5 simple steps that will teach you how to write a blog article that will stand the test of time.

When I first started blogging for the Laundry industry, I had more than one person say something similar to: “How do you even write a blog article for that?”

To be fair, part of me felt the same way. This is an industry that’s only now coming of age in the digital world. More and more business have websites, Social Media, and are running ad campaigns, but blogging? There’s still work to be done. We need to spread the wealth of information stored within the experts of this industry to the masses.

That’s why Spynr wants to help change the way blog articles – and digital marketing as a whole – are perceived and utilized within the Laundry industry.

A well-written blog article that’s shared at the right time can be a powerful tool for any brand. Blogs are applicable to every stage of your buyer’s journey, and evergreen content can be utilized for years to come. From start to finish, the ROI for a good blog article could be hundreds of times the little bit of effort you put into creating it.

So let’s talk about how to create a good blog article for your business.

#1: Know your audience

The best place to start a blog article is to ask one question: Who am I writing to?

Everything you write should be directed at a particular audience. In the case of this article, we’re talking to the owners and operators of businesses within a particular industry. Your blog article will have a different audience that’s based on the overall demographics of the people you want to reach. Information like age, gender, income, and job are helpful elements to enumerate so that you cater your post to the right people.

Once you know your audience, settle on a topic that will be relevant and helpful. A well-executed blog article about a helpful topic is better for your business than a perfectly written but highly technical post about an obscure topic that no one really cares about.

#2: Outline, then Draft

The worst part of writing is getting started with the actual writing.

My biggest recommendation for anyone experiencing a bad case of writer’s block is to simply get started. Use what you know, or look up some reliable sources to provide an outline for yourself. Once you have a few ideas, start writing – even if it’s stream of conscious – because something is better than nothing.

It’s not going to be a Shakespearean sonnet, but it’s a start.

#3: Edit, edit, edit

Please, please don’t ever post a blog article without editing first.

Edit for everything in your post. Look at your content, grammar, any potential plagiarism (even unintentional!), or any other errors that could plague your post. Studies have shown that while not everyone is a prolific writer, just about everyone can pick a piece of writing apart with even a basic knowledge of grammar and syntax.

You are your own best friend here, so don’t hold back!

I highly recommend using a free service like Grammarly to check yourself on the technical side, and would even recommend upgrading to their premium service to get serious about checking for plagiarism and the trickier aspects of writing well.

#4: Organize and Optimize

Once you’ve written and edited, you need to take a moment to make sure your content is organized in a way that’s easy to read and easy to scan. Not everyone will take the time to read every word of your post, so do your best to capture the speed readers too.

Optimization is a whole blog post in itself, but it deserves to be mentioned as a vital aspect of blog creation. Make sure you’ve got proper keywords, meta tags, images, and that your overall readability is solid. SEO is an ever-evolving task, and knowing how to write a blog article will help.

#5: Publish and Share

Now that you’ve written, edited, organized, and optimized – you’re ready to post!

Give everything one last look, and then hit that little button that says “publish.”

Once the dust clears on your new post, you need to start getting it out to the world. Share your post on relevant Social Media outlets to start building a readership. If you stay consistent, your blog will soon have a group of regulars that hang on your every word!

Blog articles are one of the most powerful ways to share your business’s voice. It’s a centralized place where your brand is on display for everyone to see. Share expertise, give advice, and just keep people up to date on your business.

Don’t hide how awesome your business is from the world. Use your blog post as an opportunity to introduce readers to the valuable content they’ll find if they listen to you.