Determine the Why – Clarifying Your Goals
As earlier shown, it’s clear that there are many benefits of including a blog in your B2B marketing arsenal.
Let’s assume for now that you’ve developed an overall marketing plan that includes regular articles for the purpose of keeping your website current, providing useful information, and being search engine friendly. You may have additional reasons as well. Before writing, it’s important to ask yourself why this specific blog is relevant and what purpose it serves.
Before you begin to write an article, you must answer the first question: Why?
What is the purpose of this article?
Is it to inform?
- A blog is a great way to announce a new product or service. Tell the story of how the new product came to be and how you vision it helping your prospects.
- You can introduce a new member of the staff. Provide a photo and bio of the new addition and how they were added to your team to better serve your clients.
- Let your customers know about upcoming events, such as trade shows, conferences, speakers, or workshops. Provide a link to the sign up page.
Is it to teach or demonstrate?
- Your blog can act as a resource for customers to learn. They can watch videos of your equipment in action, or see a demonstration of techniques on how to best use your products or services.
- Blogs are a great way to share your knowledge about your industry with articles about insider secrets and trends. From, “How to identify well made garments” to “What’s new in beekeeper technology” — you’ll stand out as an expert.
Is it to sell?
- While generally a blog is not used as a sales letter, it can do the work of selling. This should only be done occasionally, not as a regular practice. You can lose your prospect’s trust if not done carefully.
- When announcing a new product, offer a special one time discount.
- If there’s a significant event, such as a move, along with the announcement you can offer a blow out sale.
- Story sells. Telling your story and creating a desire, your customer will want to buy without you getting “sales-y” on them.
Is it for another purpose?
- Your sales team can probably shed some light on the most frequently asked questions, and that’s a good place to start.
- Blogging can give a voice to your company that would otherwise be unknown. You can be hip and trendy, funny and entertaining, nerdy and technical, smart and sassy, authoritative, or any persona that fits with your company culture and goals.
What is the desired outcome of this article?
- Determine if the goal of this article is to motivate the reader to do something, or simply to answer questions they may have, providing some comfort to them.
- If there is a desired action, determine what that action is, and make sure you ask for it. Never leave your audience guessing at what you want them to do next.
- A call to action can be anything from — “Buy now” — “See more” — “Share your experience below” — with a visible button to click on. (If you encourage comments, be sure to designate someone to respond. More on that in a later post.)
Hopefully this has provided some inspiration to get things moving forward on developing a blog for your B2B website. As always, I’m here to help when you need me.
Cindy White is a freelance copywriter specializing in helping businesses reach their target markets for increased sales and improved client relations through compelling, well-crafted copy. Initial consultations are always free of charge.
