Blogging has fast become one of the most effective methods for promoting your built environment business. Research has shown organizations that blog articles attract greater inbound traffic to a website and business to business companies will generate 67% more leads over firms that do not blog. Architects, interior designers and builders can use blogs as a way of networking with referral partners who find your website in search. Blogs provide your firm an opportunity to illustrate your strengths and demonstrate professionalism through case studies and project portfolios.

The best reason to blog is the amount of traffic it generates from search engine results pages. Each article you write with a long tail keyword phrase increases the odds of being found online. This increase in traffic to your website helps your site rank higher in search engine results pages. With the right promotion your blog can become a lead generation source with evergreen content that can attract prospective clients for years to come.

For firms that struggle to understand how best to start and promote their blogs to their targeted audiences, his article will help you understand the basics of how to start a blog.

Blog Design

The look and format of the blog should match that of your organization's brand. If readers don’t feel that the blog matches the rest of your site or marketing efforts they will not associate the blog with your company.

However how to start a blog is also about the content of the blog. Posting about your organisation will turn potential clients away. Readers want to read something that will advise, entertain and above all is related to them.

Blogs that tend to do well normally include some of these items as blog posts:

1. Reviewing blog posts written by other blogs.
2. Commentaries on new articles that are related in the industry.
3. Provide useful hints and tips that are related to your industry. E.g. How to design a child’s room.
4. Respond to customer comments on your blog.

Sourcing the Guest Posts

There are several sources that you could utilize to create the content for your blog. These include writing it yourself, asking a staff member, guest posters or freelancers.

Each has their own advantages and disadvantages which need to be considered. For instance writing it yourself and or asking a staff member to write one for you could take time away from other tasks but can be low cost. It will also allow the blog to be written in your voice. Asking a guest poster is a good way to get expert content to the blog but guest posters will usually want a promotion to their blog/website. Freelancers can cost money, but most freelancers provide a well-researched piece to a deadline of your choosing.

Promotion of your Blog

Writing and uploading your posts is not enough to entice readers to your blog. If you want people to read your content and generate leads you have to promote your posts. There are several methods in which you can do this which are either free or at no extra cost.

E-mail marketing

• E-mail friends, family, potential customers and industry contacts about your posts
• Include the blog URL in your e-mail signature

Comment on other blogs

• Write on related blogs about your experiences with their topic
• Blog comments usually allow commentators to add a link back URL that connects to their website or social media accounts. People who agree with your comments will often follow this link.

Promote on Social Media

• Inform friends, followers and fans on social media of your posts. People will click through to investigate more.
• Encourage readers and employees to share on social media to exploit the power of social media.

Press Releases

• There are several websites that offer low-cost distribution of press announcements. These service providers can get news about your post in front of potentially tens of thousands of readers.

About Michael Conway

I'm the owner and strategist at Means-of-Production. My firm builds Squarespace websites, Houzz profiles, and content marketing and advertising solutions for architects, interior designers, design-build contractors and landscape design firms. Our all-in-one marketing tactics attract the right clients with exceptional architectural photography and brand messaging that sets you apart from the competition.