When you’re writing blog posts, it is not uncommon to hit a bump in the road and feel stuck with where to go next. Whether it be that your blog post needs an extra push to help gain traction and standout, or that you need some help coming up with ideas for content, we have found five of the most important tips and tools to utilize when these issues occur. Let’s get writing! 💻
1. Write an Attention-Grabbing Blog Headline
Arguably the most important part of your blog post is the headline, because without an attention-grabbing and exciting headline, it is unlikely that many people will take the time to click through your blog post and read it. Our favorite headline analyzer is by CoSchedule.
They use a unique approach to help you figure out what is effective and what is not when creating a headline. The Headline Analyzer by CoScheduler uses a rating system to help you analyze whether or not you’ve created a good headline. The analyzer score will tell you the quality of your headline and the likelihood of it resulting in other shares online or an increase in traffic (basically the post’s SEO value).
2. Find Better Images For Your Blog
Pictures stand out among the hundreds of characters and words on pages and social media platforms. Having current and relevant images and/ or GIFS embedded in your blog posts will engage readers and increase your click-through rate.
Creating your own graphics may sound intimidating, but there are plenty of resources for easy and quick graphics. Canva is a website that we use to create your graphics to add to blog posts and other relevant social media platforms. The tool is easy to use and lets you become the creator of your own graphics, even if you aren’t a graphic designer! They offer thousands of photos at no charge and let you add text to the images in various ways to make it unique to your blog post. It is incredibly easy to use (we use it every day at Twenty Over Ten) and you can create images in minutes!
Below is an example of a Canva we post on social media with a link to one of our blog posts. Check out our article on how to easily create Canvas to use on social media and in blogs here.
We also love using free stock photo sites for pictures on Canva or for our featured images on our blog. A picture is worth a thousand words, so it’s important that you’re choosing the right ones to associate with your content and that they convey the right message. There are plenty of websites that have great, relevant stock photos to choose from, so check out our article on our top 10 favorite stores for free stock photos to find one to use!
3. Get Organized with an Editorial Calendar
Many advisors post to their blogs only once in a blue moon or on a whim when the inspiration kicks in. This doesn’t help you, your business, SEO, or audience. Keeping up with content across every social media platform, your website, and now your blog can get messy and frustrating!
Scheduling is very important to keep you on track and organized. Keeping an editorial calendar is a great way to make sure you are consistently posting on your blog while still maintaining your presence on other platforms! Lucky for you, we made a free editorial calendar template that you can download here to get started today!
4. Smarter Blog Writing with Content Assist
We know the process of writing, editing, and publishing blogs can be tedious and time consuming. That’s why we include Content Assist in all of our packages, which is our service that helps you create content in a fast, affordable and customizable manner. It makes it easy to make your online presence and blog more lively, engaging and search-engine optimized.
Content Assist is included in your $89/ month payment for your Twenty Over Ten account. It allows you to create new posts and articles to be added with just one click. Essentially, it’s tailor-made content right at your fingertips, so it takes away most of the time and frustration involved in writing blogs. It’s customizable to your niche or geographic location and every post is catered to you! Think of it like your virtual marketing assistant. This service is only available to Twenty Over Ten users. Learn more and download sample articles here!
5. Master SEO with an SEO Kit!
Since you’ve taken the time to create killer blogs, don’t you want everyone to see them?When editing and publishing your blogs, take advantage of SEO to capture more leads and a larger audience! Including specific keywords, external and internal links, title tags, and other SEO tactics will optimize your blog posts for search engines like Google. Financial planning firms using blogs must use SEO to drive more traffic to the content that you’re working so hard on! We made a free, downloadable SEO kit for you to get started!
Using analytics from platforms like Google Analytics can help you gauge your SEO success and steer you in the right direction. Content is the backbone of almost every successful marketing strategy and can increase ROI dramatically, so making sure it’s seen by as many people as possible is a crucial last step.
If you’re confused on how to start your own SEO for your site and blog, we’d be happy to help! Click here to learn more about Twenty Over Ten‘s SEO packages. For those of you who need help deciding if your SEO is working, check out our blog on SEO audits and our most recent Google Analytics webinar!
Utilizing these tools and tips can and will help the effectiveness of your blog posts, SEO, and your click through ratings. When writing your blog posts, be sure to stay focused, and utilize the tools that are easily available to you.
Want to Learn More About Content Assist?
Click here to see how you can use Content Assist to accelerate your blog growth and promote thought leadership.