Tips for Writing Awesome Blog Posts

Blog writing is a great online marketing strategy.  Blogs allow an individual or company to write in an informal way about topics that interest their target audience.  By updating a blog frequently with informative and engaging content, the author will begin to be viewed as an expert in the industry.  Blog writing can be very effective if done correctly.  It takes time and effort to write blog posts and build a following.  Here are some tips to ensure that your blog sticks out from the rest:

Differentiate Yourself
There are only so many things to write about within an industry.  The key to getting noticed is to take a different approach than everyone else is taking.  Put your own spin on the subject and write about it in a slightly different way.

Get Creative with the Title
The title is what will make people click on the post or click off of your page.  Make it something that will pique the interest of the reader to ensure that they want to continue reading to see what it is that you have to say.  One possible strategy is to start with a creative title like "How Marketing is like Kindergarten" and then think of ways that marketing could be compared to kindergarten.  They key is to have a noticeable and sticky title.

Be Entertaining
Of course, there are some topics that are very serious and don't allow for any humor. However, many things can. Humor doesn't have to be offensive, just something that will make the reader smile or chuckle a bit. Cater to the interests of your target audience. Try an inside joke that only those in your industry would get.

Vary the Content
Switch it up every once in awhile. A blog post doesn't always just have to be text. You can also post a video or a presentation that your company has created.

Encourage Comments
A blog is the original social media outlet. It was a space that allowed people to share their thoughts and interact with each other online long before Twitter and Facebook.  There is a comment section for a reason. Encourage comments and questions and be sure to respond to those that took the time to leave you a message. It shows that you value your loyal readers.

Be Shareable
Incorporate share buttons to social sites like Facebook and Twitter on your blog and provide a link to email the post to a friend or colleague.  A blog post is much more likely to be passed along if there is an easy way for readers to do so.

Utilize Keywords
You're already writing a blog, so you might as well get some SEO benefits out if it. Think about the keywords that your business is targeting and incorporate them into your content. Remember, it needs to be natural. A blog post that is "stuffed" with keywords provides a very bad user experience.  Cater to your readers first, and the search engines second.

Source: http://www.addme.com/blog/promotional-resources/internet-marketing/tips-awesome-blog-posts.htm