21 calamitous business blog mistakes to avoid

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21 Calamitous Business Blog Mistakes to Avoid
Po sted by Jasmine Henry on Fri, Feb 01, 2013 @ 07:05 AM
21 Calamitous Business Blog Mistakes to Avoid
Posted by Jasmine Henry on Fri, Feb 01, 2013 @ 07:05 AM
Is Your Only Subscriber Your Mom?
Who doesn’t have a blog these days? It seems that every small- and
medium-sized business I encounter has started blogging f or business.
Recent data indicates that 91% of B2B marketers will be creating
custom content in 2013, but how many of these companies are simply
trying to achieve quality over quantity? There’s a lot of wrong ways to
approach blogging, and I’ll be the f irst to admit that I’ve learned a f ew
of them myself the hard way. Be ye not so f oolish:
1. Waiting to Get Started
Don’t sit back and watch your competitors soar to the top of Google
and score the business of all of your prospects. T here’s always going
to great reasons to put of f getting started creating custom content,
but the statistics reveal you can’t af f ord to make excuses any longer.
2. Writing Without an Audience
Any Freshman English Composition prof essor who’s worth his or her salt will tell you that writing is
worthless without an audience. Who are your buyer personas, and what problem in their lif e is so
pressing they’ve come looking f or your product or service solutions? Def ine your ideal customer and use
your blog as a platf orm f or answering their questions.
3. Not Def ining Brand Personality
I can’t tell you how to brand your company, but I can tell you that content that’s not written in a distinct
voice can be pretty boring. You can have multiple voices speaking on your blog, depending on the size of
your content team, but be sure they’re consistent with how you want your company to be def ined.
4. Making It All About You
People don’t want to hear about how sparkly-f un your team members are, unless you’re trying to sell

sparkly- f un branding services. Unless it’s a solution f or your prospects, a triumph f or your company, or
relevant to your industry, it probably doesn’t belong on your blog.
5. Not Taking a Stand
We’re not recommending that you make a point of taking a strong stance in every piece of blog content
you write and publish. Combative or negative branding won’t do a lot of good f or your company.
However, it’s almost equally dangerous to avoid taking a stand at any point, ever. Know who you are,
what you are all about, and who you aren’t, too.
6. Not Demanding Contributions
Even if you’re the sole marketer at your organization, there’s still a billion ways to get others to
contribute to your content calendar. Make it mandatory, or make contributing just really f un by of f ering
prizes f or generating page views or social media shares.
7. Not Utilizing a Content Calendar
Do you sit down every day with a clear vision of what you’ll be writing and when it’s going to be
published? Covering topics in a scattered manner makes it hard to develop a f ollowing.
8. Phoning in Your Blog Titles
Back when I was a f reshman business blogger, I was guilty of phoning in my blog titles. I’d type something
inf ormative and completely disregard the need to have a sexy title to generate any social media traf f ic.
Pay attention to what’s being shared on your Twitter f eed, and learn how to emulate the art of hijacking
people’s curiosity.
9. Abusing Keywords
We’re f irm believers that keyword research is a powerf ul tool f or discovering the terminology and topics
that are driving searches among consumers. However, keywords can be abused and if you’re struggling
to jam an awkward phrase into a sentence or title, just say no.
10. Calling It Quits Once the Post Is Published
Few writers love marketing themselves and their blog content, but it’s critical. You’re missing out on an
incredible amount of potential traf f ic if you’re not actively networking with other bloggers or posting on
social media.
11. Writing the Same Topic Over and Over Again
Every business blog has a topic or two that resonates well with their f ans and racks up loads of social
media shares. While it’s prudent to use these posts as a gauge f or determining what to write, don’t let

your content calendar turn into a broken record. Mix up tutorials with lists and editorials with newsjacking
or guest posts.
12. Not Editing or Writing Well
No one likes a grammar snob, but no one likes bad grammar, either. Trust us, if you’re not editing your
blog content and no one is pointing out your typos, you’ve probably driven away f rustrated readers.
13. Not Using Image Sources
Adding images improves the chances your content will gain traction on Facebook and Pinterest. While
we’re not qualif ied to of f er any small business blogger legal advice, we’re f irm believers that stealing is a
no-no. Properly credited visual content f rom f reedigitalphotos.net is your blog’s new best f riend.
14. Not Using Sources
When in doubt, cite or quote someone better known and more of an expert than yourself . It’s just good
journalism.
15. Not Actively Pitching Guest Posts
Guest posting is a powerf ul way f or even the shyest bloggers to build alliances and positive SEO. Write
really powerf ul content and of f er it up to your peers. If it’s not good enough to publish on your own blog,
don’t try and get it posted elsewhere. Set an attainable goal, which might be one post a week or two a
month, and add it to your content calendar.
16. Writing Only Snacks or Feasts
The meals and snacks methodology of alternating longer pieces of blog content with shorter pieces is
only ef f ective if you use both. If your content is less than 600 words on a regular basis, you could be
losing your opportunity to reap the positive SEO benef its of blogging. If you’re exceeding 1200 words
day af ter day, it might be time to f ill your content calendar with some shorter bites.
17. Deleting Hurtf ul Comments
It hurts your readers’ f eelings when you delete their blog comments. There are always going to be trolls,
hurtf ul comments, and people who probably dropped in just to point out a typo. Blogging is a remarkable
tool f or developing a thick skin. Take their f eedback as an opportunity to grow.
18. Not Accepting Guest Posts
When you start of f ering guest posts to other bloggers, something magical is bound to happen: You
might be of f ered f ree content in return! There are always going to be posts that aren’t a great f it f or
your business blog, which is f ine. Have standards in place f or what’s acceptable, be conf ident enough to

say “T hanks, but no thanks,” and enjoy letting others write your content f or you!
19. Ignoring Inbound Marketing Analytics
We’ve all had that ref reshingly honest f riend at one point in our lives, the one who wasn’t af raid to tell us
when we looked awf ul in that yellow sweater or had spinach in our teeth. Blog analytics are just like that
f riend, and they’re not af raid to tell you when your audience hates a post.
20. Not Optimizing Your Meta Description
Meta tags and descriptions may not carry the same SEO weight they did a f ew years ago, but they still
matter. Plus, once you’re in the habit of optimizing your meta description and tags, it takes less than 5
minutes.
21. Living Up to the Title "Business Blog"
A f ew years ago, many of us would have rolled our eyes at the term “business blog.” It just sounds
boring—I mean, who wants to listen to some company talking about themselves? Thanks to brave and
bold pioneers like HubSpot who made the business blog a veritable resource center, your blog can be
helpf ul and f un, too. Build a community and keep being awesome. Your analytics will ref lect your hard
work and commitment.
What do you f eel are some of the most devastating business blogging mistakes?
image credit: chris sharp/freedigitalphotos.net

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Tags: Content Creation, Business Blogging