In this time and age where more and more businesses are integrating blogging in their marketing strategies, it becomes harder to stand out, given the hundreds, if not millions, of blog posts published on a daily basis.
You must have a blog that contains not only quality content, but also one that’s attractive, and has easy to read posts that create a powerful impression of your brand. Many online readers are always on the go and do not have the time to read the entire content of your post. As such, it is important to pay attention to the formatting of your content. The initial thing that readers do is to peruse the content. If they are drawn to your post’s title and to other sections, they’ll slow down and eventually read the entire post.
Here are some tips to polish your blog posts:
The value of quality titles
It is a common mistake among many bloggers to write well-written, well-researched content but forget to provide a great title to the post. The title is usually the first thing that captures the attention of readers. Take the time to write a title that captures the interest of readers and is relevant to the content. Also, keep the title short and succinct. Readers will still look into your entire post even if it has a short title as long as it contains the words that will encapsulate the main idea or message of your post.
Make paragraphs shorter
Break up long paragraphs since big blocks of text are often unappealing to many online readers. [tweet this]
If you can express your thoughts in a few sentences, the better. At the most, limit three to five sentences for each paragraph.
If your post is longer, use subheadings or highlight the keywords. This will help your readers go straight to the point and find what they’re looking for without going through the entire text. However, don’t do this too much otherwise your content will lose its coherence.
Include images
Use images to enhance your posts. Adding a visually appealing photo is a great way to draw your visitor’s eye and attention. It also sets the tone for the post especially for motivating content. Moreover, it adds extra information. There are thoughts that words can’t do justice and are better expressed through pictures. Images add character to the post.
Use formatting to your advantage
Highlight the important things that you want to emphasize in your content by “bolding” or “italicizing” it. If there are a lot of points that you want to share, make a list. However, do not use them in every post since it might give the impression to your readers that you are rushing/summarizing the content. Lastly, use a block quote if there are long portions of text you emphasized. Block quoting is also useful to show text that is not your own, so as to avoid giving your readers the impression that you are plagiarizing or claiming something that isn’t your own.
Good content educates, engages, and entertains. It is important to consider not only the content but the format of each post. Paying attention to every detail gives your audience an impression that you value them and they deserve nothing but quality content. In return, a well written and formatted blog post will leave a positive and great impression for your brand. Do you have other tips to share? We’d love to hear them.
Author:
Maria Elena Duron, is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog, CEO (chief engagement officer) of buzz2bucks– a word of mouth marketing firm, and a professional speaker and trainer on developing social networks that work. She provides workshops, webinars, seminars and direct services that help create conversation, connection, credibility, community and commerce around your brand. Maria Duron is founder and moderator of #brandchat – a weekly Twitter chat focused on every aspect of branding that is recognized by Mashable as one the 15 Essential Twitter Chats for Social Media Marketers.
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