All blogs share certain characteristics. They are web-based. They (typically) include a combination of copy and graphics. They allow for multiple entries, most often organized in reverse-chronological order. Beyond these shared characteristics, there is infinite room to customize your blog to represent your brand exactly how you want it to. Start defining your blog’s character by making a few of these key decisions.
Decide what voice you will write in.
Let’s take it back for a quick grammar lesson. First-person point-of-view means you are writing from the perspective of “I” and/or “we.” This is the more personal, subjective approach (and is the most common voice for blog writing). Our McNutt & Partners blog is written in first-person perspective.
Third-person uses pronouns like “he,” “she,” “it” and “they.” This would be the more formal, objective approach. For blogs, some brands prefer it when not wanting to convey that the blog information is coming from any particular individual or group of individuals.
Choose the audience you want to appeal to.
You want people to read your blog, right? That’s why thinking about your audience is critical when defining your blog’s character. Think about who this blog should appeal to. Is it a local audience, or more omniscient? Are you writing for a certain demographic, (i.e. moms, students, retirees, etc.)? Is it more for clients, or industry peers?
If you have trouble identifying a specific audience, that’s OK! Your content may be more general, or an audience type may be something that develops as you go along.
Identify what type of content you will feature.
Put plainly—what are you going to write about? Is your content going to be industry-specific? Geared toward your local community? Or maybe just about your personal experiences as a representative of your brand? Here are a few examples of “content types.”
- Information/insights about your industry (industry news, industry happenings)
- Helpful guides for brand followers (how-to’s, tips and tricks)
- Business happenings (behind the scenes of your brand, updates)
- Product/service spotlights
- Local spotlights and community events
- Staff spotlights/personal reflections
Can your blog be a mix of all of the above? Absolutely!
Find a format that works for your brand.
What will your blog look like? You may opt to have more copy than graphics, more graphics than copy, or a healthy mix of both. Depending on what content management system you use, you might have various layout options to incorporate elements like sliders, galleries, pull quotes, etc.
Determine how often you will post.
This may take a bit of trial and error as you measure your blog’s engagement. Generally, we suggest starting out with a blog post at least once a month. If you find that followers are responding to your blog fairly well, consider upping your posting to twice a month or maybe even once a week. We do caution against over-posting, which can overwhelm followers (and even cannibalize your own content from an SEO perspective, if you’re not careful). For most brands, doing a blog post daily will be a bit overkill.
Establish how you will allow readers to interact with your blog.
Blogging is not a one-way street. Feedback is appreciated! When defining your blog’s character, you want to establish how followers will have the opportunity to interact with it. This could be via a comments section at the bottom or social icons that allow for sharing. Or, maybe you want to keep interaction opportunities on your social media outlets, in the form of comments and likes on your blog shares.
Curate an overall goal.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. The purpose of blogging is twofold: to create web content that will help your brand get noticed by search engines, and to provide quality content to your brand followers. These standard aspirations aside, what is your goal for your brand’s blog?
This is likely dependent on the type of content you will feature. Do you want to be a source of information for other brands in your industry? Are you more focused on being a resource for your clientele? Or maybe a go-to for your community in general? Having a goal in mind will help you keep your blog consistent as you create content.
Summary
Your blog serves an important purpose. Investing time in defining your blog’s character will ultimately serve to improve its efficacy and help it appeal more to your brand followers.
McNutt & Partners is a full-service advertising and digital marketing agency. Contact us today for your marketing needs! Call 334-521-1010, or visit our contact page.
