Hardwood Floors April May 2018

Build your Brand with Blogging (Continued)

Several studies suggest a trend toward higher quality, longer- form. Based on current research, 750 to 1,000 words seems commonplace. Time spent writing According to Orbit, bloggers are spending more time writing; generally, the more time spent, the be er the results. • e average blog post takes 3.25 hours to write. • Twice as many bloggers spend six or more hours on an average post. • About 23 percent of bloggers who spent fewer than six hours, and 33 percent of bloggers who spent more than six hours, reported “strong results.” According to B2B blogger Frank Strong, a high-quality post takes four to eight hours, which may include preparation, interviews, research, and ve ing sources. So give writers the time they need to produce good content. Use of images e Orbit study reports that the use of images with blogs is on the rise. About 78 percent of blogs include an image, 51 percent contain more than one image, and approximately 47 percent contain a list. Amuch smaller percentage include video (15 percent), audio (2.7 percent), and “other” (17.3 percent). Further, bloggers who reported “strong results” generally include more visuals like audio and video.

Frequency of publishing As shown below, bloggers are publishing less frequently than in previous years. e trend is toward weekly, several times per month, or monthly versus daily or several times per week. Regardless of the numbers, a company’s blog should be guided by its strategy, and the time, talents, and resources available. Just remember, consistency builds familiarity, familiarity builds trust, and trust leads to sales.

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