing a blog post that’s informative, engaging and connects with your target audience isn’t easy. But it’s not impossible either.
Consistent blog posts are critical for any business seeking to grow its online presence. They generate traffic to your website and increase your search engine optimisation (SEO), meaning profitable conversion growth and sales.
For B2B businesses, content creation is a vital investment. It drives organic SEO – and Google loves a great optimised blog post – as well as demonstrating that your business is an expert in its field. A voice people should, and want to, listen to.
This is where a blog comes in. It helps to represent and promote your company and brand, generates growth, and engrosses the audience in your content. Having an online presence, through successful blog articles and social media platforms, is beneficial when building trusting relationships between business and consumer.
Here are 6 simple steps to writing a successful B2B blog post:
1. Write a compelling headline
Your headline is your elevator pitch. This is your moment to capture your target audience’s attention, or they’ll scroll on. Like an elevator pitch, the purpose of your headline isn’t to give away everything there and then, but to spark enough interest so they want to click and find out more.
The blog headline must give the reader an idea of what the post is about and entice them to read your opening paragraph and introduction. Arguably, the headline of your blog is more important than the content within it. Using words to evoke emotion will lead to a winning B2B blog post that converts your target audience from passive to active consumers.
When writing a captivating headline for your B2B blog post, there are different types you can use. Some popular formulas include:
- Numbers and lists (i.e. 5 simple steps to… or 8 reasons why you should…)
- Tutorials (i.e. How to choose the right MSP for your business)
- Reviews (i.e. Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace: Which is better? Or [number] benefits of outsourcing your IT).
2. Enticing first line & introduction
So, you’ve got their attention, now what?
Your first sentence or short introduction needs to be clear, concise and straight to the point. The message needs to be apparent and relevant from the get-go. Like a book, you want the opening sentence and paragraph to intrigue your readers enough to move onto the next paragraph.
Engaging ways to start your blog include:
- Asking a question
- Using interesting quote
- Sharing a surprising statistic
- Using an anecdote to start a story.
3. Relevant subheads
The formatting and readability of your blog post will determine its appeal. Break. Your. Blog. Up.
Subheads break up your blog post into distinct, easily digestible sections that are more appealing and easier to read. Subheads not only benefit the reader, but they also help stay organised when constructing the blog post. They give you a clear outline for where your post is going and keeping the content relevant.
Additionally, subheadings can boost your SEO by using phrases that convey your message rather than one- or two-word subheads. This increases searchability and boosts Google ranking.
4. Main blog content
Underneath your subheadings will be the main copy you want to share. After deciding that your reader wants to read on, they’ll want to know they’re in the right place. The information you share must be engaging and informative. Fact check everything and avoid using overcomplicated vocabulary. The simpler the language, the easier the readability.
You don’t need to fill your content with extensive keyword usage in every sentence for Google to recognise your post and rank it accordingly. If your blog post uses simple language and the purpose is clear, Google can pick it up and categorise where your content sits online.
5. Use relevant images
Break up your text with eye-catching pictures to keep your readers engaged.
Be sure to include alt text for all your images to improve your SEO and user experience. This is the text that shows in place of an image on a webpage if the image fails to load. You’ll see the option to write one when you upload an image, and it’s a good idea to use your keywords where relevant.
You can get royalty-free stock images for free from websites like Pexels, Unsplash and Pixabay. Shutterstock is also a great source for images but it’s not free.
6. Summary & call to action
Your conclusion is the opportunity to bring everything together and generate a call to action (CTA). Every B2B blog post needs a CTA, and they change depending on what you want a reader to do once they’ve read your blog.
Whether that’s to follow you on socials or get in touch to find out more, use your CTA to direct your audience to the next step. You want your blog post to do more than provide information. You want your reader to come away feeling inspired and acting on what you’ve told them.
That’s only the start. There are lots of elements you can include to write a successful B2B blog post that meets your business and customer needs. The following are other important factors that can make your B2B blog posts more appealing and SEO-friendly:
- Picking a topic that’s relevant and on brand
- Being consistent with content and making a plan
- Including internal links to pages on your website
- Including external links to other reputable websites.
Pro tip: Once you’ve published your blog, remember to share it! Post the link on your socials and encourage people to like and comment. Later, pick out key information from your blog and turn them into instant social media posts.
What are you waiting for? Go and write that engaging B2B blog post today! If you need more help with your blogs, I can help. Contact me today.