The corporate blog can be viewed as a “faithful squire” of a site. Thanks to the blog, in fact, it will be possible to make the brand known.
Aspiring copywriters, bloggers, and content editors pay close attention because in this article we will list a series of very useful tips (hopefully) to start entering the profession. Become, in a short time, an attractive specialist, who is able to propose to companies with the confidence of those who know how to do their job. Ready to take notes? Okay, let’s go. Additionally, check out Cheetah Papers to learn more tricks to write a corporate blog efficiently.
Articles for a corporate blog: introductory considerations
A copywriter not only deals with articles, but also with text for product pages, newsletters, etc. (not to mention the eternal diatribes on definitions, who a copywriter is and what he does compare to a content editor or a web writer).
In the course of the article, I will provide a series of tips that exclusively concern the writing of articles for corporate blogs.
There are more and more companies that, once aware of the importance of the web, decide to create their own online presence.
The corporate blog can be viewed as a “faithful squire” of a site. Thanks to the blog, in fact, it will be possible to make the brand known and to bring more and more people (potentially interested in the commercial offer) to the official website.
Reputation growth, increase in qualified traffic, greater results (read earnings). Do you understand now why the work of the copywriter is so important?
So, let’s analyze together how to write and structure an article from a business perspective.
The style to be adopted
The first aspect I want to focus on is the style of writing. How should you write an article from a business perspective? As for my direct experience, I can tell you that a piece of this type must be written in a simple and confident way, but you must also pay the utmost attention not to go too far.
It is true that empathy is the secret to success in communication 2.0, but at the same time, one should not get too carried away. Always remember that you are writing content on behalf of a company, which will represent it and which, in some way, will be its “voice”. Precisely for this reason, the article must have a simple but not trivial, discursive but not obvious, style. Above all, the content must have information useful for the reader.
The watchword is simple, but be careful not to go too far and arrive at a cheap style.
How to structure the text
After having roughly analyzed the style, let’s take a closer look at the structure of the text. If you are thinking that an article on a corporate blog may have a homogeneous structure, high school theme style, you are starting off on the wrong foot. Rather, think of the article as a mini-paper, at least as regards the similarity with the structure of the piece:
A short introduction
- Analysis of the various topics
- Possible further details in the different paragraphs (see below how)
- Inserting lists and bulleted lists that Google likes so much (like this one)
- Last part of the piece dedicated to a sort of report of what has been said
Conclusions
This is, in broad terms, the structure that you will always have to maintain. Why this? Users who surf online should not be considered as the reader of a book, completely immersed and focused on words. Those who roam the internet almost always do it in a hurry, and most of the time they are looking for short, fast, lean solutions and insights. Structuring the text by paragraphs helps the visual scan of the user, facilitating (and encouraging) reading.
Use of H2 and H3 tags
About structure. I just told you that you have to split the text into short paragraphs, but you don’t have to do it by entering a simple title and stop. To highlight the beginning of a paragraph (helping not only the visual scan of the user but also that of the Google spider) you will need to use the H2 and H3 tags (before you can ask yourself, the H1 tag is the title of the piece). In the WordPress editor, you can insert the tag by simply clicking in the small drop-down menu on the left where you find the paragraph written and select, in the case of H2, Title 2. Another way, a little more abstruse, is to go directly to the article code (click on the Text button in the editor, on the right) and insert the symbol <h2> before the title of the paragraph and at the end </h2>.
When to use the H3 tag
If we use H2 to subdivide the article, then why should we also use the H3 tag (or even H4 and H5)? The answer is soon said: to insert a short study of a paragraph. In the case that in a paragraph you have analyzed a certain topic, you can use the H3 to insert more information about that single piece of text. A good way to tidy up and, as mentioned above, to help the user read.
Keywords, never do without
So far, we have talked about style, structure, and paragraphs. All things that, at first impression, may seem superfluous (but I assure you that they are not). I understand well, however, your impatience is going to the point, so let’s go directly to the heart of the matter: the use of keywords! A lot could be said about this topic, but I prefer to summarize everything in a single simple concept: you can’t do without the search terms inside the piece!
If you don’t use the right keywords, how do you expect to gain a good positioning on certain search queries? Therefore, abandon all desire to do it yourself without an “external help” which, in this circumstance, is fundamental.
When to use bold type?
Another sore point for aspiring copywriters: the notorious bold. When the heck should bold be used? If you take a look around, sometimes you feel like putting your hands in your hair (blessed are those who have it) because you have to be amazed by unbelief. Entire periods of 2-3 lines in bold, a sort of punch in the eye for the reader who will certainly not be helped by this weighting of the text.
If you allow me, I would like to give you a suggestion regarding the use of bold. Use it only when necessary and to highlight the most important terms in the text. The bold type is used to create a sort of “visual map” capable of giving, at first glance, indications to the reader, making him understand what is being talked about in the piece, highlighting the topic dealt with.
Follow or no follow? How to insert the links?
We have now reached one of the most important points for a copywriter, namely the blessed links! When inserting a link, which anchor text to use, make the link follow or no-follow. In short, there are many doubts that assail the mind of young copywriters regarding the use of links, and even in this case, I would like to give you some small advice to help you do your job well.
First, I tell you that an article cannot be jammed with links. My advice is to insert a couple that point to external sites, while one or two go internal. Obviously, this is only a general consideration. Regarding the anchor to insert the link, please avoid making an entire 100-word sentence clickable with the link. The link must be present only in a handful of words, even the one can be sufficient. Even in this case, Ubersuggest and Answer the Public can be of great help, with which you can find out the search terms on which you want web traffic to move in your direction.
And what about follow and no follow? There are many opinions on this topic, sometimes even conflicting. In my opinion, all external links must be followed, as long as the websites you want to refer users to are reliable. If you refer users to quality content, Google and readers will take it into consideration in a positive way, paying you back with a better positioning (the first) and with an always higher estimate (the second).
When should you use no-follow? In my opinion, you should use the no-follow tag only in the event that the external content to which you are referring the user is on a site with a dubious reputation or totally distant from your professional sector. To be clear, if you deal with Web Marketing and want to insert a link from a cooking site, you must put no-follow. Clear now?
The use of language: being in line with your sector
“Hell, what the hell do you talk” yes, you’re right too, only that the topic stimulates me positively. The last piece of advice that I allow myself to give you concerns the use of language, or rather the type of language to be adopted for the writing of your articles. Having said that every copywriter must maintain his own identity, focusing on a personal style that is also recognizable for readers (and thus giving a sense of continuity), on the other hand, I must tell you that the best way to find your linguistic figure is … look at others.
No, I’m not telling you that you have to copy from other blogs. Simply put, try to use a tone that is in line with what your colleagues use. If a very technical form is used in your sector, you set your work along the same lines. The secret lies in being able to be in the slipstream with the general trend of publications on blogs in the sector but, at the same time, giving that touch of originality that can distinguish you from the others.
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