How successful is your blog in conveying the importance of the work that your nonprofit does in your community? Are your blog posts encouraging others to join in and take action?

The following tips can help you expand your nonprofit’s reach by boosting the impact your blog posts make on your readers.

Content Still Rules

When it comes to creating posts that encourage viewers to follow and share your blog, content is still king. There really isn’t any substitute for great information.

If you want to engage your readers, your posts should always be original and targeted to the audience you want to reach. Each post should provide information that is knowledgeable and helpful, entertaining, or both!

When writing, try to avoid posts that are too short, or, too long. You want to catch your readers’ interest and provoke them to take action. But, you don’t want to confuse them with something that’s too short, or, overwhelm them with content that is too long. Always err on the side of shorter content and create a second post if you have additional information on a specific subject that your readers will find useful. The best blogs include a mix of written articles, podcasts and video content to help keep their visitors interested in returning to the site for updates. Use a thought-provoking title, and include high-resolution images with your post to help grab the attention of your readers.

Don’t Forget to Proofread

Before you hit the publish button, save your work and walk away from it before you proof-read for errors. Don’t assume that spell-check will automatically pick out and fix any and all spelling and grammatical errors, because no one is perfect, not even your computer’s software programming.

Make it Easy to Find

When creating posts, write about topics that interest your readers. Use keywords to help your articles stand out in search engines. Use your tagline, motto, or logo to help increase your nonprofit’s brand recognition. Include hashtags to make it easier for others to find, and share your content.

Make it Easy to Take Action

Every post should include a clear call to action, whether it’s to donate, volunteer, or, advocate on behalf of your nonprofit. Include buttons that make it easy for readers to take action and to share the post on their own social media to increase awareness about your cause.

Test Your Messaging

Spending a great deal of time and effort on creating the perfect article doesn’t always translate into reader approval. Take the time to measure the results of each post, and find out what types appeal to your blog’s specific readers. Don’t argue with success, but try to discover just what it is about a particular type of post that does well on your blog. Then you can attempt to create similar content that should appeal to your audience.

Creating an outstanding blog takes a lot of hard work and determination. In the beginning, it will likely take some trial and error, and be more art than science when it comes to figuring out just what type of content your visitors prefer to consume from your site. If you don’t get the results that you want at first, it’s important not to give up! Readers are more likely to return if you post content on a regular, dependable basis. Continue measuring your performance and tweaking your approach and you will soon have a stellar blog that increases your NFP’s brand recognition and reputation.