What is Content Writing? A Beginner's Guide to Blogging for Business

Does your business blog?

Today, blogging is a far cry from its origins. Before we had Instagram to post food photos and Twitter to complain about the service, we had blogs. Personal blogs still exist, of course, but today their most common form is much different—now, it's a major means of communication and marketing for businesses.

When answering questions such as "what is content writing?" blogs play a big role in the answer. In the past, business blogs got a bad rap. Everyone seemed to stick a link to a company blog on their navigation bar. When users followed through and clicked, though, too often they were met with stale posts and no new content. These abandoned efforts took up space, attention, and clicks without delivering any real value to a business.

Today, both a greater appreciation for the value of blogs and the proliferation of content writing services combine to give businesses an inroad into this valuable marketing opportunity. What do you need to know about the basics of blogging today?

What are Business Blogs Really About?

Depending on the type of business you have, a blog can serve many purposes. The best blogs combine multiple elements to provide the best value possible. There are five key things you can achieve with a blog:

• Educate your audience about products, services, and common questions.
• Build brand trust, showcasing your expertise in your industry.
• Strengthen your SEO, to improve search engine ranking and bring readers to the blog.
• Capture user information, such as emails for newsletters.
• Progress leads deeper into the sales funnel.

The first step to success is defining the purpose of your blog—which of these approaches are most important to your business?

The Key Elements to Define About Your Blog

Once you've set a purpose for the blog, you need to think about some of the broad strokes about the content itself. Before you or anyone you choose for the project begins blogging, a well-defined plan is crucial. Otherwise, inconsistencies from post to post can bog down your efforts and hobble any attempts to gain traction. Think about the bad blogs you’ve read before—we’ve all seen them.

Here's what to lay out and the questions to answer:

• The tone of the posts you will share. Casual or formal, friendly or educational—the tone of your blogs reflect directly on your brand.
• The audiences you'll speak to in the content. Who do you want to reach? Where and how will you reach them? What do you need to do to optimize your blog?
• The "author persona" behind the content. Will you attach a recognizable name in the company to the content, or will the brand itself stand in as the author?
• The overall style and language. This element connects back to tone. Do you need academic language, or more casual speech-like text with lots of slang?
• How often you will post. What days of the week will you post? Are there trends you can follow throughout the year?
• How to keep your content fresh. How will you keep your audiences coming back for more while avoiding duplicating old content?

How Will You Produce the Content?

With all these elements determined, a business can start making plans to begin serious content production. What's the best way to do that? The answer isn't always inside the walls of your business. In fact, relying on in-house content production can be a major challenge, especially for small and growing businesses. While you are closest to the subject matter, you also have a lot more on your plate.

Because of the constraints of running a business, many companies opt for third-party services. What is a content writing company going to do for you? It can be much more than just production. Content ideation, strategic innovation, and long-term support for your blog can all be part of the package. When launching a blog, don't hesitate—know how you'll fill its pages before it goes live.

Find the Help You Need to Build a Better Blog Today

Done right, your blog is a valuable asset and a key pillar of a successful online marketing strategy. When there's no time or reason to onboard in-house teams, working with a trusted third-party content production service is the way to go. Not only can you fill your blog with content that educates and engages, but you can tap into keen insights about how to successfully navigate this digital environment.

From exploring in-depth answers to questions such as "what is content writing?" to discovering tailored solutions to fill your blog with top-shelf content, we're ready to help. Connect with Klazema Communications today to find out more.