Blogging
Blogging has always been an important social media tool, but it’s importance has grown more so over the past year or so because of the rise in popularity of content marketing. Adding a blog to your main company website is a great way to establish your knowledge of your own industry, and raises your profile as an expert in your field.
First impressions count, so when a new potential client views your website for the first time, they will have the perception that you are a professional, and more than capable of passing on useful information to your clients through your comprehensive blog.
Building a blog that attracts significant traffic from the ground up is no mean task. Plus the fact that more lawyers and accountants are catching on to the power of a blog, so establishing yourself and keeping your blog visible is not as easy as you think.
Develop your own ‘blogger brand’.
To make you stand head and shoulders above your competitors, you need to be unique. Start off by defining what you want your blog to achieve for you. You should develop your own blogger brand that is recognisable, and that your clients will recognise as the first place to go for the latest and most reliable information. Be consistent, and offer what your clients expect of you, whether that be the latest analytical stats about changes to tax laws and allowances, or your opinion about business news that is hitting the headlines.
Create content that gets shared.
The social media climate at the moment heavily favours content over keyword spamming. This is why it is important to write good quality content that your clients will appreciate and find useful. Consistency is the key, so try to work out a comfortable schedule where you allow yourself enough time to write quality, considered content that ties in well with the latest business news, where possible.
Writing on topics that are trending and are relevant to accounting and law will enable your posts to be picked up by people actively searching and consuming information for your niche. You can use keyword research tools to help you write content that is currently being searched for, but make sure you write something that your readers will value and be happy to share with others.
Keep up the momentum.
People like consistency. If they read your blog and like your content, they are more likely to return to read future posts that you promote. However, you need keep regularly posting to your blog to keep your readers interest up. If you don’t post often enough, then your readers will quickly forget about you, and will move on to someone else who does post more often.
We all know that accountants and lawyers have their ‘busy seasons’, and so remembering to post to your blog may become secondary to your day to day bread and butter work. However, if you take some time to plan in advance, you can build up a stock of good quality written content that you can keep posting regularly to your blog during your busy times. This will help to keep your readers engaged and interested.
Add keywords to your blog titles and posts.
Keywords used to be the most important element of discovery online. Without good keywords, it was almost impossible for a company to get noticed. However, the rise in keyword spamming lead to Google to slap down and ban companies who abused keywords to such an extent that they made their content virtually unreadable.
Keywords are fundamental to a successful legal or accountancy blog.
Keywords are still important, but you have to be careful to weave them into your content so they appear naturally as part of the conversation, and that your content makes sense. It is generally accepted that you should use your keywords no more than 3 to 5 times per blog post or article, especially when you are writing it with the specific aim of attracting more traffic. Keyword stuffing is frowned heavily upon by Google and the other search engines, so if you want to avoid being banned from the search engines, keep your keywords to a minimum and write quality content that adds value to your blog, and will help to build your reputation.
Post longer, comprehensive content.
The value of your content is measured by the comprehensiveness and length of your post. If you want stronger results in the search engine rankings, then make sure your are writing a complete in-depth report on the subject that delivers answers and good value to your readers. Did you know that ‘sticky’ posts tend to be longer ones that are bookmarked, and revisited over again. Longer and more comprehensive posts tend to get shared around more as they contain more information and are considered more useful.
Participate in the same communities as your target audience.
This is an obvious point, because you should always go to where your customers are. If you are looking to attract more business clients, then search out blogs, social media pages and business forums where your clients hang out regularly. Get involved in discussions, and offer some sagely advice that they will appreciate. In return they will look more favourably on you and your firm, and will be more open to taking up a special deal or new package you may have on offer.
Optimise for the dwell time.
Use your site metrics to pinpoint those posts that your readers dwell upon the longest. The subject matter they favour the most should form the topic of your future content. Focussing on writing valuable content on subject that your readers find more interesting will improve your chances of getting your content read and shared in future.
Create persuasive calls to action.
Prompt your blog visitor to take action at the end of your post. What do you want them to do? Work out where you want them to go next and send them there!
Offer a few different call-to-action options so that your readers have a choice, and they will be more inclined to sign up through their preferred channel. These are good examples:
Join us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and make sure to include your social buttons on your website and blog.
You can engage your readers by asking them a question. This will help to break the ice and encourage a good dialogue between you.
Offer something free that is of high perceived value, such as ‘sign up here to receive our free e-book’, or sign up to take part in our free webinar. You could offer a free legal or accountancy toolkit in exchange for their email address.
Make signing up for your regular e-newsletter very simple. Those who are interested in hearing more from you will be happy to sign up.
If you offer a live chat service or telephone call-back, they make it easy for your visitors to click through to leave you a request. Having a one-to-one conversation with a prospective client will help to answer their questions directly, put their mind at ease, and make them more likely to sign up with you at the end of your conversation.
Conclusion
Content is king, it is true – but it is only king when it is delivered to the right people. We can help you work out the best strategies to get your content to the readers that matter. Contact us today to find out how we can help you. Call us on 0203 773 9137 or email info@creativeharmony.co.uk Contact us today for an informal, no obligation, chat to see how we can help you.
