Five Types of Blog Posts You Should Write for Your Clients
Writing a blog, in general, can be very good for your business. If you decide that the purpose of the content on your website is to serve your clients, then sharing your ideas and expertise via a blog can boost your credibility among clients. It can also bring up your SEO ranking in search engine results significantly, and rather quickly. And perhaps most importantly, it can increase buy-in from clients.
For more information on blogging for clients, check out Why Your Translation Business Needs a Blog.
It can sometimes be hard to know what kind of content to write for clients. And while you may start out with some great ideas, and feel very motivated in the beginning of your blogging ventures, it’s important to continuously think up new ideas and content that you can share with your clients in order to keep them coming back for more.
Here are five types of posts you can write and schedule for your blog today.
1.Tips and best practices
When it comes to some of the most effective blog posts among general readerships, those that are chock full of tips and tricks tend to be very well received. Create a blog post, or a series of blog posts, on best practices for working with a professional translator or interpreter in your area of expertise. Try not to be too self promotional. Instead, allow the reader to draw the conclusion that you want them to draw simply by becoming more informed and demonstrating your expertise in the area.
2.A “how to” article
People love these! Teach your readers how to do something that most would not typically know how to do. Try to relate this to language and/or translation or interpreting in some way. You could write something basic and simple, like a post on how to work with a freelance translator. Or you could be more creative and write a post on how to prepare a text for translation in your given area of expertise with key items to consider before requesting the translation. You could even write a fun post on how to greet someone in the language(s) you speak. This is useful for trips, in meeting new or potential clients, etc. Remember one thing, however. Keep the post simple and to the point.
3.A checklist or list of resources
Who doesn’t love a good checklist? Or a well curated list of resources that cuts out one to three hours of work on their part? Think about what kinds of things your clients often request. What would need to know to do their jobs better (bonus points when these relate to your language pair), or simply something that would make their jobs (or lives) easier? Even if you cannot directly relate the checklist or resources to your language pair, the simple fact that you have taken the time to prepare the list of resources for them shows that you are dedicated to ensuring your clients’ success, while allowing you to further demonstrate your expertise.
4.Frequently asked questions (and answers)
In addition to number 3 above, putting together a post that answers the most frequently asked questions you receive will allow you to direct new clients to these responses without having to answer the same questions over and over again. Try not to frame this as an FAQ page on your website. Instead, draft some engaging content based on the questions you are often asked, and provide your best answers to them. Anytime you get a new client inquiry, you can use this post as part of your onboarding process. Include a link in your reply email to your client as a way to both answer potential questions and to demonstrate that you have created content with your clients in mind.
5.Current trends or information that is relevant to your clients
One great way to further demonstrate your knowledge on a subject area is to provide clients with current information that is relevant to them in their area(s) of expertise or on items that might affect their line of work. For example, if you have clients who frequently market their products or services in Europe, you could create a post for them how they might be affected by regulations on data collection and protection. Of course, you’ll want to refer to more authoritative sources within your post, and perhaps include a disclaimer that you are not a lawyer, etc., but just by getting them to think about what they might need to do in order to prepare shows that you have their best interests in mind and that you are aware of current issues. Of course, there are many trends and events that you could write about. So, take some time to brainstorm a few and decide which would be of most interest to your client readership.
It is vital to truly understand your clients if you plan to write for them. This means you have to ask them questions, understand their problems, talk to them! It is also essential to use the kind of language or register in your blog posts that your clients use. If you are in a very niche market, then it may be okay to use jargon that is industry-specific. But if you serve a variety of clients, then it is probably best to avoid jargon or specialized terminology.
Don't be afraid to talk directly with your clients to find out what it is that they struggle with in their positions or within their industries. You will often find that the answers you receive are things you were not expecting! And this is your chance to shine and show how you can help them. Be creative and open to writing content for them on a regular, consistent basis. This is the key to “showing up” for them, even when you are not currently working on one of their projects.
One final tip is to use your client email list to let clients know when you have published a new blog post. Don’t assume that just because you are writing for your clients that they will be waiting for your next post to be published. Let them know and include a link to the post. This will drive more traffic to your site and will keep you (and your services) top of mind.
