Five 'Actual' Blog Writing Mistakes

Earlier today, one of my favourite sites, Ragan's PR Daily, posted a piece entitled 10 common Blog Writing Mistakes. Unfortunately, the article broke one of the Blog Writing Commandments -- thou shalt ensure thine content matches thine title.

The article provided very few actual blog writing mistakes, and instead was more of a primer on common grammar and spelling errors. So, without further ado, allow me to focus on five actual corporate blog-writing errors.

Lack of Focus

For whom are you actually writing? Why are you writing? And what added value are you providing to your customers -- both existing and potential? This is vitally important if you are penning a corporate blog.

With personal blogs, you have more freedom to explore different topics. But if you're writing something that's to represent your company, then there needs to be a focus. The primary focus, regardless of your industry, should be to provide your customers with the insight on topics and issues over which you have some influence and expertise.

At Digital Echidna, we try to provide you advice and information that's specific to our industry, including Drupal development, digital marketing, web design, and content strategy. Occasionally we'll venture off into more personal items, but generally that's so our clients (and potential clients) can gain a better understanding of who we are and what our culture is like.

Too Personal

But don't be self-indulgent. It's not a personal blog, it's a corporate one. You can use personal stories to illustrate your stories. And sometimes personal anecdotes can frame a lesson perfectly. But that overly personal touch has to be used judiciously. It has to be used for maximum impact; not just as a vanity project.

Again, it comes down to focus. Are you providing content that a majority of your readers and customers -- most of whom really aren't interested in your life -- are actually going to be able to use? Are you writing with purpose?

If you want a personal blog, start a personal blog. Don't conscript your business' voice. It's a challenge. You want to inject personality into any blog, but you don't want your personality to overwhelm the brand (unless, of course, you are your brand.)

We've previously dealt with why we don't believe our corporate blog is a forum for politics or religion. And we don't feel that type of content is why our customers are reading our posts -- our feedback has been that they appreciate our insight, expertise, and advice. And that's where our focus is.

Not Writing for People

The dreaded SEO monster often comes up in blogging. And if you're writing exclusively for the Googles, then you're going to turn off a lot of people who are reading.

Plus, as we've seen with various algorithm updates, search engines are moving away from rewarding people who game the system. Instead, the focus is on rewarding quality content that speaks to its audience.

Ideally, you'll write quality content that resonates with your readers, is shared socially, and encourages commentary and real-life application. You'll write good headlines, you'll use proper semantic markup, and you'll naturally find your way up the search engine ranks.

If you choose to stuff your page with keywords, write link-baity headlines, or try any of the other techniques designed to write for "robots," then you're going to turn away your human clientele.

And remember, don't count clicks. Make your clicks count. If you write for people and provide them with good, quality, entertaining content, they'll be more likely to support your business (and provide referrals).

Don't be Jargony

Write like a human. You may understand your internal jargon. You may think Biz Speak makes you sound more professional. But your customer just wants interesting and valuable information.

We can get lost staring into our own linguistic navels -- so wrapped up in our own internal terminology and language that we forget that it doesn't translate outside of our walls. Plain speech is always the best -- and clearest -- way to spread your message.

In general, if someone's going to read through your content, but get stuck at a term or turn of phrase, then it's probably best to find another way to say it.

The "And???" Syndrome

This is often a symptom of trying to hit some artificial quota of blog posts. You don't have to respond to everything you see. You don't have to share an opinion on everything, just to fill space.

If you get to the end of your post and you're left saying, "So...?" "That was obvious..." or "And... so what's your unique point anyways?" then it's probably best left unsaid.

Your blog is your opportunity to add to the conversation, not engage in "Me too!" messaging.

Don't waste that opportunity.

Now, over to you. What blogging mistakes do you see out there? What do you keep front of mind when you're writing content? The comments, as always, are open.