What’s The Anatomy Of A Great Blog?

Blogging is easier said than done. Every brand wants an online presence, but output alone doesn’t increase your authority. It’s the quality of what you’re saying that gives you clout.

So when Joe Bloggs is routinely copying and pasting from news articles, they may as well not have bothered. You’ve got to be engaging and put your head above the parapet with an opinion.

Say something that you genuinely believe is worth hearing and frame it in a way that makes biological sense. That’s the anatomy of a great blog. Let’s break it down…

The Brain

Want readers to see you as an expert? Don’t produce content for content’s sake.

Readers know that sometimes you’re hopping on market trends. There’s no shame in that. There is shame in having zero opinions and expecting some vague analysis to transform into content that pleases everyone.

Before you put pen to paper:

• Get a clear understanding of your audience (clients, customers?)
• Decide what outcome you want (awareness, trust, enquiries?)
• Determine the type of content (thought leadership, blog, whitepaper?)

The tail shouldn’t wag the dog – if you want to create content that resonates, sketch an outline of everything you want to achieve. This also makes it easier to brief an agency.

The Heart

Once you’ve racked your brain about the bigger picture, it’s time for some soul searching. Pick out the topics and ideas you’re actually passionate about – and nail your colours to the mast.

Apathy is noticeable from a mile off, and LinkedIn posts today are riddled with it. If you don’t care about the skills gap, for example, why should anyone who does listen to you? If you’ve got a unique angle – or even an analogy to, say, sports – lead with that instead.

Create a talking point – one that generates comments on social as opposed to likes.

The Spine

If you want to keep the reader’s attention, you need to give the piece a common thread that helps it flow and moves them through the sales funnel.

This thread is the backbone of your blog and separates good content from a Wikipedia article. Arguments should link seamlessly; any stumbling blocks could cause that potential client to close the browser.

What’s important is that you remember to keep the end result in mind. It’s your passion that’s driving this piece – lose steam, and you put that passion into question.

The Body

The real meat of your piece is the evidence, examples and statistics that support your arguments – the research you’ve undertaken to illustrate why your stance is superior to that of your competitors.

Don’t allow readers to chew through your position with weak reasoning. Instead, be fierce in what you believe in and write as if you’re convincing a prospect that’s challenging you on the matter.

The Balls!

Does your blog have spunk? Does it imply the thought leader behind it is shit-hot at what they do? If not, revisit it.

To be ‘ballsy’ doesn’t mean be a prick. It means be brazen. Contrarians have a limited shelf life on social media. Fighting for what you believe in? That’s future-proof.

But to be ballsy is to go one step further and say something unique. Leave your own mark on the topics and write in a way that suggests you intend to have the final say.

Whatever you do, don’t half-arse it. Content strategy needs to be consistent – a slapdash effort at blogging and social media only serves to tarnish your brand and hamper the impact of other channels.

At MYC, we enable businesses to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Applying the approach above, we work to embolden your tone of voice and deliver messages that gain market share. Interested in working with our team? Email [email protected] or call 0161 660 9206 today.