After reviewing blogs, I was inspired to identify some mistakes to avoid when writing blogs, especially in B2B! Here is how to immediately improve your B2B blogs by avoiding these mistakes:
1.Don't copy and paste from other websites
This one may seem obvious to some but it still happens. When trying to come off as an expert, it's not ideal to copy paste a competitors' words. The use of different language can be obvious and it hurts you in the long run. Blog writing helps you identify the write messaging that resonates with your audience. If you're using words from a combination of different competitors, that won't help you with social media posts, sales calls or marketing campaigns in the future.
2. Avoid the word "I"
Unless the company has a strategy to give certain writers a voice of their own, it's not usual for B2B blogs to have the word "I" in a blog post. The writers represent the opinion and perspective of the business. In most cases, you want to use "we" or the name of the company.
3. Write over 500 words
It's not mandatory to write over 500 words in a blog post but Google prefers it. Also, less than 500 words can be used for a social media post. Blogs are meant to go in depth.
4. Minimal Mention of Your Company Name
I started at a marketing job at the beginning of my marketing career and every single blog on the website was less than 500 words and only mentioned the company name. They were polluted with company name. They were basically sales pitches. It was quite difficult to convince the manager that that was not how to write a blog post. And for those looking to work in marketing at a job, check their blog posts and social media posts, it will tell you a lot.
All that to say is you can absolutely mention the name of your company but not more than twice. Blog posts are for educational purposes, not sales pitches.
5. Stop using fancy words
I work in cyber security and there are A LOT of fancy words and jargon. But the last thing I want to do in a blog post is to make a reader feel ill prepared for not knowing a term. So if possible, do not using fancy terms. And if you need to use them, define the terms or link them to their appropriate definition.
6. Recommendations
The easiest way to come across as an expert is to offer advice. Provide tips that the reader has never seen before. I've read countless of informative blogs that did not include actions. For example, the blog is about protecting your business against ransomware but then it doesn't offer advice on how to get started. Give MORE than what the reader expects. You authority will shine.
7. Add some Flavour
B2B blogs are notoriously boring. I write about cyber security A LOT so I know it can be a dry topic. The way we spruce up our blogs - different types of information like News, strategic content and interviews with people in the industry. I also include a lot of analogies to example more complex topics. It makes every piece different from our competitors.
8. Add Call To Actions
After so many years of blogging, people still do not include call to actions at the end of their blogs. Now, asking them for a demo of your product is probably not the best call to action but I recommend testing what does best. Most of the time, a call to action to subscribe to the newsletter works best. But don't forget to add a call to action!
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