If you don’t have a proper direction when writing your blog posts, you’re not going to get anywhere.
Lots of blogs don’t have a purpose. And that’s fine, because for some writers blogging is done for pleasure and not for business. But if you’re focusing on the latter, without a poignant purpose you’ll find yourself going round in circles.
Now this doesn’t mean you have to have lengthy, boring, brainstorming meetings thrashing out the publishing schedule for the next 10 years. You just need to have a bit more understanding of how to get from A to B when writing in your blog.
And this Infographic has been designed to show you how:
And here’s some code you could paste into your own posts (via the text mode) if you want to share this Infographic with your readers.
Remember who you’re writing for
The most important person associated with your blog isn’t you, it’s your reader. Without readers your blog is nothing, directionless – it’s like shouting into the abyss in a snowy storm. There is no point to blogging if no-one is reading what you write.
This may sound a little cruel, and certainly if you’re starting out, gaining readers is usually at the top of your to-do list. Here’s where you need to make a concerted effort to understand your ideal reader, and what they want to read. And then find out how you can give it to them.
Part of having a poignant purpose for blogging is knowing exactly what to write that your readers will enjoy, expect and look forward to. And another part is knowing how to deliver it in the best way possible.
Gain your readers’ trust
As well as writing what your readers want to read, you’ll need to gain their trust as a writer. Only then will they truly value what you produce, and become followers on your blog.
This is achieved by how you write. Blogging is all about communicating with your readers. This means you should let your personality shine through by adding more passion to your writing.
The old adage “people buy from people” can easily be adapted to blogging. Readers like to read stuff written by those they admire, feel they have an affinity with, and enjoy content that is obviously written for them. How readers relate to writers will depend upon how much they can associate themselves with the subject matter in your posts.
Improve their minds
A lot of readers are searching for information or a solution to improve a problem they have. Some may not be specifically looking, but are tempted by a suggestion made by the headline. Others are actually surfing to find an answer.
A very good poignant purpose is to educate your readers with something they didn’t know, taken from your knowledge bank. If it’s about your business, you could show them how it works, or what they can benefit by buying from you.
Blogs that are education based work best if they provide added value that improves the lives of those that read it. The more valuable resource this becomes, the more attractive it is to potential clients and customers.
Showing your expertise
A blog is a perfect medium to archive valuable information that could educate readers into becoming better themselves.
Now part of understanding your ideal reader is to know what problems they have, and what are their frequently asked questions. All you then need to do is to blog about your fantastic solution or answer their most pressing queries in a way they can relate to.
Avoid getting bogged down with technicalities (unless your readers expect this) and provide as much value as you can within your posts. The simpler you explain your answers or show your solutions, the more your readers will love you for it.
Become a thought leader
If you’ve chosen your blog’s niche wisely, and have a passion for it yourself, there is no reason why you can’t become an authoritative voice for that subject.
Extensive research and learning for yourself will certainly increase the amount of value you can give your readers via your blog. The more you gain and then share, eventually you will be seen as a thought leader for your industry. This means you’ll be treated accordingly: asked to speak at conferences, recommended for seminars, get your new book sold out in minutes!
Adapting your blog’s poignant purpose to raise yourself to lofty heights of expertise and wisdom won’t do you any harm in the eyes of your readers. They will be more likely to recommend you to their friends and colleagues, which, of course, means more readers.
The art of persuasion
A lot of blog posts are written to try and persuade their readers to perform a function. This is a form of social selling, a modern term that has come about through increased development of digital marketing and social media.
Actually, the main culprit here is the humble call to action. (Click the link to read about this subject in more detail.) In its simplest form it is merely telling your readers to do something that would benefit them and you at the same time.
Any post worth its salt should have at its heart a call to action as part of its poignant purpose. Even if it was only to ask for a comment or a share on Twitter or something similar. A very simple request that is easily done.
Amuse them!
People like being entertained, and using this trait in blogging is no exception. It doesn’t necessarily have to be humour, but if you can I’m sure it will be readily taken up! But remember you will need to be good at it to succeed.
Try using different forms of media to keep your readers entertained. Find some suitable videos that are relevant to your subject matter. Research some memes that could portray what you want to say in another way.
Refer to what is going on in current affairs, if this is relevant – or even make a reference to the latest news to maintain the interest value when describing or relating to the content of your latest post. This is all important if you want to keep your readership engaged and intrigued as to what you are going to post about next.
Create a community
There is one particular phenomenon that tends to be neglected in blogging. I’m referring to the art of commenting on your blog. All this activity has now been transferred over to social media, which is all very well in some capacities (real-time interaction and all that), but it is not conducive to creating a community via your blog.
Now you may call me old-fashioned, but it is a good poignant purpose to gather together a readership that will stay with you and regularly read what you write. These followers should be able to leave feedback and suggestions, which in turn will help you to write better posts that they will want to read.
As I’ve said before, a blog is nothing without its readers. You need to capture and nurture a selection of your audience who will stick with you thick and thin. They will act as advocates to recommend you to others, and encourage you in your blogging activities.
Show your human side
All this is made more possible by the way that you write. Your readers will be able to relate to you better if they feel they have an affinity with you. They need to feel they have a connection with you.
One way is to develop a more conversational way of writing. Blogging is not like compiling a corporate report, it should be seen as a written form of communication with your readers. Imagine it as a transcription of you talking to them (even if it does seem to be a bit of a monologue).
The more you relax and show your humanity, your vulnerability and your individual quirkiness, the more your readers will be able to relate to you. Just let your guard down and stop coming across as unapproachable and distant.
Consistency is better than frequency
And finally the last poignant purpose is to write regularly in your blog. Your readers will be expecting to read new information or will be waiting patiently for your next entertaining instalment, so don’t disappoint them.
There is the age-old question of how often you should write. Well, I suggest you think hard about how frequently you could realistically update your blog. The tip is to focus on consistency rather than short bursts of activity followed by long periods of fallow.
Work out a suitable editorial time-scale, and stick to it. Make it part of your regular schedule. Once blogging becomes an achievable habit, it is much easier to maintain over the longer term.
Now it’s your turn
As always, let me know what you think about this post in the comment box below. Why not share it on social media so your friends also have a chance to read it?
The next post in this series will be looking at suitable content, which is the main core of a perfect post. And you can also catch up on the other posts in this series from the parent post.
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I enjoyed your post and will be referring to your easy to read infographic often. Thanks!
You’re welcome Barb, I’m glad you enjoyed my Infographic!
I had forgotten about answering questions in my blog posts thanks
You’re welcome Honey. Why not think if a load of questions your readers might be asking, and then write a post for each one providing the most valuable answer you than put together.