Pick the Right Topic
There are plenty of things you may want to write about, but only a handful of them are probably of interest to your target customer.
So how do you winnow it down?
Why not start with answers to the questions you get asked most frequently?
For example, if customers keep quizzing your budtenders about the difference between indicas and sativas, use that as a post topic.
You can also use tools like BuzzSumo, Ahrefs, and Google Trends to find out what people are interested in and how certain topics are trending.
Ahrefs has a great tool that allows you to compare your site’s organic keywords to your competitors’ sites. It’s called “content gap,” and as the name suggests, it shows which keywords your competitors’ content are ranking for that yours isn’t.
Once you have your topic, use a keyword research tool to find the best keyword to optimize for. This will help you optimize your post so that it will show up in search results when someone queries that subject.
Write a Great Post
This may seem obvious, but there are few things to keep in mind when penning your post.
Your post should get your message across clearly in a way that’s consistent with your brand voice and that is readable to your audience.
If you have a style guide, great! Use it to determine your tone and voice and then ensure the language you use is in line with it.
If not, consider how you want to come across. Is your brand helpful but funny? Educational but a little snarky? Knowledgeable but irreverent? Dial in your tone and then proceed with writing.
In terms of readability, you want the language you use to be appropriate for your audience. If you’re writing for a younger audience, you likely won’t be using the same vocabulary as you would if you were writing for tech execs.
Use bullet points and short paragraphs to maximize interest and to make your content easily readable on a screen.
Edit!
Once you have your post written, take a fine-tooth comb to it, and take out unnecessary content. Make sure your intro is enticing and that you’ve maintained your brand voice throughout. Check for any overused words. You can use a tool like Related Words or a thesaurus to find alternatives.
Check for any typos and grammatical errors. You can use a free Grammarly account to do this or invest in their paid option.
Break up paragraphs. It’s easier to read short paragraphs on a screen.
Verify that you’ve gotten your point across and then make sure you have an appropriate call to action at least once in your copy.
Find or Create the Perfect Graphics
Your post shouldn’t be just words.
Break up the monotony with some images or graphics. Find or snap photos that are in line with your post’s message or create infographics that can also be shared separately.
Optimize Your Post
If you have Yoast SEO installed, excellent! That will make optimizing your post easier.
Ensure that you have an eye-catching title that entices people to click. Then come up with an SEO-friendly title that mentions your keyword. You’ll also want to create appropriate alt tags for your images and use heading tags to break up your paragraphs.
Share Widely!
Everything we’ve talked about so far has led up to this point.
Yes, you’ll be sharing and distributing your post, but if you want others to share it, then it needs to be a great post with information that people will read and pass along to others.
Of course, you can create a slap-dash post, toss it up on your blog, and share it, but it likely won’t get much action.
Where should you share it? Here are a few ideas for your content strategy.
Social
Create a special graphic and share your post on your social channels. Use appropriate hashtags to increase visibility and make sure to post at the best times for your target audience and the channel that you’re using.
For certain channels, like Twitter, you’ll want to post more than once. You can create some quote tweets or various callouts from your post so that it doesn’t feel like you’re posting the same exact thing repeatedly.
Newsletter
Your newsletter is a great vehicle for sharing your blog posts or resources. Whether you’re sending a weekly or monthly newsletter, be sure to create a spot where you can highlight your recent blog posts.
You can also use RSS syndication and automatically pull your blog posts into your newsletter or into an email alert to your email list.
Homepage
You’ll notice that our homepage features our most recent blog posts. If you have this feature enabled on your website, it’s a great way to share what your team has been working so hard on.
SMS
If you’ve created a post that all of your customers need to see, like important information regarding changes to the dispensary, send an SMS with the link. This shouldn’t be done too often. Most people just want deals via SMS. However, if there are changes to your operations that impact the majority of your customers, it’s totally acceptable to send a text about it.
If you’ve mentioned brands or other companies in your post, consider reaching out to them to let them know. They may be willing to share your post on their social channels.
If you’ve got a great content strategy, don’t just let it wither on your blog. Take the steps necessary to get it in front of people to increase your reach and score more engagement.
Want a done-for-you content solution? Reach out to us to learn more about how we can help you!
