Blogging With a Purpose – Part 1: Who Are You Writing For?

This blog is a part of a new series that will examine the purpose behind blogging and how businesses like law firms can benefit from having an established blog. We’ll break this down into three parts: who you’re writing for, what you’re writing about, and why you’re writing. So, if you’re looking to learn how and why to write blogs with SEO in mind and gain the traffic you’re looking for, this series is for you.

Whether you have all the facts and info for your blog filed away or you’re starting from scratch, it’s important to remember you’re not just writing to write. You’re writing to share important information with all those who are willing to read, as well as promote your business.

But wait, how do you know who you’re writing for? To understand that, you’ll need to understand blog audiences and how people search for what they want to know.

What Is a Blog Audience?

In general, a blog audience consists of the people who visit and return to your website’s blog. It can be difficult to develop and retain a true audience; however, gaining unique visits through search-engine optimization (SEO) definitely helps. When you provide high-quality, relevant content, it’s likely you’ll have repeat customers.

In order to define your own blog’s target audience, you’ll need to consider what messages you want to convey and what group would want those messages. Some readers may want speedy blurbs of accurate content they can quickly browse. Other readers are looking for more in-depth information. Regardless, both want and deserve high-quality content. Determine what your audience is likely to expect and go from there.

You’ll also benefit from considering your target audience’s demographics. If you can narrow down how old your audience is, where they live, their gender, education level, and occupation, you’ll have a better understanding of how to approach certain subjects and at what level to write.

Once you’ve determined your target blog audience, you’ll want to start building that group with the right blogs and circulating your content.

How Do You Build a Blog Audience?

As we mentioned above, it’s a good idea to define your target audience and write for them; however, you can definitely benefit from reaching readers outside that target group. This will help you expand your readership even further and encourage the credibility of your blog content. Once you’re established and comfortable, you may even want to intentionally reach beyond your target audience.

In order to grow your blog audience, there are strategies you can implement. While you should always start with a thorough keyword and subject search – just so you know there’s a need for what you want to write about and so you know how to write about it, you can take the following ideas into consideration, as well:

• Promote your content on social media
• Use site features and plug-ins to expand the blog’s reach
• Engage with your readers and answer their questions

How Can Your Business Benefit From a Blog Audience?

There are a variety of benefits you can reap from having an established blog audience that reads the content you work hard to put out. Let’s take a look at the top five:

Building Industry Authority. Even if your business is small, you can prove yourself more credible than your competition with the right blog content. If you can provide insightful and accurate information on the topics your readers want, you have the chance to become their go-to resource.  

Developing Relationships With Existing and Potential Clients. Writing exceptional blogs builds rapport with your existing and potential customers. It’s likely that you want to keep the customers you have, as well as continue to grow your clientele. If you become a credible source with blog content, you can strengthen those important relationships.

Boosting SEO. If you provide frequent content with the right keywords, you create the opportunity to increase your visibility when possible clients search for the topics your blogs cover.

Improving Social Media Presence. It can be difficult to maintain an active social media presence without new, high-quality content. Not only will sharing blog posts help you out with social media, but you’re likely to direct new traffic to your website.

Strengthening Your Brand. Blog posts give you the unique opportunity to show current and prospective customers the more personal side of your business, which can improve relationships and increase your clientele.

At Legal InSites, we pride ourselves on providing our clients with content that is informative and engaging for their readers. For more information on our high-quality content and how it can benefit your business, contact us today.