Define Your Blog’s Purpose

By Jill Kurtz, Owner Kurtz Digital StrategyHaving a blog is a great way to continue to serve up fresh content to the web. However, as I cruise the web and talk to potential clients I find that all too many blogs are neglected and not living up to their potential.The reason often seems to boil down to the owner never taking time to define the blog’s purpose. Writing can be hard enough; writing when you are not sure of the purpose is a chore that winds up falling off of the “to do” list.I offer six potential purposes for your blog. Take time to pick one – or perhaps one primary and one secondary – purpose. I guarantee that taking time to define the purpose of your blog will set you on the road to greater success.1. Address common questions or problems of your target audience. You need to have a deep understanding of who you want to reach with your blog. Then you can get insight into the top-of-mind questions and issues that they would flock to your blog to read about.2. Share your expertise and point-of-view. People are attracted to experts more often than brands. Your blog can be your platform to share your expertise in your own words.3. Create opportunities for your community to participate. A blog can be the catalyst to invite people to participate, You can use to to launch a contest or ask people to get involved in a cause or movement.4. Provide customer service and advice. If you offer a product or service, a blog can be a great way to provide ongoing support to your customers. Help them stay connected long after the first purchase.5. Engage your influencers. A blog can be a great avenue to let people express their opinions.6. Improve search engine optimization by addressing search-worthy questions. Post about topics and keywords that are trending, and your blog will rank well in search engines.[author]About the Author: Jill Kurtz founded Kurtz Digital Strategy to help clients see the communication potential of the newest trends and technologies. She is an expert at website strategy and redesign, social media planning, and developing exceptional content.[/author]