Creating an inbound marketing blog from scratch can be a daunting task. It’s one thing to know how to write about a topic, but it’s another thing entirely to build a blog that attracts visitors and keeps them coming back for more!
If you want to start your own inbound marketing blog, this post is going to walk you through everything you need to know.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Begin with thorough audience research. |
| 2. Define your blog’s niche and target audience. |
| 3. Create a content plan and editorial calendar. |
| 4. Focus on producing valuable and relevant content. |
| 5. Optimize your content for SEO. |
| 6. Promote your blog through social media and email. |
| 7. Engage with your audience and encourage interaction. |
| 8. Monitor analytics to measure and refine your strategy. |
| 9. Stay consistent and patient for long-term success. |
Create Your Buyer Personas
Inbound marketing is all about creating a buyer persona. A buyer persona is a fictional character that represents your ideal customer, and it’s essential to understand how to attract the right people who will become customers.
To create your buyer personas, follow these steps:
Sketch out the different types of customers you want to attract. Think about what kind of people would be interested in what you’re offering, and where they are in their journey towards buying something from you. If there’s a particular problem or need they have, what does that look like?
What do they do every day? How old are they? What do they read online? What social media sites do they use? Write down anything relevant to this group that comes up when thinking about them as individual people.
Give each type of persona a name (this can be whatever works for your business just make sure everyone agrees on it). These names will help keep everyone on the same page when referring back to each type of persona throughout the rest of this process!
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Choose Your Niche
There are many ways to do this, but here are a few tips:
Choose a niche that you’re passionate about. You’re going to need to stay motivated and committed when you start, and if you don’t enjoy writing about your chosen subject, it will be hard for you to write regularly (and stick at it).
Choose a niche that adds value for others. This doesn’t just mean being helpful; it also means adding value in some kind of way.
For example, if all of your content is free advice, then people aren’t going to want their money back when they buy something from you.
Instead, think about how valuable the service or product that your blog provides is not only in terms of the information itself but also in its usefulness as perceived by customers.
The higher the perceived value is compared with other similar products on offer (or even those without) will determine whether people decide to purchase directly from you instead of elsewhere online.
If possible try not just one type of content but rather several types so there’s always something new every time someone visits. (Note: This section should include links back to previous sections where applicable.)
Create A Content Strategy By Brainstorming Topic Ideas
Before you dive into the process of writing content and publishing it, it’s important to lay out a plan for your content. One way to do this is by brainstorming topic ideas.
Brainstorming is a creative process that involves making a list of ideas. It helps you generate new ones by using existing information in various ways or combining different concepts or approaches.
Brainstorming can be done alone or with other people, the idea is that the more minds involved, the better!
There are multiple ways to brainstorm and come up with topics for your blog posts:
Make a list of topics or subjects you’re interested in discussing
Go through previous posts on similar blogs as yours (you can also look at what content has performed well) and see if there are any gaps in your knowledge base that need filling to write about those topics effectively
Use Google Trends (https://trends.google.com/) as an indicator of whether readers are searching for certain terms online right now
Starting your journey in inbound marketing? Discover 16 straightforward steps to kickstart your inbound strategy, build engagement, and drive conversions. Explore these steps in detail: 16 Simple Steps to Inbound Marketing.
Choose Your Cms Technologies
Now that you have chosen the type of blog you want to create and have a rough idea of what it will look like, it’s time to choose your content management system.
A CMS is software that runs your website. It powers the content on your site, including blog posts, pages, and images. The most popular CMSes are WordPress (which we’ll be using), Drupal, and Squarespace.
These systems all allow for easy publishing and make it simple for non-technical users such as writers or PR agencies to add new content without needing any technical knowledge or help from developers.
You should choose a platform based on how easy it will be for you or your team members to use: does it offer intuitive interfaces? Can updates be made in real-time? How fast can bugs be fixed once they occur?
What level of customizability does the software provide? How quickly can new features be added?
Does this system integrate well with other tools that might need access to some data stored on your site, for example, email marketing automation tools like MailChimp or Salesforce Commerce Cloud Commerce Platform (formerly Demandware)?
Find And Evaluate Blog Topics (Using The Formula Provided)
Step 2: Find and evaluate blog topics (using the formula provided).
Ok, so now that you know your target audience, remember those questions we asked about their needs and problems? That’s where you’ll find topics. If you can answer them in a post, it will be valuable to them.
In other words, if there’s no value for the reader then there’s no reason to write about it. So let’s get into how to find great blog post topics!
You have all this awesome research on your target market, but how do you know if an idea is worth writing about? Don’t worry there are some simple steps you can take before even opening up your word processor (or Google Doc) and getting started on drafting out your first post idea!
Learn from the experiences of an inbound marketing expert who has walked the path before you. Explore the insights, challenges, and triumphs of an inbound marketing journey: Inbound Marketing Expert Shares His Personal Journey.
Write Your First Blog Post Using The Formula Provided
Step 1: Write your first blog post using the formula provided.
Step 2: Create a content strategy that includes these topics and other ideas you have come up with in step 4 of this guide.
Step 3: Use the list of topic ideas to create an editorial calendar for your blog posts and social media updates.
Create An Editorial Calendar Using The Worksheet Provided
The editorial calendar is a document that you create using the worksheet provided in this guide. The key benefit of an editorial calendar is to help you stay on track by providing a clear vision for your content strategy.
It also allows you to plan and organize all your content, social media posts, email campaigns, and other marketing efforts so that they happen at the right time for maximum effect.
Inbound marketing blogs should have a blog post published once per week (if not more often), so an editorial calendar with one week per page is appropriate for most purposes.
That said, some businesses may want to publish more frequently or less frequently than weekly so feel free to adjust accordingly based on what works best for your business!
Fill Out The Worksheet For Each Individual Blog Post You Plan On Writing And Use It As A Checklist For Completion
Give your blog post a title that is SEO-friendly, but also compelling and relevant to readers (and Google).
Optimize or S.E.O each post by using certain keywords or phrases that both readers and Google will be able to understand and categorize your content with more ease than if they were not present at all.
These are called search engine optimization (SEO) strategies, because they help make web pages easy for search engines like Google, Yahoo!, Bing!, etc., to find when someone searches online using those terms in the form of keywords or phrases within their site’s content
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Using The Template Provided, Create A Workflow For Editorial Approvals To Maintain Quality Control Of All Blog Posts
The key to maintaining quality control is creating a workflow for editorial approvals. This way, your content writers can submit their blog post drafts to you and other editors for approval before they are published on the blog.
By using a template for editorial approvals, you will ensure that all of your blog posts meet the same standards for quality and consistency. You can then use this template as a checklist when reviewing each draft before it goes live on the website.
It’s also important to have internal processes in place so that when someone submits an article for review, everyone knows who has seen it and what needs to happen next (i.e., approve or reject).
Use The Checklist Provided To Prepare For Publication Of Your Blog Post
Once your blog post is ready to publish, you need to make sure that it’s in a condition that makes it easy for Google and other search engines to crawl and rank. There are seven things that all blogs should have before they go live:
The right permissions: If you don’t have the right permissions or the right team members on board, then this is where things can fall apart quickly.
Content ready: Your content must be ready before going live so there aren’t any delays or complications once the site goes live.
Title & Meta Description: When formatting titles and meta descriptions correctly, they’ll help with search engine rankings when people search for keywords related to what your blog post talks about.
Featured image: A featured image is a standard format used across all major blogging platforms; it usually shows up at the top of each page when someone visits one of those pages (e.g., http://www.examplewebsiteurl).
This helps readers understand what kind of content has been published on those pages without knowing beforehand about which topic might be discussed within them.”
Optimize or S.E.O each post by using certain keywords or phrases that both readers and Google will be able to understand and categorize your content with more ease than if they were not present at all. The free tool Yoast is a great place to start!
Inbound marketing is all about making your content easy for people to find, from the moment you publish it.
The more easily search engines can categorize your posts and know what they’re about, the more likely it is that searchers will land on them when looking for answers to their questions.
To start getting some real results, optimize or S.E.O each post by using certain keywords or phrases that both readers and Google will be able to understand and categorize your content with more ease than if they were not present at all.
The free tool Yoast is a great place to start! Just type in the title of one of your recent blog posts into the box on their homepage and look through their suggestions for optimizing titles with keywords that are relevant but also compelling enough to get people clicking through (which means longer tail keywords).
Find And Evaluate Guest Bloggers (Using The Formula Provided)
This is a key part of the process because it will help you create more content and publish more content, which is essential to getting your blog off the ground.
Guest blogging is basically when someone writes an article for your blog and you then publish it on your site. This is a great way for guest bloggers to get exposure and for you to generate more content for your blog, so I’m going to show you how
to find guest bloggers using this formula:
Type “I want” into Google
Click on the first result that comes up (this will be my LinkedIn page)
Go through my network list until I see someone who would be willing to write a piece of content (let’s call him Rob).
For every article, you write, include a list item with actionable steps people should follow if they want to try out what you’ve been talking about!
A list item is a bulleted list that contains information about the subtopic you’re writing about.
An actionable step is a piece of advice or instruction you give to the reader.
The difference between a list item and an actionable step is that while lists are essentially just small paragraphs with bullet points, actionable steps usually have more than one line of text in them.
This allows you to give more detail on how something should be done, rather than simply stating what needs to happen next.
Including actionable steps within your content gives readers who enjoy reading your posts more direction and helps them implement the techniques they learn from your articles into their own lives or businesses.
Unlock the power of your content with targeted inbound marketing tactics that drive high return on investment (ROI). Discover strategies to maximize your content’s impact: Inbound Marketing Tactics to Get a High ROI from Your Content.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this guide has gotten you excited about the idea of starting an inbound marketing blog.
Don’t let it overwhelm you it’s a journey, and there’s no need to rush. Focus on choosing a topic that interests you and sharing your passion with others. The rest will come naturally as you keep working at it!
Further Reading
Explore more resources on inbound marketing to enhance your knowledge:
Creating an Inbound Marketing Campaign from Scratch: Dive into the process of building an effective inbound marketing campaign, starting from the ground up.
Writing Inbound Marketing Blog Articles: Learn the art of crafting compelling and engaging blog articles for your inbound marketing strategy.
Your Comprehensive Blog Strategy Guide: Master the art of blogging with HubSpot’s comprehensive guide, covering strategies, content creation, and audience engagement.
FAQs
Have questions about inbound marketing? Here are some frequently asked questions:
What is the key to a successful inbound marketing campaign?
A successful inbound marketing campaign hinges on creating valuable and relevant content that resonates with your target audience. It’s about attracting, engaging, and delighting your prospects throughout their journey.
How do I write effective inbound marketing blog articles?
Effective inbound marketing blog articles should focus on addressing your audience’s pain points, offering solutions, and providing valuable insights. Use a conversational tone and incorporate relevant keywords to optimize for search engines.
What are the essential components of a strong blog strategy?
A strong blog strategy includes thorough audience research, consistent content creation, a well-defined content calendar, SEO optimization, and a plan for promoting your blog posts across various channels.
Can inbound marketing work for B2B businesses?
Absolutely! Inbound marketing is highly effective for B2B businesses. By creating informative and educational content, B2B companies can establish themselves as thought leaders, build trust, and attract qualified leads.
How can I measure the success of my inbound marketing efforts?
Measuring the success of inbound marketing involves tracking key metrics such as website traffic, lead generation, conversion rates, engagement metrics, and the overall ROI of your campaigns. Utilize analytics tools to gain insights into your performance.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.
