Writing effective business blog posts requires a mixture of art and science. Marketers can draw from SEO research to make a post attractive to search engines, but even that coveted first page ranking on Google won’t do much good if nobody bothers to read the post. Great content keeps the audience hooked to the end of the post, and it establishes the company as an authoritative, knowledgeable voice in the industry. Perhaps the post won’t make a conversion to a sale just yet, but the reader will remember the company the next time he or she encounters a problem the company could solve. So how can you write content that people will want to read? It starts with that all-important headline.
Crafting an Irresistible Headline
Put yourself in your readers’ shoes. Of the following hypothetical headlines, consider which one you would be more likely to click on:
- Greenhouse Pest Control Now Offers Bed Bug Eradication
- Bed Bug Eradication: Get 15% Off
- Are Tiny Bloodsuckers Keeping You Up at Night?
You’ve probably selected headline number three. Headline one is, quite frankly, yawn-inducing. Headline two is more promising—everyone likes discounts—but it doesn’t tell the reader that there is something to be gained from reading the full post. Headline three has it all. If these headlines were dating profiles, number three would be the one you’d take home to meet your parents. It’s eye-catching, click-worthy, and engaging. Readers might wonder what they could be missing if they don’t click on that link. Even more importantly, it promises to be informational and entertaining—a winning combination.
Fulfilling the Headline’s Promises
One of the most unflattering terms in the digital world today is “clickbait.” Clickbait is any headline that says something outrageous for the sake of getting clicks, but fails to deliver on its promises in the content. A hypothetical example would be something like, “Scientists Confirm Proof of Bigfoot!” This would then be followed by a post that explains scientists have confirmed that proof of Bigfoot does not exist. This is a major letdown, and it frustrates readers who will then assume that the author is not trustworthy. Since the purpose of effective content is to establish your company as a credible authority, you must fulfill readers’ expectations and provide useful, educational material. Use the following checklist before publishing any post. Is your content…
- Informative?
- Accurate?
- Original?
- Actionable?
- Engaging?
- Relevant?
If so, you’ve got something of value to offer your customers that will help them remember your brand.
You could spend hours figuring out the best digital marketing strategy for your business, or you could delegate this responsibility to the experts who do it every day. Pennington Creative offers a complete menu of digital branding services. Give us a call and put our team of digital marketing specialists to work for you.