Process mapping is used effectively in so many elements of business, why not blogs? After all, the value of having engaging and insightful blog content is universally accepted, so why not approach this task with the same level of detail and planning that you would for, say, your social media marketing approach. Here’s how process mapping can truly assist in the creation of engaging blog content that attracts users, and converts.
It helps you create a publishing schedule
For an effective blog, a publishing schedule is of critical importance. This schedule will assist you in understanding what content needs to be created, and when it needs to be posted, so, in essence, is at the very core of your blog approach.
“Too many blogs take on the form of random ideas that are penned spontaneously without any thought to the bigger picture, i.e., your wider content marketing strategy. Does it help in telling the story of the business? Does it help add value to the product or service you are offering? Where does it fit in the wider scheme of things? These are all pertinent questions that you should brainstorm and then use to inform your publishing schedule,” advises Gavin Delaney, an editor at WriteMyX and BritStudent.
If you don’t have some sort of pre-conceived approach, then what will result is something that is disjointed, and ultimately ineffective in converting. That then becomes a waste of your time. Plan your overall approach, then break it down into individual blog articles which form part of that overall approach. It’s then just a case of working out how often you want to publish. It’s that simple.
Research is key
Okay, so you’ve figured out what you want to say and when, so that’s it, right? Wrong! Knowing what you want to say is only the beginning, as you now need to conduct the research that informs you of the keywords that are essential for SEO purposes, and then sprinkle in the facts and figures that validate what you are saying, building trust with your audience. For example, did you know there are now 3.5 billion Google search queries every single day? Not only is that fact real, and hyperlinked, but it also emphasizes the importance of getting your SEO strategy right, because 3.5 billion searches mean 3.5 billion page listings, and it’s all about the search engine results pages (SERP).
“A poorly penned blog article will not just be ineffective, it could possibly be detrimental to the cause, as it gives a bad impression of who you are as a business, so this is something you’ve got to get right,” warns Sandy van Mayde, a writer at 1day2write and NextCoursework.
Structure your article, and write
Once you have defined what you are going to write about, and what you are going to include in terms of keywords and relevant statistics, it’s now a case of structuring the article so that it is logical, reader-friendly, and delivers information in a manner that flows naturally.
If you are just starting out, it’s a good idea to conduct research to see what competitors do, and what a good blog and blog article looks like. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel here, so find a structure that works for you, and then tailor it accordingly. Once you have your first article that you are happy with in terms of structure, then you have your blueprint for every other piece that will follow. Don’t forget to include relevant images so it is not too dry-looking either.
Analyze
This is a critical step. Posting your blog article is not the end, it’s just the beginning. From here you need to understand exactly how users engage with that article. Repackage it on social media for the most effective results, and use analytical tools to see how well (or not) it is helping to drive traffic to your homepage, or complete the CTA that you are looking for (this, of course, should have been a central aspect of your planning schedule – what do you want each blog article to ultimately achieve? If you haven’t done this right at the start, how can you begin to measure it at the end?). This is where process mapping should really pull everything together.
Authored by guest contributor Joel Snyder
Blogging analyst and writer Joel Syder can be accessed at Origin Writings and Ph.D. Kingdom , where he leads teams who help companies to create highly effective blogs. Joel also pens articles for Academic Brits.