There is a common query we hear: Should I keep blogging? I don’t think it’s working.

The short answer is, yes, you should keep going. It’s important to understand that content marketing (which includes blogging) is a ‘slow-drip’ process. But just because it’s a slow process doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing. It takes time to build interest and loyalty.

We often recommend blogging to build an air of expertise and credibility. If someone needs information or advice on, say, accounting or engineering or whatever it is you specialise in, they will automatically come to you if they know the goods are there. But if you only have a handful of blog posts on your site, it’s not a good sign. Think of it like your favourite magazine, newspaper or online entertainment source. They needed to keep producing content — articles, opinion pieces, photos, videos, and so on — to build that backlog treasure trove that you love perusing. 

Are you on the right track?

You might be right — your blog might not be working. Are you attracting the right audience to your blog? You should look into this with your own research. Who is your audience exactly, how old are they and what gender, what are their buying or reading habits, and so on? You can discover this with Google Analytics; with surveys, forms and competitions; and through newsletters. Find out exactly what they are reacting to. If you’re not writing the right topics for your audience, then you do need an overhaul.

 To find out more about researching your audience, read How to do content marketing research.

Are you boring them?

This might be a difficult one to swallow. Are you producing interesting content, interesting enough to make people click on the link or bookmark in anticipation for later? If not, look at who is writing the copy. It might be time to engage a copywriter or another staff member who can jazz up the material. Learn more about tackling dull topics and unleashing your creativity.

Also make sure you’re not boring your audience with the same content over and over, or spamming them so they switch off completely and decline to open anything you send them in the future.

Are you being consistent?

Let’s face it – we’re all signed up to and seek out multiple sources of information. If you only produce content every so often, you won’t stay relevant to the audience. It doesn’t matter if it’s only once per week or once per fortnight; keep going and be consistent.

Are you promoting content on the right platforms?

You might be convinced that Twitter is a must-have or that LinkedIn is the only way to go, but you could be wrong. You may find you need to look at other platforms because they may in fact be the best way to reach your audience. If you have a visual product or service, Instagram could be fantastic for you. Or, if you have video content, YouTube and Vimeo are excellent mediums. You may even find that print works better for you than digital.

 For more advice on your content marketing and blog strategy, get in touch with Lush – The Content Agency.

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