Are your B2B blog posts as appealing as you would like them to be? Are you happy with the engagement statistics that your blog is generating? Following some of the tips discussed below should help you see a boost in your blog’s performance.
Every business blog post should be a complete story in itself. Every story, whether a blog post or a movie or a novel, is about a character (the hero) who confronts some kind of a problem. A guide steps in to help, leading the hero to eventual success.
In business blogging, the prospective customer is the hero, and the company is the guide.
The book Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller discusses the Grunt Test. The Grunt Test means that the reader grunts in agreement with each of the following elements in every blog post:
- A clearly-defined offer.
- Improvement to the reader’s life.
- Simple and specific steps to make the purchase.
Let’s discuss each of these elements in detail.
A Clearly-Defined Offer
Many blog writers make the mistake of saying too much. They talk about their skills. They talk about their education. They talk about their experience. They talk about all the purchasing options. They talk (or write) so much that the reader is overwhelmed.
The solution? Pare your content down to a single focus. Remember that what the customer wants to hear is not necessarily the same thing as what the company wants to say. Focus on what the customer wants to hear. Consider that Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign doesn’t even mention shoes. “Just Do It” focuses on the customer’s desire to pursue excellence. They don’t specifically mention their shoes. They simply say, “Just Do It.”
A business blogger should define, in the briefest terms, exactly what the customer wants to hear.
Improvement to the Reader’s Life
Position your company as the guide who will lead the customer to success. Imagine that your business is Yoda and the customer is Luke. Your objective is to train Luke in the ways of the Force. CarMax, as Yoda, doesn’t even emphasize the cars that are on the market. They stress the ease of the transaction. They recognize that most people hate to haggle over a car purchase. CarMax solves that problem by emphasizing their hassle-free transactions. People can buy a car anywhere, but from CarMax, they can buy a car with ease.
What are you selling? Narrow it down to one word. Time? Education? Luxury? In reality, you may be selling software, a technology product, or cloud services. But that’s not what the customer needs to hear. The customer needs to hear how your company will make their life better. If you are selling software, for example, you might emphasize simplicity. A previously difficult process is now simplified with your product.
Simple and Specific Steps to make the Purchase
You should have two different kinds of Call to Actions (CTA) on every single blog post.
Buy Now
One CTA should be a Buy Now or Contact Us option for the customer who is ready to head down the buyer’s journey. This option should include very specific steps to make it easy to schedule an appointment or to learn more about your services.
Other CTA Options
The other CTA could be a Transitional Call to Action. This would be an option for someone who is interested in your blog but not yet sure if they are ready to proceed down the buyer’s journey. You can offer a giveaway such as a subscription to a newsletter, a downloadable guide, or a trial offer of your product. This is an opportunity to interact with that segment of your funnel who has not yet reached the decision-making stage.
Your Role as a Guide
Always remember to identify the customer’s perspective and focus your blog post on that point of view. Position yourself as the guide and the customer as the hero. A successful guide should show both empathy and authority. Remember that Yoda understood Luke’s problem, and with authority, firmly inspired the young Jedi to forge his own path to success.
Do you need a guide to help you craft your own engaging story? Contact CycleWerx Marketing today. Our staff is eager to help.