Where’s The Beef?

So your company has started a blog, but lately, your have found your posts are rather lackluster, and have become discouraged by the lack of traffic to your blog. Don’t fret. Here are some ideas to beef up your blog:

Remember, Content is Still King

It can be very difficult to come up with a new blog post every day that is relevant and engaging. A good way to get around writer’s block and post great content is to consume content! What is everyone talking about right now? Watch the news, read other blogs, check out the most popular stories on social bookmarking sites such as Digg, Newsvine, or Del.ici.ous, listen to the radio and read magazines and newspapers. Compare your findings with Google Trends, which gives you a search “snapshot” of what’s on the public’s mind. Write about these topics, and give it a little perspective on it.

• Keep interesting postings, notes, pictures, punchy copy –whatever strikes your fancy– in what I call a “Resource File”; which is a folder that you can turn to whenever the creative well runs dry.
• Keep track of your blog posts that were popular. Re-purpose this content and update this topic regularly.
• Use pictures and video whenever possible! Allow for others to share this collateral.
• Encourage a conversation. Remember that your blog should establish you/your company as a valuable resource that offers useful information. Try not to become just another squawk box or advertorial. Ask for feedback or additional insight from your readers.

Promote Your Blog- the Smart Way.

• Link love is the best kind of love for a blog and a surefire way to build traffic. Check out Zemanta, a cool new plug-in that instantly shows other relevant blog posts from around the world and immediately builds tagged links between your posts and others.
• Make sure your RSS are functional and visible.
• Connect your social networks and your blog. This will elevate your profile and alert people about your blog.

Remember, your blog should be an experience for your audience. Always keep them in mind when developing content and the rest shall follow.