Guest Blog by Julie Schumacher, sasse agency

In today’s digital landscape, a strong online presence is more important than ever. As a proud member of the Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce, it’s likely you’re aware of the importance of networking.  Have you considered the impact that a well-crafted blog can have on your business?

Let's Get Going…  

Blogging is “good for business” – it is an important part of a successful marketing strategy. Here are some reasons:

• Builds Brand Awareness: Regular blog posts help to showcase your brand and increase visibility with your target audience.
• Establishes Authority & Thought Leadership: Consistently publishing high-quality, informative content positions your company as an expert in the industry and builds trust.
• Improves Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Blogging allows you to incorporate relevant keywords that improve your search engine rankings and drives more organic traffic to your site.
• Lead Generation: Through content marketing, a blog addresses customer needs and helps guide them through the buyer's journey which results in increased conversions.

An added value for membership with TGBCOC is to guest blog…YAY!

Let's Get Blogging

A blog does not have to be stressful. Here are a few steps to help you begin:

1. Define The Essentials: What is the goal for the blog? Hint: to engage your target audience. Who is your client and what do they care about? What are keywords associated with your industry? What is important to your business community? Answering these questions may help you determine what to say and how to say it.
2. Brainstorm Topics: Come up with fresh ideas to write about on a routine basis. Think about your client’s pain points, useful tips about your industry, and translating your technical expertise into language your clients can understand. Developing or using an editorial calendar can help organize a list of topics that are both relevant and timely.
3. Create A Plan: It is important to have quality content with consistent posts. Decide if you are publishing weekly, monthly or quarterly and integrate this into your marketing plan. Guest bloggers can be helpful from time to time J
4. Get Writing: For each post, choose relevant keywords to guide your blog's content. Find your own tone, subject matter, and style for your posts. Be creative, include a catchy title, section headers, quotes, and references to boost SEO. Use media, incorporate images, graphics, and videos to make the post engaging. It’s important to remember that every post should have a strategic and clear, Call to Action (CTA).
5. Promote: Now it's time to share your blog across your website, social media platforms, and email newsletters.

Let's Get Social

Have fun getting social with your blog. Each channel has its own personality, for example, LinkedIn is the boardroom discussion, Facebook is the water cooler convo and X is the newsroom… understand the best channel to reach your audience.

Let's Get Optimized

To ensure your blog is well-optimized, it's important to focus on both technical SEO and content strategy. On the technical side, you’ll need to implement key elements like title tags, meta descriptions, H1 headers, and Alt tags for images. Don’t forget to resubmit XML sitemap for indexing.

For your content strategy, start with a primary keyword phrase and use it at least twice throughout the article. Be sure to include internal links to other relevant content on your site and add an image with alt text that includes your keyword.

Let’s Get Resources

There are numerous tools available to ensure your content is well-written including accurate spelling, proper grammar, and punctuation.   

AI can support you as a tool to explore trends and topics, research keywords, create outlines and more. Remember, when generating content, AI can lack creativity, emotion, uniqueness, and accuracy --- fact check those stats!

Let's Get Connected!
​
Learn more about being a guest blogger for The Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce.
To discuss a blog or your marketing strategy, contact Julie Schumacher, founder of sasse agency