Despite what your high school English teacher may have explained, great content is not rooted in excellent sentence structure and word choice—at least not online. Readers online continue to reveal their preference for content that is both informative and entertaining. Thus, the world of blogging and its lawless disregard for proper syntax, paragraphs, and liberal use of contractions.
Like most things in life, your blog content could likely be improved upon. Perhaps it could be made less formal and more engaging. Or, you might find that your audience prefers more concise topics. Consider the tips below to see how you can polish your blogs to garner more attention online.
- Zoom in on Your Audience
As a hearing professional, targeting the topics that your patients care about is relatively easy. You’re likely answering their questions day in and day out, and already know their most common queries. But what about the questions they might be avoiding asking you directly? Some questions, like “how to select the best ENT for snoring” or “is seeing an Audiologist really worth it?” might be avoided in the name of politeness.
This is where some online research can come in handy. Visiting forums and Facebook groups for people in your target market (i.e. people with hearing loss, speech issues, sinus problems, etc) is a great place to find topics that fire up a lot of interest and discussion. Ideally, you will identify those topics that are both interesting to your audience and are also rarely discussed in-office. The fewer articles about the topic online, the more traffic yours will get from interested readers.
- Get the Title Right
No, we’re not going to link you to the latest and greatest title generator (and there are many of them) to create your blog titles. But suffice to say that they should be intriguing enough to stop people mid-scroll. Many of the hallmarks of a strong, engaging title remain true for online content, and include:
- Have an emotional appeal: getting people to laugh, sigh in empathy, or feel something, in general, can be enough to have them click over
- Aim for curiosity: pique their interest with a bold claim or interesting fact
- Include a trending topic: this will invite those who have been meaning to learn more or are already engaged in the topic
- Use a list, series, or specific number of tips: people tend to appreciate a concise set of tips or information that will be easy to integrate and remember
- Don’t forget the How-To’s: be it a guide, or a simple review, people online are inclined towards DIY anything
- Focus on the First Impression
Your first paragraph needs to have enough personality and information to hook your readers early on. Just like meeting people for the first time, your content needs to reel in the interest of your audience. Aim for an introduction that puts forward an intriguing premise or fact. Or use humor, if your voice is inclined to it. The bottom line: make your introduction interesting before getting into the meat of the information.
- Own Your Voice
Speaking of the meat of your article—avoid making it bland! This is where your voice as a writer needs to come in. Great writers have a clearly identifiable voice and, given the overwhelming amount of content to read online, having a clear voice is especially important for your blog.
Not sure what your voice is? It’s how you sound when you’re describing something to a friend. It’s your tone, humor, and sincerity all wrapped up into the way you convey information. And it doesn’t need to be funny or quirky, either. Your signature tone might be one that’s calm, compassionate, and knowledgeable. The best approach to including your voice throughout your content—start to finish—is to read it aloud when done writing it and asking yourself if it’s what you would sound like if you were telling a friend (or patient) about the topic in-person. Hence, bloggers’ ubiquitous affinity for contractions.
- Keep It Focused
For most of the topics you’ll be writing about, you should resist the temptation to keep going on about it in any one article. Unless your intention is to create an “all-inclusive guide” on a given subject, keeping your blogs focused and under 1000 words is consistent with data on what kinds of content online users tend towards. That said, long-form, guide-like content is on the rise, and if your audience seems primed for it then, by all means, create it. Just be sure it’s centered on a topic you’re sure they will want to read 2000+ words about (see tip #1).
- Be Persuasive
No matter what angle you’re approaching your content with, there will nearly always be a need for some element of persuasion. After all, you are a hearing healthcare professional (and this blog exists on your professional website). Encouraging your readers to care for their hearing health (be it with you or not) is to be expected. Instead of outright self-promotion inserted into an otherwise informative article, consider persuading your readers to take action by using these more subtle approaches:
- Appeal to their logic: make a reasonable case for the course of action you’re recommending
- Appeal to their emotions: focus on the feelings of being successful after completing the action you’re recommending
- Appeal to their traditions: employ the argument of “what people have always done” and has “stood the test of time” to encourage people to take certain, relevant actions
Your blog content exists for two main reasons: to inform readers of important information related to your services and to promote your services and presence online. Even if readers aren’t in your specific area to receive your services, their time spent on your website will help boost its ranking online so that other, more local people, can find you when they’re looking for services like yours.
Having a strong online presence in today’s hearing marketplace is imperative. If you’re interested in the fastest route to getting found online, consider professional help. At AudiologyPlus, we combine 20 years of experience in the hearing industry with proven digital marketing expertise. Contact us today to get new patients online.
