How to write a blog introduction: in 3 simple steps
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- Essential tips covering how to write a blog introduction
- Get your audience's attention and keep them interested
- Blog introduction examples
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Knowing how to write a blog introduction for your company’s tech product or service is an extremely powerful skill.
Writing a good blog introduction keeps people reading about you and your product or service. A bad blog introduction means people will hit their browser’s ‘back’ button. So, get ready to learn how to write a blog introduction with our three simple yet powerful tips.
First things first: know your audience
In themselves, blog introductions are not hard to do. Pick a subject, start writing. Eventually, you’ll have something that introduces your topic and leads into the rest of your blog.
But, introductions are hard to do well.
Why?
Because a good blog introduction is written in a way that will engage your target audience. A lot of people forget that they should be writing for their readers – and not themselves. You need to think about your reader – who they are, what they do, what their challenges are.
Say your company sells software for HR departments. Your ideal reader might well be an HR Director who has been in the job thirty years and has seen everything.
If your blog introduction fails to tell them anything new, is patronising, or just doesn’t chime with their experiences, they’re very unlikely to read on. To put it another way, don’t write a blog introduction that tells the HR director obvious things like ‘human resources is about training and resolving workplace disputes’.
With that caveat in mind, let’s look at how to write a blog introduction with our three expert tips.
Your three tips on how to write a blog introduction
1. Get the audience’s attention with a hook
The purpose of your introduction is to hook the reader into your post so that they read to the end. This is the essence of all good writing - to seduce someone into reading and not stopping.
The introduction is the place to get your audience’s attention and keep it. They may have been intrigued by your headline and clicked on the link to your blog. They will still give you the benefit of the doubt. But the introduction is where you need to win their trust, and make them decide to keep on reading.
Make sure your hook is:
- Relevant – it must relate to the post and the headline. This seems obvious, but it can be easy to spiral into tangents.
- Intriguing – the introduction should give them something juicy which they want to learn more about. It could be a stat, a line of dialogue or an interesting observation.
- Short-lived – no one likes a hook that outstays its welcome. If you can’t fit your hook into two or three sentences, it’s worth asking if it’s really, erm, hook-y enough
EXAMPLE: imagine we were writing a blog targeted at our HR director mentioned above. Our hook might be something like:
“According to a recent survey, X percent of HR directors still use paper for most of their business processes. How does this measure up against your department’s experience? In a world where whole companies are built on cloud-based digital services, is it not time to finally leave paper-based processes in the waste paper basket?”
2. The intro must be connected to the headline of the post
People will begin reading your article because of the headline. Think of how you read a newspaper – you skim through until a headline catches your eye. If you begin reading, and the introductory paragraph doesn’t seem to be linked to the headline, you feel confused and, in a way, taken advantage of.
You therefore need to reassure the reader that the article is going to do what the headline implied.
EXAMPLE: Our headline might read: “Five ways HR departments can save £1000s by abandoning paper”. Early on in your introduction, you need to confirm that the rest of the blog is going to do what the headline says. For example:
“HR departments spend thousands of pounds a year on paper and ink, while also losing a lot of time filling in and filing forms. Is there a better way of using all that time and energy?”
3. The intro leads naturally into the main body of the post with a ‘thesis statement’
Making a smooth transition from introduction to the main text helps lead your readers through the article. It keeps their reading experience as seamless as possible because they aren’t disrupted by content that isn’t relevant.
EXAMPLE: A good transition for our example blog would be to point to the ‘five ways’ mentioned in the title:
“In today’s post, we’ll be looking at five ways your HR department can finally free itself of paper.”
Here’s how we’d piece together that sample introduction:
| Five ways HR departments can save £1000s by abandoning paper
According to a recent survey, X percent of HR teams still use paper for most of their business processes. In a world where whole companies are built on cloud-based digital services, is it not time to finally leave paper-based processes in the waste paper basket? Many HR departments spend thousands of pounds a year on paper and ink, while also wasting time filling in and filing forms. This seems like a huge waste of energy. In today’s post, we’ll be looking at five ways your HR department can finally free itself of paper. |
Just add personality
You should now have a nice tidy opening paragraph to your blog post, no matter what the subject. To add a little more personality to your articles, here are some directions to experiment with:
- Be personal – engage your readers with everyday language and use the 2nd person (‘You’ and ‘Your’) to address them directly
- Sound excited – if there is no enthusiasm in your introduction, people will be less inclined to continue
- Tell a story – people are engaged by narrative and beginning your article with an anecdote or a reference to a story will help the reader relate
- Form a question – this creates plenty of interest. Remember to answer the question in the post!
- Offer a fact – facts and statistics are great for building authority and with a little research are abundant
- Quote – a quote can be a great way to start a post - but make sure it’s relevant
Discover more tips and advice on producing top quality content to help engage your audience and drive leads right here.
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PPC management services from the experts
PPC is ultimately about bringing leads to your business. By building an intelligent strategy and drawing on years of experience at the cutting edge of PPC, we advise you on the best places for your ads. Our aim is to exceed industry averages for exposure and increase the chances of customers clicking and, ultimately, spending money with you.
Many leading enterprise tech companies, such as Dimension Data and ProServeIT depend on us as their PPC marketing agency - find out how we've helped companies like yours with PPC in our case studies pages.
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B2B social media marketing
B2B social media marketing should be one of the essential pillars of your digital marketing strategy. With a predicted 3 billion social media users worldwide by 2021, the digital world is more social than ever. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter started with the consumer in mind, but have quickly expanded to the enterprise, creating huge potential for businesses.
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Working with us, you get access to highly experienced B2B social media marketing experts and the level of social media management that fits you. We can take part or full control of your social accounts, posting as frequently as you wish, and building your number of followers to gain greater influence.
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Keep the wheel turning: How to create sustainable content marketing plan
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- Interview with our Account Director, Aidan Danaher for his marketing tips and advice
- Reasons why marketing campaigns can run out steam and energy
- Tips for making your content marketing plan sustainable and 7 areas to consider
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he first recorded attempt at creating a perpetual motion machine was Bhaskara’s Wheel – a wheel which always had more weight on one side than the other invented by an Indian scientist in the 12th century.
Since then, many an engineer has attempted to create a perpetual motion machine – one which will keep on turning without the input of any additional energy. And none has succeeded. The concept is fundamentally flawed because all bodies are subject to the second law of thermodynamics, which states that they are subject to forces and processes that gradually dissipate their kinetic energy.
The point in this short detour into mechanics and physics? Simply put, no motion occurs without the input of some form of energy. When it comes to a marketing plan, the same principle applies. Even if you have the best laid plans, even if your marketing has gotten off to a good start, it won’t simply keep on revolving by itself.
In today’s post, I’m speaking to Fifty Five and Five’s very own Aidan Danaher (our marketing maestro) for his insights into creating a sustainable approach to digital and content marketing plan. Aidan’s a graduate of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and has a lot of experience helping brands differentiate themselves and talk about their products and services in the right way. He provides expert tips for digital and content marketers about how to keep creating content, staying fresh and keeping the marketing wheel turning.
Why do digital and content marketing machines “run out of steam”?
So, you had a load of meetings, you created a content calendar, you got exec buy in and you laid out your digital marketing plans for the next 6-12 months. It was all there in a proposal document, a spreadsheet – or even on a Gantt chart! It looked good and your colleagues got on board from day one. Dave from R&D wrote a blog post about your product. Karen from HR got stuck in with Twitter. Even Kwazi from IT agreed to appear in your video. The perfect start.
But then, three months later, you find yourself looking at the corporate website. No new content has been uploaded since the beginning of the year. The initial bubble of enthusiasm has burst and the digital and content marketing plan seems to have given up the ghost. What went wrong?
- Falling at the first hurdle. Companies often expect immediate results from digital and content marketing. When their first sorties don’t turn into a rush of leads, they very quickly get dispirited.
- No time. It’s the excuse any marketing manager has heard when trying to corral colleagues into writing blog posts and other content.
- No new ideas. After the first enthusiasm, you soon ran out of ideas for engaging Twitter posts and articles.
Aidan notes that these issues are all too common:
Make your content marketing plan sustainable
1. Ownership
Aidan explains that for any marketing plan to be a success, ownership is key:
2. Create a process
Content doesn’t publish itself; you need a process in place which will ensure the content is created regularly, and maintain quality standards.
3. Have an editorial theme
Very often, companies produce a lot of ‘generic’ content. To make your blog stand out, it should be personalised to your target audience. Aidan says:
4. Store ideas in a shared place
From time to time, you’ll have a great idea for a new article for the website, or even a brand new marketing campaign. However, if you only jot that down on a piece of paper then forget all about it, don’t expect it to ever materialise.
5. Create a content pipeline
No matter what your content marketing goals are, creating a pipeline of content for the next few weeks or even months will ensure you don’t get caught out. Aidan explains:
6. Short and long-term strategies
Ideally, content marketing plan should come in two forms. You need a long term ‘editorial’, where you write about company news, produce great newsletters, and simply produce content on topics that are important to you. However, this also needs to be combined with occasional pushes around new products and events, Aidan says:
7. Stay inspired
The greatest challenge for any content creator is keeping new ideas coming in. Aidan recommends a variety of ways of generating these ideas:
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Be remembered. Our graphic design team will ensure your customers see you as authoritative, professional and unique. Want to learn more about our graphic design services? Just complete the form below, or if you prefer, drop us an email at hello@fiftyfiveandfive.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
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Outcomes for clients
When you develop your B2B marketing strategy with us, you receive a plan that provides a clear idea of the expected outcomes of the strategy. We work with you to develop quantifiable goals, KPIs and a path to how you can reach your destination. Ultimately, you can feel confident that the plan is realistic, rigorous and results-orientated.
It all starts with a strategy
Dream big. Get in touch with us and tell us what you want to achieve with your B2B marketing strategy by using the form below, or if you prefer, by sending an email to hello@fiftyfiveandfive.com. Looking forward to hearing from you!
How to write b2b technology blog posts: 7 simple steps
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- Learn how to write a great B2B technology blog
- Why it's important to find the right angle
- Understanding your audience, adjusting your tone, using calls-to-action and more
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A high-quality B2B technology blog that offers your audience value (‘How-to’ guides, thought leadership, feature updates, etc.) can help you stand out in a highly competitive market.
Along with being high-quality, your content also needs to be consistent. This is especially true in an industry where there are a lot of organisations that are providing similar solutions or selling similar services. One of the best ways of differentiating your organisation from the competition is through inbound marketing excellence. So, whether you are an ISV with your own product or a consultancy specialising in Microsoft solutions, improvements across your inbound marketing and your B2B technology blog will set you apart.
Want our best tips on how to improve your content marketing?
Grab a copy of our B2B content marketing eBook.
Putting your organisation in the window with an awesome B2B technology blog
Writing blogs about business problems and how they are solved by specific technology and solutions is useful because it allows you to showcase your organisation’s knowledge of your industry and customers. This type of B2B technology blog also showcases you as an expert in your field.
Be laser-focused
In putting together our annual Top 50 report on the best inbound marketing that Microsoft Partners have to offer, we read a wide variety of blog content. From thought leadership to practical guides on updating your systems, we’ve seen the good and the great; what works and what to avoid. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of the most important steps we think you should take when drafting a quality, value-driven, tech-focused blog post.
To download our latest report and see which Microsoft Partners produce the best inbound marketing, click here.
Summary: Here's how to write a B2B technology blog post
- Understand your audience
- Build a structure around problems and solutions
- Research your topic
- Adjust the tone for the medium
- Search Engine Optimisation
- Find the right angle
- Include a call to action
Seven steps to write a great B2B technology blog post
Here's how to write a B2B technology blog post in seven simple steps.
1. Understand your audience
Writing of any kind is always concerned with its audience. The importance of this is even greater when your subject matter is technology-specific. So, it’s important to ask:
- Who is this blog aimed at? Is this a high-level post that is targeted at decision-makers like the CEO, CFO or CIO? Or will it be targeting a more technical audience, like developers, in which case you can afford to be more esoteric with your language and delve deeper into technical explanations.
- What do you think they hope to get from reading your blog? Are they looking to find a solution to a known issue or bug in a Microsoft solution? Or are they hoping to discover a better solution to a business problem?
Answering these questions will help define how you draft your post.
2. Build structure around problems and solutions
When you are setting out to write a blog about a piece of technology, it is important you remember that age-old writing advice: show don’t tell. A good way of structuring a blog post, no matter how technical the subject matter, is to think of it from a business problem to business solution perspective. This helps you avoid the pitfall of laboriously telling us the features of the tech by instead showing us how it’s useful in a business context.
You might structure your post roughly along the lines of:
- Introduction
- Business problem – perhaps your employees are finding it difficult collaborating
- Show how the technology solves the problem – Office 365 and SharePoint are designed to enhance and speed up collaboration by providing tools for flexible working
- Call to action – find out more about the technology...and how your business adds value
3. Research your topic
If you don’t know what you are writing about it shows. If you don’t have practical experience using the product or aspect of technology you are describing, read as much as possible around the subject, or talk to someone who does.
4. Adjust the tone for the medium
Tone of voice is your brand’s personality expressed in words. So, the tone you use for your blog should reflect the type of language you use in other areas of your marketing and communications. However, your blog is a medium where you can add in a little more personality, than say a press release or a longer piece of content like a whitepaper, which calls for a more formal tone.
So, why not make the most of the opportunity? Encourage your teams to write posts in their own voice. Add a human dimension to corporate communications. But remember to stay on topic and keep your focus in the right direction, i.e. there’s not much point producing content that isn’t related to what you do as an organisation – no matter how ‘fun’ the post is.
5. Search Engine Optimisation
It’s more important than ever that your content is optimised correctly. What’s the point of producing great content if you’re not giving yourself the best chance of it being seen? Appearing on the first page of a Google search is one of the most important ways of being seen. That means finding and using keywords in your blog posts. We recommend coming up with keywords for posts at the same time you come up with blog ideas.
6. Find the right angle
Blog writing is mainly about producing content that is relevant to the product/service you are promoting. It’s important that your posts are not just being produced for the sake of it; there should be a good reason for your latest blog entry. If you’re suffering from writer’s block, you may just need a jumpstart. Here are some boosters to help – just make sure your product or service finds its way in:
- Tell a story about your topic
- Start with a definition
- Write a how-to guide
- Write a beginner’s guide
- Predict the future
- Compare and contrast
- Write a list
7. Include a Call to Action (CTA)
We are all familiar with the final line of a post asking us to ‘find out more’, but you may not have noticed the other smaller calls to action dotted around the post. These include links to other areas of your website or other posts you have written. Include a balanced blend of these smaller calls to action as well as the final one to increase your chances of turning a curious reader into a potential customer.