As you know, there are more than a couple of good reasons why having a Blog is a great way to complement your marketing plan. If you’re in the search for blogging tips, whether you’re an insurance agent that already has a Blog, or are about to start one, this article will be of your interest. It’s the this first out of two articles that will give you some general advice on how to put your Blog to good use so you can take advantage of all the perks that come with it.
So, without further ado, here are some things to think about when blogging!
Post Frequently
A Blog with constant updates will encourage people to come back often to find out news. Plus, it will let know the search engine that you mean business!
That’s Obvious
This may seem like an obvious statement but it’s common that after the few initial days of excitement, people feels unmotivated to continue and eventually abandon their content marketing strategy.
You must remember at all times that, even though it may feel like a leisure activity, it’s a marketing strategy that aims to generate leads. Keep that in mind and set goals to publish as often as possible.
How often?
Good question. There is no written rule as to a fixed amount of articles required in a specific period of time. There are websites that are powered by a dedicated team of editors and writers, and produce several posts per day. Others have less than one per month. It also depends on their niche.
For starters, you can begin publishing 3-4 articles per week. It’s a very achievable goal, specially if you keep them short. Check out this posts on how to create an editorial calendar so you can start managing your content!
How long should a post be?
That’s also hard to determine, but about 600 words or less, can be described as a short post.
Of course there can be shorter posts, and larger ones too. Again, this is not written in stone. A post should be “as long as it has to”. It’s ambiguous, but true.
Note that if an article is coming out very largely, you can split them into two or more (like with this blog tips series). Then you’ll have instant inspiration for the following posts.
Also remember that you shouldn’t write just about anything, which leads me to the next point.
Relevancy
Posting just for the sake of it, or just because you have some goals set, is not good. Content should offer valuable information to the reader so they are engaged and want to come back to you. This means that they should be of the interest of your target audience. You must think, research, and come up with relevant, quality material.
For example, you can get inspiration from the news, global events, trends, etc. The kind of news that will let people think about their current (lack of) insurance. Find opportunities to share your knowledge and explain the benefits of getting the insurance(s) you work with.
Also, you can search for an interesting topic that has not been covered thoroughly, or locally, or that you can give more insight, or that is otherwise relevant to the type of people you’re trying to attract.
Inspiration can be tricky, be sure to check out these posts for content ideas for life, p&c and health insurance.
Encourage Interaction
Once you begin publishing articles, try leaving some channels open for engaging with your audience.
Invite readers to interact, leave messages and encourage them to take action. The most illustrative example: enable a commenting system on your posts. Let them share a thought, ask a question, or answer to somebody else.
Offering means of contact, such as email or phone numbers is also basic. If your audience is so engaged that they start commenting, you know you’re in the right track!
Integrate Social Media
Social media is not an enemy of the Blog. It’s a perfect complement.
Use your networks to let people know about your Blog and your newest posts. And let them promote it for you!
A good part of what makes a post go viral (shared widely, by a lot of people), is to have connections and people that knows and trust you on your network.
Beefing up your friend/followers list is not an easy nor a fast project. Specially if people think of you as a door-to-door sales man. But remember that a Blog helps build your name as an expert who can offer solutions for people’s insurance needs.
The other part (to creating viral articles) is making quality content. See “Relevancy” above.
Also having links to your social media profiles on your Blog is a good idea.
Join the Community
You want to people start noticing your Blog but you are just starting, have no ranking in Google and no visits?
You should join the community and participate on specialized forums, leave comments on other Blogs, link to them and even ask them directly to feature your Blog and/or posts too.
Don’t be afraid to contact a publisher via their website’s contact form and ask kindly to quote you, or leave a link on their “Sites of Interest” section. Not all of them will even answer, but you’ll be surprised as to how many are willing to help out.
Remember that this will only be good for you and your Blog’s ranking and popularity if you do this in your niche. This may seem obvious but, look for contacts that are relevant to your business: if you are an insurance agent, don’t try participating on a design consultancy context.
Empowerkit is Here for You
Take advantage of Empowerkit today to support your Blogging efforts.
Look for the next part of this two-post series in the coming days!
Have any questions or comments? Let us know!
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