Five Tips For Writing A Successful Blog

By Mike Monocello, chief editor

During the recent RSPA Inspire winter conference, speaker Brian Offenberger shared five tips to success with social media. While the tips apply to any form of social media, they really apply well to blogging.

1 — Have a plan and stick to it. Before you start your blog, you should identify your content and scope. If you really want to plan well, do what publishing professionals do; have an editorial calendar for the year (or less, depending on how much you blog). An editorial calendar will help you plan your content in advance so you never face a blank page and blinking cursor. An editorial calendar will also help keep you on a schedule of regular postings.

2 — Don't sell. Share. A basic rule is that for every time you promote your company in your blog, 10 other times you should be writing things that give value to the reader without singing your own praises.

3 — Be yourself. There's the old adage that people buy from those they like. Assuming that's true, why would you try to be anything other than your true self in your blogs? You'll never be able to appeal to everyone, so write with your own voice.

4 — Communicate well. I often hear people worrying about this one. Communicating well doesn't necessarily mean you must have a degree in English. Simply, use correct English and be avoid using slang which could hold different meanings depending on geographic location. One other tip: be careful with humor, which doesn't always translate well via the written word.

5 — Finally, be committed and consistent with your blog posts.