Home 9 Blog Writing 9 It’s Time to Face the Facts: Your Blog Sucks

It’s Time to Face the Facts: Your Blog Sucks

by | Dec 11, 2013 | Blog Writing | 0 comments

blog-sucks

If you’ve been keeping up with the Grammar Chic blog—or for that matter, any other blog that’s related to online marketing—then you don’t need to be convinced of the importance of content creation. We really do believe that creating compelling, informative content is a smart thing for businesses to do; what you’re reading right now is proof! And we’re not alone: Statistics indicate that an overwhelming percentage of marketers (more than 90 percent) embrace content marketing as the new norm.

You’ve surely read all about the benefits of content marketing, then—but maybe you’re struggling to see the proof in your own efforts. Maybe you’ve started a business blog, and you’re investing some real time and effort into sustaining it. Your posts are starting to pile up, and as of yet, you’ve got nothing to show for it—not much readership, not much engagement, not any discernable monetary value gleaned from your business blogging. So what’s the deal?

We’ll be honest: It’s entirely possible that your blog sucks.

That doesn’t have to be a terminal problem. There are ways you can address the problems with your blog, and start seeing that ROI. The first step is diagnosing the problem. If your blog falls into any of the following dubious categories, then it’s time to make some course corrections.

Blog Types That Nobody Wants to Read

  • The “This Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time, but I Quickly Ran Out of Steam” blog. How often have you visited a business website, clicked on the “blog” tab, and seen that the most recent entry came from March 2003, or some similarly distant date? It’s enough to make you wonder if the company is even still in business. If you’re updating your blog sporadically and inconsistently, it’s time to get serious, preferably by implementing an editorial calendar.
  • The “I Read an Article About SEO and Now I Think I’m a Marketing Expert” blog. You can always tell the blogs that were written by business owners overzealous for SEO. Yes, everyone wants his or her business blog to be easily discovered by Google users, and keywords can help accomplish that goal. Keywords are not nearly as important as overall reader value or readability, though—so if you’re using the phrase “Acme Widgets reviews” or “Ft. Mill South Carolina plumbing companies” in every other sentence, it’s time to tone it down.
  • The “Roll-o-Dex” blog. If you’re too young to remember, a Roll-o-Dex is kind of like the Contacts section of your phone—only it’s on paper. Some bloggers, obsessed with the idea of guest blogging, essentially use their blog to show off how many people they know, posting one guest blog after another. Guest blogging is certainly valuable, but only in moderation. The point is to show off your expertise and knowledge—not how many people you know—so you need to ensure that a majority of the posts are written by someone on your team (or by a marketing company you’re using to ghostwrite).
  • The “Used Car Salesman” blog. We get it: You think your company is great, you think your products are essential, you think your latest sale or online promo is an absolute steal. The blog is not really a place to talk about any of that, though—at least not 24/7. The point of the blog is to boost engagement, and frankly, nobody’s going to want to read the blog if it just sounds like a non-stop commercial.
  • The “I’m Not Really Listening” blog. You should be talking with your audience, not at them—yet many business blogs go essentially unmoderated and unengaged by the business owner, or by the blog author. If you’ve got a stack of questions in the comment section, and you haven’t taken the time to address any of them, it gives the distinct impression that you just don’t care about your readers.
  • The “I’m Trying to Be a Jack of All Trades” blog. Some small business owners try to wear all the hats—CEO, President, HR Person, Morale Director, Marketer, and Blogger. Frankly, though, not everyone is gifted with the writing skills needed to blog. If you’re biting off more than you can chew and trying to do something you’re just not meant to do, it’s going to be pretty obvious from the writing. This is when outsourcing your blog writing may be smart.

Which of these blog types do you most hate to see? Are there any others that you would add? Let us know in the comments section—and don’t hesitate to contact us for more insights into how we can help you turn your business blog around.

The team at Grammar Chic specializes in a variety of professional writing and editing services. For more information about how we can help you, visit www.grammarchic.net or call 803-831-7444. We also invite you to follow us on Twitter @GrammarChicInc for the latest in writing and editing tips and to give a “like” to our Facebook page. Text GRAMMARCHIC to 22828 for a special offer.