Copywriter to the glazing industry, Helen Savage, discusses the missed opportunities in out-of-date blogs and the reasons why they dissipate.
I look at a lot of websites in my line of work. I’m constantly researching products, news, topics and opinions, to inform copy for clients. No matter the industry or business type, I come across so many websites that have a blog page set up, but inconsistent or out of date posts on it. This makes the website, and therefore the company, look out of date.
Just out of interest I’ve been scrolling back through these pages to analyse the blogging history and the same thing happens almost every time. In the beginning they are enthusiastically posting blogs several times a month. Then the posts become less regular. Then there are months where nothing is posted at all. After this they continue to post, but the updates are irregular and infrequent.
This shows the intent is still there to use a blog, so the benefits aren’t in question, but the time to research, write and edit the posts, is perhaps lacking.
No deadline, no rush?
The trouble with blogging for business regularly is that there is no deadline. You don’t have an editor chasing you to meet a magazine deadline, you don’t have a product launch waiting on your brochure, and you don’t have a design team waiting for your content. So, writing blog posts can slip down the to do list, behind these other priorities that do have a deadline.
Not enough to say
Another reason companies stop blogging is because they feel they have run out of things to say. Lots of the businesses I speak to think that because they have covered a topic once, they shouldn’t cover it again. But a certain amount of repetition in marketing is a good thing, as long as it’s done in the right way. It’s about finding new angles to cover the same broad subjects.
For example, an installation company talking about energy efficient windows might blog about what Window Energy Ratings are and the product ratings they achieve. That should not be the only article about energy efficiency on their blog. These companies could also write about the importance of energy efficiency as we see climate change in action with the heatwaves we’ve experienced this year or talk about the pros and cons of triple glazing, or how windows and doors can help government reach its Net Zero targets, or how energy efficient windows and doors can save money on fuel bills in the winter.
Bring blogging back!
Leaving blog pages out of date creates the perception that the business is behind the times, negatively affects SEO, and is a missed opportunity to generate trust. So, if your blog has fallen off the to do list, for any reason, it might be worth reviewing how to get it back on track.
