Article by Kelly Gregorio of Advantage Capital Funds.
As a small business owner you’ve worked hard to get your blog up and running. In addition to the daily tasks and responsibilities demanded by your business, you took it upon yourself to create a virtual voice with an industry specific blog. Countless hours and content creation has led you to this point: the point at which you gained an audience.
Whether it’s confirmed by Facebook likes or conversation in your comments section, there’s no denying you have a following. The question now is: what do you do with them? Read on to discover four tips for your blogging routine that will not only entertain your audience but will keep them coming back for more.
Be a Source of Inspiration
People browse blogs for a variety of reasons, inspiration being one of the biggest. In addition to your educational how-tos, be sure that you’re stirring up emotions in your readers as well. Your goal with every post should be to inspire readers to look at things differently, or try something new.
Empathy is the path to inspiration; strive to think like your readers in an effort to make a connection. Sprinkle some understanding in the paragraphs of your blog posts and talk to, not at your audience. Posts on tips and tricks can only go so far, if you want to engage your readers, you’ll need to ignite something within them that will encourage them to think.
Mix up the Media
Blog posts can easily go stale. By mixing up the types of media and the methods of delivery, you can keep audience members on their toes and returning to see what form of entertainment you’ll present next.
From behind-the-scenes videos, to industry-related interviews, there is a plethora of ways in which you can both educate and entertain your readers. Not only will a move like this keep them interested, but it will also beat blogging boredom on your end as well.
Tell a Story
Sure, blogging in its simplest form can be short and sweet; but if you’ve captured your audience, your writing is interesting enough to have them sit and stay a while. Avoid the robotic format that mundane blogging can sometimes program you to do.
Instead consider telling a story with a longer, more intriguing introduction compared to classic posts. Try incorporating metaphors and personal narratives to not only inform readers but to wholeheartedly engage them in your piece. Be sure to include some bullet points and/or bold print, leaving speed-readers still satisfied within your lengthier posts.
Questions, Questions, Questions
Be sure to ask questions at the end of each post as a way to encourage readers to leave comments. If you’re hip to Twitter, you might even try branding certain posts with hashtags, enabling people to share and conversations to continue on other social media outlets.
If things really start to take off, consider adding an “ask us anything” tab to your website. Not only will readers be thrilled with personalized posts based on their most pressing questions, but a move like this can act as your own collector of content ideas.
How do you keep your blogging audience entertained?
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Kelly Gregorio writes about topics that affect small businesses and entrepreneurs while working at Advantage Capital Funds, a provider of merchant cash advances. You can read her daily business blog here.