A Baker’s Dozen of Nonprofit Blogging Do’s and Don’ts – Pt.2

I’ve baked up 7 more nonprofit blogging tips for you — so now you’ve got a full Baker’s Dozen!

Last week, in part 1 of this post, I encouraged you to begin blogging if you’re not doing so already. And, if you are, to do so more effectively. Make your blog the hub of your content marketing. It will simplify your life in so many ways, and become the anchor for your marketing communications and organizational branding.

Today, let’s continue with seven more “do’s and don’ts” to round out our baker’s dozen of nonprofit blogging tips:

Don’t 7: You don’t give credit where it is due.

It’s fine to derive inspiration from another source, but don’t claim the prose as your own.

Do 7:  When you cite other sources, attribute them.

If you quote someone, put quotation marks around their prose and state their name. If you want to be extra nice, include a hyperlink to their website or suggest to folks that they follow this person on one or more social media sites. I derived inspiration for this post from two articles on Hubspot by Nathan Yerian and Ginny Sosky. You can see them here and here.

Don’t 8: You don’t take time to edit your post.

This is one of my pet peeves, and it’s a real rookie mistake. Why put all that time into creating a great useful post that will draw readers to you, when you then repel them by including a bunch of typos and run-on sentences? It’s sloppy and stupid.

Do 8: Come back to your post the next day and edit it.

Remove redundancies. Eliminate jargon. Take out excess adverbs and adjectives. Run spell check. Break up big chunks of text. Use sub-heads, bold-face, color and images to draw the reader’s eye to your main points and make it easier to scan. Do it the next day, when you’re fresh and can look at your post from a different perspective.

Don’t 9: You let great get in the way of good.

This used to be a big problem for me. I’m a perfectionist by nature. It was hard for me to hit the “publish” button. Please learn from my mistakes and don’t obsess! If you’ve followed all of the “Do’s” outlined above, your post will be ready for prime time.

Do 9: Hit the “publish” button once you’ve done your due diligence.

Make yourself a checklist and post it next to your computer. Go through it after you’ve finished writing. Once you’re done, publish your post!

Don’t 10: You publish erratically.

Consistency is key if you want to build a following for your blog.

Do 10: Develop a content editorial calendar and stick to your publishing schedule.

It’s been said that those who fail to plan, plan to fail. A content editorial calendar keeps you organized and on track. You commit to your blog having a consistent presence, so your audience can commit to looking for you and reading you.  You don’t become one of those TV shows we all stopped watching because their schedule became so erratic we couldn’t remember when/where to find them. By planning ahead, you drive perseverance.

Don’t 11: You fail to include an image.

It’s often said that a picture is worth 1,000 words. When it comes to blog articles this is true in spades! Our culture is increasingly visual to the point where articles with images get 94% more views! Marketers who are embracing visual content are seeing huge returns in terms of more readers, leads, customers and revenue.

Do 11: Include at least one image in your blog post.

This should be a no-brainer based on the research cited above (and all over the internet). Your blog posts have a purpose. You want them to engage folks. Visual content is a huge driver of engagement. You can afford it, because there are plenty of online sites offering free image downloads today. Just search for them and pick one.  And check out Jeff Bullas’ The Ultimate Guide to Using Images in Social Media. He’ll give you all sorts of tips and tricks for using images to their greatest effect. Enough said.

Don’t 12: You fail to include a call to action as a next step.

Once you’ve published your post you want folks who read it to do something.   What is that? How will your readers know what you want them to do? Too often blog posts end with a whimper. The reader gets all the way to the end, only to be left with that lead balloon feeling of “so what?

Do 12: Include a clear call to action.

This will increase your conversion rate (i.e., turning first-time readers into subscribers; turning ongoing readers into donors) and improve the return on investment for the time you put into crafting and publishing your post. Simple calls to action include:

• Subscribe to our blog.
• Comment on this post.
• Share this post.
• Please donate.

For more on creating effective calls to action, read this free guide from Hubspot.

Don’t 13: You fail to build relationships.

When you ignore people who do as you’ve asked, it’s just plain rude. It discourages them. It can even anger them. Conversely, when you interact with folks it can encourage others to interact as well. Creating a dialogue is one of the primary benefits of a blog, enabling you to get to know your constituents in ways that were previously cost-prohibitive. Don’t waste your opportunities.

Do 13: Respond to folks who take the time to interact with you through your blog.

If they comment on your post, reply back to them. If they share your post on social media or via email, thank them. If one of your active constituents has their own blog, go to their site and make a comment or share their post. If you see they have a large following, ask them nicely if they would consider sharing your post with their network. And so forth.

Discover How a Blog Can Drive Donor Acquisition, Retention and Support

If you found this post useful, you may be interested in my brand new  Nonprofit Blogging Playbook.

Get as many Guides as you want or need (if you buy all four, I offer a “Bundle Bargain” discount). A great blog is one of the best investments you can make in acquiring and retaining more donors. Learn how with this 4-volume set that will teach you (1) blog fundamentals; (2) content folks will want to read; (3) how to use your content to engage folks, and (4) how to promote your blog so it builds momentum and drives more potential supporters to your website. Plus, I stand by all my Clairification products.  If you’re not happy, there’s a no questions asked full refund policy. The only way to lose is by doing nothing. Don’t be a loser! 

Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net