Blogging is a great tool for keeping your website fresh and engaging. A good blog builds a customer base, drives more traffic to your website, and improves your SEO efforts.
No two businesses are alike, and neither are any two blogs. They are easy to adapt to suit the needs of your brand. Depending on the nature of your business, you can select a format that works for you. When you develop a template for your blogs, it will also make it easier to brainstorm new posts.
Looking for Something Groundbreaking?
If you hold off until you think of life-changing content, you’re in for a long wait. A small business’s blog probably won’t turn out content that makes the front page of the New York Times. However, your posts don’t have to knock any socks off to be effective.
Just look at one of our clients, Priority Rental, a temporary heating and air conditioning company. Their post, “The Difference Between Indirect and Direct Fired Heaters,” draws in more than 1,000 page views per month.
Build Sustainable Content
There is nothing more disheartening on a website than an abandoned blog. When you decide on a format for your small business, it’s essential that you select a format that can be easily maintained. You want to be able to continue to grow your blog for years to come.
Not sure where to begin? Below are five blogging formats that you may be able to customize for your business.
1. FAQs
If you’re a business owner, you’re an expert—take advantage of it! If you can answer the questions users are searching for, you’re a shoo-in, particularly if no other site has thoroughly addressed the topic. Some of our best-ranking posts have responded to inquiries like “How to Get Pet Hair out of Your Car” and “Why Not to Use Dyed Mulch.” Like the heating post we mentioned earlier, these posts generate more than 1,000 page views per month.
The key with this blog style is to put quality information onto the web that will help users. If you can create content that interests and engages an audience, that can significantly increase your web presence. Bonus points if readers end up linking back to your page! Find out why links are important in our past post.
2. Recent Projects
Some businesses post summaries of recent projects, including photos and a synopsis of the work they did. From landscape architects, to power washing professionals, to auto detailers, this concept is a great fit for a variety of businesses. This style works best with high-quality before and after photos, so make sure to document your work, with customer permission of course.
Recent project posts allow visitors to check out your handiwork, making them more likely to trust your service. Using project photos from target locations, you can optimize your posts so nearby customers seeking similar services will land on your blog.
3. Short Amateur Videos
If you record a job using video, you add an extra layer of depth to your recent project posts. These videos don’t have to be professional quality to be that extra something your post needs. If you are using your phone to record, we recommend that you take the video with the phone at landscape rather than portrait, so the video is wider than it is tall.
Rolling Suds Power Washing Professionals, a pressure washing contractor, and Mr. Tree, a tree company, both have had success using short videos. Social media posts that include videos tend to facilitate engaged discussion.
4. Testimonials
What better way to build trust in your brand than to post positive reviews in the form of blog posts? When you do great work for a customer, ask them for a testimonial for your blog. If you can add photos or videos to supplement your work, that’s even better.
Dentistry at Suburban Square, a dental office in Ardmore, PA, creates video testimonials that detail patients’ experiences with Invisalign. These add interest and authenticity to the reviews, and posting them on YouTube adds another platform for directing traffic.
5. Cartoons
The business brokers at The Bridlebrook Group have a creative blog approach. Every month, they release a new “Tip for Maximizing Value,” with an accompanying comic. These posts are informative, but the cartoons make the content less intimidating. Plus, the comics translate into engaging social media shares. Followers are able to more easily wrap their head around business brokering, a topic that is most often complex to the layman.
Blogging Can Make a Big Difference
Maintaining a blog is essential for your website. Seeing summaries of recent projects and testimonials will help to establish your brand, while answering FAQs and delivering industry news adds depth and relevancy to your site.
Play your cards right, and you could garner thousands of views, and maybe even improve your search engine rankings.
What other blog template ideas do you like?
