How to Write a Valued B2B Blog Using These Expert Recommended Tips

Hey there, blogger. Did you know, there are more that 600 million blogs on the internet and over 2 million blog posts are published daily? With so much blogging going on, you should be asking, how can I make my business blog standout from the noise?

While competition is fierce, it is entirely possible to create an audience for your blog. That’s why I am sharing the results of detailed research about optimizing a blog for high engagement.

I’ve arranged this definitive guide to writing blog content in a skimmable format to make it easy for you to find the information you need now. And, with so many expert tips in this blog, I welcome you to come back to reread often.

Are Blogs Still Relevant Today?

No doubt about it, a blog is absolutely relevant to your business and for your customers.

Unlike advertising that stops attracting leads after the ad ends, blogs are self-sustaining lead magnets. Blogs are extremely valuable for creating brand awareness, building trust, and educating your ideal customers.

Additional Reasons Why Blogs Are Good Investments:

• 71% of B2B buyers consume blog content during their buying journey.
• Having a blog on your website increases chance of ranking higher in search by 434%.
• Businesses that blog get 55% more website visitors than business that don’t.

So, yes, blogs are relevant today and there is room for yours, if you provide value to your readers and optimize the content structure.

What Do B2B Customers Want to Read About?

Your customers crave clear and helpful insights to make smart decisions that boost their business success. Find out what they want to read and tailor your unique point of view when authoring blog content.

Tips to Identify Ideal Customer’s Interests.

• Readers like longer, more informative blog posts. They prefer a resource that has all the answers. Write a definitive guide they can come back to again and again when they need a refresher.
• Review your website and social media analytics. Analyze what keywords your site visitors are using to search for you. Also review your most popular social media posts for what is resonating with your followers.
• Benchmark your competition for insights and inspiration. Look at their FAQ pages, testimonials, and product pages.
• Google autocomplete predictions provide insights about real searches being done on the search engine. Start typing a keyword and watch Google complete sentences.
• Focused keyword variants are the related searches that are presented on the bottom of a search on Google. These recommendations are based on actual long-tail keyword searches.
• Explore Google Trends using this path Trending Now > Explore Topics [enter topic] > Sort Category.
• Use HubSpot’s Blog Topic Generator to get ideas for posts.
• See What’s Trending in Paid Courses using Udemy.com where 62million learners have paid to take over 210K courses. Browsing the course titles offers insights about what your readers are wanting to learn.

Why A Blog Title Is So Important

Well-crafted blog titles serve as powerful magnets, attracting target audiences by conveying the promise of relevant, industry-specific content that can solve their challenges.

Your blog title is an enticement. Make it interesting, descriptive, and relevant. Miss the mark on the title and your blog will go unnoticed.

Tips to Optimize Your Blog Title.

• Use a copywriting hook to grab the reader’s attention. Use an anecdote or a listicle (e.g., (top reasons, 5 things you should do to…); ask a question; use a statistic; state a controversy.
• Optimize title length to 70 characters or about 12 words.
• Write a blend of word types to include common and uncommon words, emotional words, and power words.
• Positive sentiment works better than negative sentiment.
• Assess your blog title effectiveness with Headline Studio. This requires a paid subscription and there is a free trial available.
• Get title recommendations from SEMrush Free Title Generator.

Examples of Meh Blog Titles And How to Improve Them

How to Design a Blog to Increase SEO and Readability

Still with me? There is a lot of valuable technical detail in this section. So, refill your caffeinated beverage and let’s continue.

It's really important to consider SEO and readability when structuring your B2B blog. Your goal should be to attract more organic traffic and better engage your target audience. It helps your brand become a thought leader and effectively drive conversions.

By using strategic headings, relevant keywords, and clear formatting, you not only improve your search engine visibility but also enhance the user experience. This makes your brand stand out as a valuable industry resource in the midst of all the digital noise.

Tips to Optimize Your Blog for Search and Comprehension.

• Focus on the first three paragraphs. Readers are known to pay attention to the first three paragraphs on a page.
• Chunk content. Use H2 headings to arrange ideas and emphasize keyword content.
• Write subheadings as mini blogs. Long form content is valuable, and it can be challenging to maintain a reader’s attention for the entire post. A 1,000” word blog should contain about 5-6 subheadings. Write the most valuable content in the first line of the sub-heading’s paragraph.
• Manage keyword density. Keywords are a critical part of your SEO strategy, and it is important to avoid keyword stuffing – the intentional overuse of keywords to unfairly influence search ranking. Search engines penalize for keyword stuffing. Optimize your content to include 1-2 keywords for every 100 words of copy.
• Incorporate use of sub-headings and bullet points to enhance readability, provide structure, and improve comprehension. Search engines consider sub-headings as important indicators of the content’s relevance. Use descriptive sub-headings using relevant keywords to improve SEO of your blogpost.
• Include internal links to improve search engine optimization and help users find your other valuable content.

Tips to Optimize Your Blog Readability.

• Write skimmable content to make reading easier.
• Design the blog to include white space to improve readability and comprehension.
• Write at 7^th grade reading level. Use simple words and short sentences. Make it easy for readers to understand your messages.
• Insert an image every 75-100 words to increase visual appeal.
• Include bucket brigade phrases, also called re-hooks, to reengage the audience throughout the blog. Common examples include phrases such as: what does this mean for you; in other words; not too fast; so, here’s the deal; think about it.
• Call readers to take action. Multiple benefits of CTAs in enabling engagement, improving SEO, and educating the reader. Distribute them throughout the blog. Avoid placing your call to action only at the bottom of the blog because readers may not see it.

How To Promote a Blog Post

Now that you’ve written your best blog, it’s time to promote it. To increase readership, a B2B brand should focus first on creating high-quality content, then leveraging the valuable content via guest blogging, email marketing, and social media promotion to attract and engage their target audience.

Tips For Promoting Your Blog.

• Write quality content. Promoting your blog only works if the blog content is perceived valuable by your readers. Do not publish your blog unless you are confident in its value to your ideal customers.
• Guest Blogging. Collaborate with industry thought leaders and other influential blogs to publish guest posts. This helps you to tap into their existing readership and build credibility for your brand. Provide unique insights to attract readers and drive traffic back to your own website.
• Email marketing. Build a targeted email list of prospects, customers, and industry professionals who are interested in your content. Regularly send out newsletters or email updates featuring your latest blog posts, industry news, and other valuable resources.
• Social Media Promotion. Share your blog content on your social media platforms using relevant hashtags. LinkedIn’s latest algorithm favors genuine conversation with your followers. It expects more than cursory comments. Strive to have a quality discussion with your followers.

Building readership takes time and consistency. Focus on creating valuable content, engaging with your audience, and utilizing your network to promote your blog.

Additional Blogging Resources

Ann Handley's Everybody Writes: Your New & Improved Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content. Discover how to write ridiculously well from best-selling author Ann Handley.

Mark Schaefer's blog, Grow. Mark is one of the smartest guys I know, and he's a great writer. Check out his blog for insights about the future of marketing. I think you'll also like his writing style.

HubSpot: 30+ Best Blogging Tools to Grow Your Blog in 2023. If for some reason you do not yet know about HubSpot, I'll just say, you're welcome. There are metric tons of valuable resources on their site.

Summary

Your business is uniquely qualified to help customers solve problems. Communicating your brand value using your blog increases your brand authority and builds trust with your ideal customers. Research your customers interests and write content using your point of view. Optimize the blog content for SEO and readability. Leverage your network to promote readership of your blog.

About David LaCombe

David LaCombe is the founder of Imperatives Delivered, a fractional chief marketing officer service for small businesses. He helps businesses grow by tailoring strategies and data driven solutions. David has extensive leadership experience in product development, marketing, sales, and user communities. Contact David to speak with him about your company’s growth imperative.