Assessing Your Blogs: You Should Be Concerned If…

Is assessing your blogs part of your content strategy? It should be. Think about it. Bill Gates never completed product launches and simply moved on – he analyzed what went well and what flopped. On a much smaller scale, it’s up to you to do this kind of assessment with your blogs. As you review your blogs or upcoming editorial calendar, here are a few things that should send up red flags.

You Should Be Concerned If:

1. Your topic isn’t narrow enough. How do you know if your topic is too broad? If your piece is rambling, you’re trying to cover so much that it’s overwhelming or you’re shallowly talking about a number of different issues, your blog focus isn’t narrow enough. You want to become an expert in your field. Take your field and break it down into tiny, easily-digestible topics. Through your blogs, discuss the specifics of each topic in interesting and engaging ways. This brings us to our next issue…
2. Your topic is so boring, it doesn’t even interest you. This should be a no-brainer. If it’s paining you to proofread your blog, do you really think your readers will be intrigued? You need to ensure you relate to your topics in some way in order to make them interesting for your audience. Share a personal story or anecdote related to drier topics or pepper in some humor. The second part of preventing stale blogs is to engage with your readers. Ask them questions and request their input. Show them you want to hear from them and get them involved in the topic, too.
3. Your topic isn’t appropriate for your audience. First, do you know who your audience is? Have you tapped into Google Analytics to find out? It’s imperative to know who you are talking to, so you can do so appropriately. You wouldn’t speak to the president of a big company the same way you would speak to your workout buddy, right? Pinpoint your audience so you can nail your voice, style, and topics.
4. You’re saying the same old, same old. Yeah. Don’t do this. If you do a Google search and there are approximately 1,743 blogs about the same topic, you’ve got to either ditch it or give your own awesomely unique and engaging spin on it. If you can share your special perspective and stories and bring the topic to life in a new way, go for it. If not, move on.
5. You can’t tell what the purpose is. If you read your blog and aren’t sure what the point is, don’t you think your readers will feel the same way? Find your purpose with our help. You’re welcome.
6. You include no call to action. You know that feeling you hate when a movie ends without wrapping up all five loose ends? Don’t do that to your readers. Include clear calls to action in every one of your blogs. Tell them exactly what they need to do. Don’t leave them feeling like they’ve just watched the ending of Inception, not knowing what’s real and what’s not. Lead them directly to the trough you’d like them to drink from.

And there you have it. Our list of “no-nos” to help you draft more blogs that make you readers say “Yes!” If you’re stuck, or you find that your content could use a fresh voice or some added pizazz, contact us at Rampant Social. We can help you establish an editorial calendar and blog that leaves your readers waiting for your next piece of insight.