The word “Blog” strikes fear into the heart of many potential bloggers because they don’t know what a blog is or how write one. Yet, one of the most effective tools for driving website traffic is to blog on a consistent basis. To alleviate some of that fear it is important to know that a blog is simply a short article about a subject that your potential client or customer has questions. Questions that many of you probably answer on a daily basis.
The second point of how to do it effectively is an equally good question. In writing a blog aim for a minimum of 300 words and a maximum of around 750. (Don’t make it so long that it is overwhelming to read) For how to write a blog that will hook your reader/potential client or customer, I turned to Sara McGuire who recently wrote a blog entitled “Writing: Six Types of Hooks to Reel in Readers”. In her article Sara says “so many people seem to neglect the essential hook. Instead, they start off their articles with bland statements. Yawn. I get it. It’s not easy to know where to begin an article. You probably want to just get into the meat of your message. The problem is, your readers won’t even get to that point if that bounce after the first boring sentence.”
She goes on to suggest the following types of hooks for getting someone to read you blog.
- Ask an engaging question:
Ask them a question that will give them pause (and a reason to read further) - Make a relatable statement:
It feels good to know you’re not alone in your troubles. - Call the reader out: This is a tricky one, but when used tactfully it can be very effective. Call the reader out for an assumption they have probably made, or something they’re probably doing wrong.
- Tell readers what they’re going to get:
If you let readers know, up front, what they’re going to get, they may be more likely to consider your content worth their time. - Introduce a metaphor or simile:
Opening with a metaphor or a simile captures the attention of readers and makes them reconsider a topic they may already be familiar with. - Present a shocking statistic:
If you’ve got a particularly surprising statistic in your arsenal, why not use that to get readers to stop and take notice?
In today’s marketing world people turn to the internet to get answers before they ever look at advertising. Writing a blog means that you will get traffic into your website on regular basis and will establish you as the expert. One of our clients, who writes a blog every week, recently wrote a blog post that immediately increased his web traffic by nearly 60%.
Blogging Works!
So much so that the CDT board asked me to share with you the top 10 Collaborative Divorce Texas blogs over the past few months. (Link to each blog on the website)
# 1 10 Signs you may need a Divorce – Harry Munsinger – 730 readers
# 2 5 Great Fears of Divorce – Mark Lewis – 536 readers
#3 What comes after telling your spouse? – Jennifer Tull – 400 readers
#4 Can I date during my divorce? Harry Munsinger – 278 readers
#5 5 Good Reasons Not to Choose Collaborative Divorce – Eric Beal – 235 readers
#6 Is Collaborative Divorce right for you? – Dick Price – 213 readers
#7 3 Rules for Introducing Step Parents – Jennifer Leister – 204 readers
#8 Splitting Retirement Assets – Tracey Stewart – 158 readers
#9 How to Tell Your Spouse You Want A Divorce – Jennifer Tull – 153 readers
#10 Understanding Divorce Options – Norma Trusch – 151 readers
Some of these blogs are new and some have been on the site for a long time. The value of a blog is that once it is on the website it can continue to deliver potential clients to your site. The bottom line is that blogging works and writing an article that speaks to a client’s needs will make a difference in your practice.
