B2B companies face unique challenges when it comes to creating high-performance blogs. Research shows that 60% struggle to create engaging content, and 64% outsource blog copywriting. However, prioritizing blogging can pay off – B2B companies that do so are 13 times more likely to have a positive ROI on their efforts.
Even then, many readers admit to skimming through posts. This means that to capture your readers’ attention truly, your blog needs to be more than just well-written – it needs to be optimized for readability, SEO, and engagement.
In this article, we’ll share our top strategies for creating outstanding blogs to help you establish your brand, engage your audience, and achieve your marketing goals.
Our Top Strategies For Creating High-Performance Blogs
You have approximately 8 seconds to grab the attention of a potential client with a blog post you possibly spent 4 hours, or more, creating. It’s a more tasking feat than with a social media ad or jingle because it requires a more strategic and thoughtful approach.
Here’s what’s common with creating high-performance blogs and how you can create yours too:
1. Content structure
Your content structure is the framework and backbone of your ideas, beginning with your title.
Use a captivating headline:
The most attractive titles win the most clicks because the word choice instills a sense of urgency, importance, and credibility, fueling an interest to read and find answers.
Creating a captivating headline requires being clear and concise, using strong and specific words, including numbers, asking questions, and even using humor when appropriate.
For example, you are more likely to read a blog post titled “5 Beautiful Design Ideas For Your Office” than another titled “How to Design Your Office”.
Snazzy introduction:
Our SFIT framework is a perfect guide for creating snazzy introductions.
Statement – This introduces your article’s main argument and takes a bold standpoint. This statement sets the tone for the rest of the article and clarifies what the article is about.
Fact – This fact can be a statistic or data point that supports the statement and adds weight to the argument being made.
Instance – After comes what explains and relates the statement and fact to a practical setting or scenario. This instance helps to make the argument more relatable and understandable for the audience.
Translation – Your intro finally ends with a leading statement highlighting what comes next, smoothly transitioning from the introduction to the main content.
In 100-150 words, you should have your reader hanging on to every word.
Break up your text with subheadings:
Breaking up your text with subheadings helps your content to breathe, as it prevents it from appearing as a wall of text, which can be daunting and uninviting.
It also enables readers to scan through your content quickly, making it easier for them to find the information they are looking for.
Effective subheadings should be clear, concise, and descriptive. They should give readers an overview of the section’s content and entice them to continue reading.
When crafting subheadings, you should use keywords that accurately reflect the topic or theme of the section, as this can also help your content rank higher in search engines.
If there are too many subheadings, it can make the article feel disjointed and difficult to follow, as readers can feel like they are being led in too many different directions.
Additionally, using too many subheadings can dilute the impact of each one, making them less effective at guiding the reader through the content.
Readable and engaging body:
It’s a widely-known misconception that business blogs should use jargon and verbose sentences to convey importance but even highly-educated readers want clear texts that are scannable and easy to understand.
This is why you should consider using a conversational tone in your writing to make your content more relatable and engaging. This means avoiding overly formal or technical language, and instead writing in a way that feels like you are conversing with your readers.
It also means using bullet points, short sentences, and paragraphs to keep your readers’ attention and make your content easy to digest.
Additionally, it requires a combination of original insights and industry analysis presented clearly and compellingly. Look for patterns or gaps in the information you have gathered. This may involve challenging assumptions or proposing new ideas based on your analysis.
Use examples and evidence to support your arguments and make your work more engaging. This may involve citing statistics, case studies, or anecdotes to help illustrate your points.
Worth reading: The Importance of Clarity and Simplicity In Business Writing
Jazzy conclusion:
Leave a lasting impression on your readers by tying together all the ideas you have presented in your post. Just like a jazz performance, a good conclusion can be unexpected, captivating, and leave your readers wanting more.
Reinforce the key takeaways of your article in a summary, and consider using a powerful statement such as a call-to-action or memorable quote that captures the essence of your blog post.
2. Visually stimulating designs
The human brain processes images much faster than text, so incorporating eye-catching visuals in your blog posts can help grab your reader’s attention and keep them engaged.
But it’s not just about choosing any image. The images you use should be relevant to your topic and support the message you’re trying to convey.
Creating an aesthetically pleasing layout with a good balance of text and visuals can increase the likelihood that your readers will stick around to consume your entire post.
Here are some tips for using visually stimulating designs when creating high-performance blogs:
Choose a visually appealing theme:
Your blog’s theme is the foundation of its design, so choose a theme that is visually appealing and easy to navigate. Make sure the theme is mobile-responsive and optimized for fast loading times.
Use high-quality images:
Use relevant high-quality images and make sure the images are optimized for web use to ensure that they load quickly.
Incorporate infographics and charts:
Infographics and charts can help to visualize complex information and make it easier for your audience to understand. Use design tools like Canva or Piktochart to create custom infographics and charts.
Use typography to enhance readability:
Choose a font that is easy to read and use typography to enhance the hierarchy of your content. Apply larger fonts to headings and subheadings, and smaller fonts for body text.
Create a visual hierarchy:
Use design elements like color, contrast, and spacing to create a visual hierarchy and guide your audience through your content. Consider bold or contrasting colors for important elements like call-to-action buttons or links.
Incorporate multimedia:
Use multimedia elements like videos or slideshows to add variety to your content and keep your audience engaged. Make sure the multimedia is relevant and high-quality.
3. Search engine optimization (SEO)
Creating high-performance blogs typically puts your focus on one thing: to appear on the first page of search engine results. This outcome is largely influenced by your SEO strategy, which plays a crucial role in determining the visibility and ranking of articles in search engine result pages.
Here are some key SEO elements to keep in mind when crafting a blog post:
Keyword research:
Identify the keywords and phrases that your target audience is using to search for information on your topic. Integrate these keywords into your post, including in the title, headings, and body text, but avoid excessive use of them as this could result in a penalty.
Meta descriptions:
The meta description is a summary that appears in search results below the title and URL. It should be a concise, compelling summary of your blog post, including your target keyword.
URL structure:
Your blog post’s URL should be concise, and descriptive, and include your target keyword. Avoid lengthy strings of numbers or symbols.
Internal linking:
Link to other relevant pages on your website within your blog post. This helps search engines understand the structure of your website and can improve your rankings.
Image optimization:
Optimize your images by adding descriptive alt tags that include your target keyword. This can help your images appear in image search results, driving even more traffic to your post.
4. Strategic promotion and partnership
Creating great content is not enough to drive traffic and engagement to your blog. It would help if you also had a clear promotion strategy that targets your ideal audience.
By collaborating with other brands and thought leaders, you can tap into their network and leverage their audience to promote your blog. In addition. identify the social media platforms where your target audience is most active and focus your efforts there.
There are other ways to boost your audience and interaction. One of these is to send out newsletters and updates, which is particularly effective for businesses that rely on email marketing.
Additionally, you can engage in conversations and share your posts to build connections with potential clients. Doing this will help you establish yourself as an authority in your area of expertise.
5. Leverage analytics
By tracking and analyzing data related to your blog’s performance, you can gain valuable insights into what’s working and what’s not. This, in turn, can help you optimize your content and create more effective blog posts.
One key metric to track is engagement. This can include metrics such as time on page, bounce rate, and click-through rate. By analyzing these metrics, you can determine which posts are resonating with your audience and which ones aren’t.
Another important metric to track is traffic sources. By understanding where your traffic is coming from, you can better target your content and promotion efforts to reach your desired audience.
For example, if you notice that a significant portion of your traffic is coming from social media, you might consider increasing your social media activity or experimenting with different types of social media content.
Finally, tracking conversions is essential to understanding the ROI of your blog. Conversions can include things like form fills, email signups, or product purchases. You can determine which blog posts are driving the most conversions and optimize your content to drive even more.
In summary
Creating high-performance blogs takes more than just good writing skills.
First, focus on creating valuable and relevant content that speaks to your audience’s pain points and interests.
Second, prioritize search engine optimization to ensure your content is discoverable and attracts organic traffic.
Third, don’t underestimate the power of visual content. Incorporating eye-catching images, infographics, and videos can significantly increase engagement and make your content more easily digestible.
Fourth, make use of social media and other distribution channels to expand your reach and promote your content.
Finally, track and analyze your blog’s performance using analytics to gain insights into what’s working and what’s not.
With these 5 insights, a marketing dedicated team, and high-impact tools in our arsenal, Ojehs. is in the best position to help you build a blog property that stands out from the crowd and drives meaningful results for your business.