Blogging is still a lucrative way for businesses to draw traffic and increase engagement. Over 77% of customers read blogs to find solutions. So, by writing business blogs, companies can give customers these answers and therefore establish themselves as an authority. 

However, several businesses still report this strategy as being ineffective, mainly because of poor strategy. Furthermore, they do not have the budget to hire skilled agencies to handle this work.

This article will break down the best ways to write a business blog post. You will learn some best practices to incorporate in your business’s writing to help you improve your content strategy in-house.

Best Practices When Writing Business Blog Posts

1. Enticing titles

The first thing a reader sees when they look at a potential read is your title. It is what determines whether they open and keep reading or keep scrolling. So it must be captivating.

So, what makes a captivating title?

Offers an answer

Unlike casual writing, business readers typically read posts to get answers to their questions. So, your title must hint at this answer. 

For example, if a marketing executive has heard about marketing automation from one of his juniors and is wondering if it is worth considering. He is more likely to open an article that reads, "Why your B2B business needs to adopt marketing automation in 2021.”

The reader expects to know from your article why he needs to adopt this trend from the title.

Picks interest

Some topics do not explicitly answer questions but offer new interesting knowledge that readers may like. 

A case in point, a content manager, may find a link to a post titled, "Have you tried out X CMS system? Here's what you are missing" The title hints at something that could be useful, though he wasn't explicitly looking for it.

Some headline analyser tools can help you gage how good your titles are.

2. Provide value to the reader

Like the title, a good business blog post must provide value to the reader for them to engage. So, as you write, consider:

What will the reader learn from my blog post?

The point of your post must be clear. Otherwise, readers will just leave. Why? Casual readers do not usually read business blog posts. So, there must be a purpose. Make this purpose clear in your introduction.

What new aspect do I bring that isn’t already on Google?

“Thinking that every idea and piece of content you create must be the first of its kind is a trap!”—Sujan Patel

Unless you intend to create a field, there is almost no topic you will think of that isn't already on the internet. Yet, uniqueness comes in many forms:

New perspective: You could add a new way of analyzing a given problem. You could introduce another variable to explain an already existing solution, etc.

More information: Instead of rehashing what others have written, you could add examples, case studies, etc. This opens up your content to readers also looking for something extra.

3. Nail your introduction and conclusion

Research from prominent marketers like Neil Patel indicate that readers' attention spans have diminished over the years. So it is rare for them to read through every word that you write. 

Apparently, readers read your introduction and then conclusion first to determine whether to delve into your article.

Introduction

This is what initially draws the reader. So it should address the following issues:

• What are you talking about in the article, and why?
• Why should they keep reading?

Conclusion

Although recommended, your conclusion doesn't have to summarize everything you have said. Instead, it should give the reader closure by providing a relevant result to your discussion.

Or, it should provide them with the answer they need so they can leave the page if they need to. Although we'd like them to stay longer, a good customer experience (finding what they need fast) is vital. 

Note: Some article types would require you to provide a verdict in your introduction, especially those that compare.

Structure for readability

You must draft your articles so that it is easy for a reader to peruse through.

What does this entail?

Short paragraphs and sentences: Keep your paragraphs at about 3 lines on average. Avoid long sentences as much as possible. Some lines may need to be longer, but keep these to a minimum.

Text breakers

None wants to read huge chunks of text. Remember, they want quick answers. So, use breakers like:

• Subheadings: Wherever necessary, introduce new ideas with subheadings.
• Bullet points: Instead of commas, make your lists with bullet points
• Media: Whenever applicable, ensure to add images, videos, graphs, etc. They help get your message across and make the article less tiresome to read.
• Quotes are also a great way to break up your text while maintaining interest. 

5. Watch your tone

It is common for people to perceive business content as dull and lifeless. However, remember that real people are behind businesses, and it helps to address them as such. 

Keep it direct and professional, but do not hesitate to include a slight light-hearted tone to it, just for engagement purposes. But do not overdo it.

Nowadays, most readers prefer content in a conversational tone rather than a stern business tone. Several resources like these cover tones in detail. 

Note: You need to adopt a specific brand tone with your content and keep it consistent. 

6. Focus on SEO

For your content to be read and make an impact, people must find and read it. Search engine optimization (SEO) is how you tweak your content to rank higher in search engines. 

Search engines show users content based on inputted keywords. So you must optimize your article for keywords people in your field are using to search.  

For example, Funnelbud deals with marketing automation. So, we'd want to be found for keywords like B2B marketing automation, marketing automation for businesses, etc.

As a rule of thumb, you want to choose keywords that are not too broad in that it is almost impossible to rank. Also, they shouldn't be too low in that you wouldn’t get enough traffic.

Considering how consumers search nowadays, it is much better to focus on long-tail intent-focused keywords. For example:

Instead of optimizing for "Marketing automation," Instead you’d focus on “marketing automation for B2B businesses in 2021”.

7. Word count

The shorter and more precise your content is, the better. Many readers are looking for specific answers, so give them those answers in just as many words as is necessary.

Note that SEO guides recommend longer articles, an average of 1350 to 1500 words. If your topic requires more words, ensure that every word counts and adds value. Otherwise, they will easily tune out. Pillar posts, for example, provide a ton of information and thus need to be longer.

8. Call to action 

The goal of writing business blog posts is to provide value, build traffic, brand awareness, and in some cases, increase conversions.

Therefore, calls to action are critical to include in your articles. Since customers often hate being sold to, you shouldn’t make your article into a sales pitch for your product. 

The best way is to answer the customers' questions and then offer your product or service as a great option.

Writing Techniques for Business Blog Posts

All writers have their unique techniques when writing blog posts. However, since business posts tend to require more structure, there are some steps you can try to ensure the best results.

Research

Valuable content must start with research. Even though you are familiar with the topic, do a quick search before you start writing. You must be able to understand a topic yourself before you can explain it to readers. 

So, this practice enables you to write your business blog post from an informed and simplified perspective. For some, it is easier to do all necessary research before writing. Others choose to search as they write, building the post part by part.

Use the question-and-answer format

One of the simplest ways to write a business blog post is to answer specific questions as you go. Most readers look up content to find specific solutions. So, to create a piece they will engage with, you must provide that answer.

For example, if you are writing an article titled, "Why B2B marketing automation is important for your business".

A searcher looking for this content would likely have typed, “why marketing automation is important.” Or "benefits of marketing automation."

Your task here is to give them reasons why they need automation. So, draw up your list and start writing. Then, add your background and context (introduction) and close your argument (conclusion).

Edit, edit, edit

Nothing is more disappointing than finding a business blog post full of errors. 

You must therefore ensure you read through your article at least twice. Use correction tools like Grammarly and Hemmingway editor. These enable you to fix minor errors and have professional, grammatically correct work.

Furthermore, it is essential to ensure you have the facts right in your work. That said, you must only use information from credible sources. Try to work with only websites with a domain authority of 70+.

Pro tip: Expert writers recommend editing your work as you write. Although this makes for a longer writing time, it saves you the hours you'll spend fixing the whole article once you finish. 

Conclusion

An in-house marketing team can easily handle writing business blog posts. They just need to be equipped with these basic strategies to produce quality and engaging content that converts. 

Always place yourself in the readers' shoes to endure you are providing valuable content to them. And work with the best practices above to guarantee effective articles. 

Remember, writing techniques are not necessarily universal. So, you should find the methods that work best for you and maximize them. 

For more insightful content to help your business, check out our Funnelbud blog.