The word “Blog” strikes fear into the heart of many potential bloggers because they don’t know what a blog is or how write one. Yet, one of the most effective tools for driving website traffic is to blog on a consistent basis. To alleviate some of that fear it is important to know that a blog is simply a short article about a subject that your potential client has questions or an interest in-- questions that many of you probably answer on a daily basis.
The second point of how to blog effectively is an equally good question. In writing a blog aim for a minimum of 300 words and a maximum of around 750. (Don’t make it so long that it is overwhelming to read) For how to write a blog that will hook your reader/potential client or customer, I turned to Sara McGuire who recently wrote a blog entitled “Writing: Six Types of Hooks to Reel in Readers." In her article Sara says, “...so many people seem to neglect the essential hook. Instead, they start off their articles with bland statements. Yawn. I get it. It's not easy to know where to begin an article. You probably want to just get into the meat of your message. The problem is, your readers won't even get to that point if that bounce after the first boring sentence.”
McGuire goes on to suggest the following types of hooks for getting someone to read you blog.
1. Ask an engaging question: Ask them a question that will give them pause (and a reason to read further)
2. Make a relatable statement: It feels good to know you're not alone in your troubles.
3. Call the reader out: This is a tricky one, but when used tactfully it can be very effective. Call the reader out for an assumption they have probably made, or something they're probably doing wrong.
4. Tell readers what they're going to get: If you let readers know, up front, what they're going to get, they may be more likely to consider your content worth their time.
5. Introduce a metaphor or simile: Opening with a metaphor or a simile captures the attention of readers and makes them reconsider a topic they may already be familiar with.
6. Present a shocking statistic: If you've got a particularly surprising statistic in your arsenal, why not use that to get readers to stop and take notice?
In today’s marketing world people turn to the internet to get answers before they ever look at advertising. Writing a blog means that you will get traffic into your website on a regular basis and it will establish you as the expert. One of our clients (who writes a blog every week) recently wrote a blog post that immediately increased his web traffic by nearly 60%. Relevant content for your target audience is a magnet for web traffic. The CDT target audiences are ages 30 to 50 with a home value of $200,000+ and the Grey Divorce 50+ with a net worth of $750,000+.
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