The embedded video below, courtesy HubSpot’s Inbound Marketing University, provides a solid basis in blogging, but publishers can take away a few best-practices.
- When it comes to content, don’t over market your products. This may feel easier said than done. If your customers love reading books on dogs, it seems quite logical that dog books would be a big pull for your readers. Why not write about the dog books you publish? While a limited amount of content geared toward marketing a specific product is reasonable, the point is that you should be a knowledge hub for your customers. Write posts about dogs, dog health, dog treats, dog products (you don’t create), dog psychology…you get the picture. Once you establish yourself as reputable, your customers are more likely to become your readers, too.
- Find the right people to blog. This will be different in every company. Will your blogger be an industrious intern? Your Editorial Director? A category editor? A freelancer? Don’t be afraid to ask your writers to blog, too! Not only does it give you a credible opportunity to market a book directly author-to-reader, it gives your staffers a break. Remember that blogging needs to be a viable priority in the life of whomever you choose–and that may mean redistributing workloads accordingly.
- Comments help build community. Allow dissenting views to ring loud and clear on your site–and send a well-written advocate for your company’s point of view to get into the ring and show the rest of your readers why you’re the credible source you are. Make sure you’re fostering your community with regular replies to good and mundane comments, too. The more you let your readers know that you’re a real face behind the avatar, the more they’ll connect with you–and your company.
