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By now, you know that you can gain trust and credibility quickly with new audiences with consistent blogging. But what type of blog articles should you be writing about? Not only what content but what style of blogs will your audience want to consume? Inside this article, I share my number one marketing priority and how it relates to blogging. Plus, I dish out the two most powerful blog post styles you should be using.
Why is Blogging Important?
If there’s one way to build website traffic, it’s to BLOG! By housing your educational content inside your online blog, you can gain trust and credibility quickly with new audiences.
Not only is setting up a blog on your website inexpensive, but they are easy to use.
And no, I’m not talking about the online diary blogs from the 90s. Today, blogs are used to showcase your experience and expertise in your core area of interest, whether it be about music, food, business, or whatever your want!
How to use your blogs in marketing
Adding fresh content to my blog is my number one marketing priority. Every week I write one blog article that my ideal client needs and finds valuable, and I re-share the content inside this podcast, inside my emails, and on social media. It’s a way for me to evergreen the content – meaning I reuse it over and over in different locations.
But the TOP place I promote my blog articles is inside Pinterest. Using the Pinterest search engine, I can write and publish content that my ideal clients will find as a pin when seeking help in the Pinterest search bar.
I could go on and on about my love for Pinterest Marketing, but I want to share two popular blog post styles that you should be using.
PIN THIS IMAGE!
2 Most Powerful Blog Post Styles You Should Be Using
Since I know sitting down to type a blog article can be daunting initially, here are two basic blog post styles every online marketer needs.
1. “How-To” Post
The first blog post style is the “How-To” Post. Not only does the MonsterInsights headline ranker love this style so do readers looking to learn a specific skill.
As Hubspot explains… “How to” blog posts provide your readers with a step-by-step guide to doing, well, anything. These blogs are also an amazing opportunity for your company to position itself as customer-focused and selfless, as you’re laying out a tactical approach to fixing a problem or addressing a need without asking for anything in return. This helps to make your brand synonymous with trust. (source)
Some of the example How-To Posts I’ve published include:
- How To Use Your Personal Brand Logos
- How To Insert Your Face On Instagram To Boost Engagement
- How To Write A Brand Positioning Statement
- How To Reduce Stress With A Capsule Wardrobe
- How To Define Your Ideal Client
INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH
When writing a How-To Blog Article, your first paragraph should be a regular 100-200 word introduction. In this paragraph, you’ll highlight why what you are talking about is essential, who this topic applies to, and what you’ll be covering.
WHY THE TOPIC MATTER PARAGRAPH
The following paragraph should be telling readers why this topic matters. Keep in mind that some of your readers may have no idea what it is you’re explaining how to do.
HOW-TO DETAILS SECTION
Then from there, you can jump into your How-To details and break them into defined steps. Add any visual images or videos as needed to help them better learn the task.
Before you close out the article, add in any extra TIPS to remember that will help them tackle the task no matter their skill level.
CLOSING PARAGRAPH
Your closing paragraph at the end wraps up your blog post and reminds your reader of the key takeaways you want them to walk away with. Here is also where you INSERT your call to action. What following action do you want your reader to do next? Do you want them to take a quiz, download a workbook, sign up for a newsletter, or introduce them to a product they need?
CALL TO ACTION SECTION
These call-to-actions are placed at the bottom of the article and are essential in growing your email list with high-quality leads. Without a call to action in every blog article, you stop your reader from becoming a paying client.
Final Tips about writing a How-To blog post
Then before publishing, check to make sure you provided clear and actionable steps that will help your reader do the thing you promised to help them do! You may need to add extra facts or stats to provide your understanding of the topic. Then last but not least, run your post through a spell checker like Grammarly and cite and link any sources. While Google needs at least 350 words in your article to crawl it for SEO – it’s best practice to get comfortable writing articles that are at least 800 words.
Walla! You just published your first how-to blog article.
2. List Blog Post Template
The second blog post style is called a List Blog post. And they are exactly what they sound like – a list of tips, examples, and resources about your topic that your ideal client would find interest in. List posts can include any number, but most bloggers gravitate toward between 5 and 20 lists.
Some of the List Posts I’ve published include:
- 3 Steps To Create Strong Brand Positioning
- 5 Signs It’s Time To Turn Your Passion Into A Business
- 5 Fascinating Reasons People Like Joining A Membership
- 12 Essential Business Tools You Need This Year
- The 2 Most Powerful Blog Post Styles You Should Be Using (this one!)
This list can use examples, steps, tips, ways to do something, ideas, statistics, facts, or myths.
INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH
When writing this List Blog Post, the Introduction is the same as a How-To Post.
EXPLAIN WHY YOUR TOPIC IS IMPORTANT
The following section should explain why your topic is essential. Provide your reader with a few reasons why they should care about the issue you are writing about. What impact does it have on them? A tip here is to include at least one statistic, quote, or outside reference.
If you noticed, I did this in my podcast today when I referenced Hubspot on their explanation of How-To Lists. As a side note, linking to outside sources is extremely important in Google searches and SEO optimization. Backlinking can help you build credibility and help your brand rank higher on search engines, thus gaining you more organic traffic.
YOUR LIST GOES HERE
After your explanation paragraph, you get right into your list. Each of the items on your list should be followed by a deeper explanation that may include industry examples or images or videos.
CLOSING AND CALL TO ACTION
The bottom part of your article mimics that of your How-To post and that’s to have your closing and call to action sections.
Final Tips about writing a List blog post
Then before publishing, check to make sure you provided at least three examples or suggestions about the topic you are writing about. The more examples you can give your reader from a real company or person the better.
Then last but not least, run your post through a spell checker like Grammarly and cite and link any sources and make sure your article is at least 800 words.
Recap: blog post outline
The How-To and List post styles are my most used writing styles as they seem to really be what my audience is looking for especially when looking to learn new things about brand and marketing.
Whatever format you choose to write your blog articles in – the most important aspect is that you are writing for your ideal audience and providing consistent value.
Tips for pinterest marketing
This is ever-important when it comes to using Pinterest to marketing your brand. Pinterest wants you to be consistent and once their algorithm notices you are consistent with pinning daily high-quality pieces of content they will start to increase your impressions and show your content to other Pinterest users more often.
At CORE Brand Marketing Group our Pinterest Marketing plans start at 100 pins posted to your account each month. This comes out to be about 3-4 new pins a day which is just above Pinterest’s suggested minimum of 3 per day. Most of the brands we work with are new to blogging so writing two articles a month is comfortable for them. But as you get quicker with writing new articles and can publish a minimum of four a month as I do – you can easily publish 10-15 fresh pins a day. These pins can be a mix of your archived and new blog articles, your landing pages for lead magnets, or product offerings. You also want to re-pin favorite posts from Instagram and curated content from others in your industry to fill your Pinterest boards with strategic content your niche audience is searching for.
Dabbling in Pinterest every now and then actually hurts your account whereas on a social media platform as Facebook or Instagram infrequency is expected.
That’s why most clients hire us to achieve consistent pinning activity on Pinterest and they create and publish their own social media content.
So if you don’t have the time to design and strategically schedule 100 unique Pin-ready images a month considering hiring CORE Brand Marketing Group. With our 3-month contracts starting at just $260 a month you can rest assured your account will be taken care of to increase your impressions and outbound clicks. Learn more about our plans at https://corebrandmarketing.com/
In Closing – Blog Post Styles
So as you can see using your blog to gain leads for your business can be one of the most affordable options available! I can’t wait to hear how the How-To and List Blog post styles help you achieve this.
Since I share awe-inspiring resources and must-have products for business builders like you who want to streamline their business – my content may contain affiliate links for products I use and love. If you take action (i.e. subscribe, make a purchase) after clicking one of these links, I’ll earn a small commission. While it has no effect on your pricing, it’s my responsibility to let you know that an income (however small or large it may be) is made from recommending products I love, use, and share with other awesome people like yourself. With your support, I’m able to commit time to this blog and to each of you on your journey!
