If you find yourself writing reams of content for your business blog but don't feel like your efforts are interesting your readers, you may not be communicating effectively with your audience. If you want readers to take action on the things you write, there are three important points to remember.

Communicate your Message Clearly

This is the principle bloggers most often follow. Aim to produce carefully organized posts that succinctly explain your concept to your readers. Start with something that helps grab your readers attention and moves into a deeper explanation of a topic they're interested in. Avoid long and rambling paragraphs which can cause confusion or lead to readers closing your post mid-read. Don't use large words or acronyms to impress; simple, direct language will make a stronger point.

Can your readers follow what you write?

Your post should be as reader friendly as possible. Instead of creating a daunting wall of text, separate your post with paragraphs, relevant headings and bullet points to break up the flow. Posts that are easy to scan will get read more often and remembered more easily. Your headers should help keep the reader's attention; questions often make good section headings.

Common but deadly little mistakes...

After you've written a post, take the time to proof read. Keep an eye out for common grammatical errors and misspellings. Track your key point through the text and make sure you can follow it easily through the entire post. If you have the option, have a colleague review the post - a fresh set of eyes can often catch problems that our brains start to gloss over after a time.

Give Readers a Reason to be Interested

Readers who don't care about your subject will be less likely to act on your information or share the information with others. You want your posts to be that favorite book someone just can't put down; this means keeping your readers engaged from start to finish. The same techniques you use to bring in a reader through your teaser (those few short sentences you see in most blog feeds) can bring a reader all the way through your article.

But what comes next?

Curiosity is a powerful motivator. Like a good mystery writer, you can suggest ideas, ask questions and keep your final resolution to the very end. If every paragraph or section of your post ends in a teaser, readers will often move on just to see what comes next. Sometimes even ellipses (used sparingly) can encourage readers to move on rather than feel they've left something unfinished.

Empathy also has a place in your tool box. If you can put yourself in your reader's shoes, you may look at your writing with a new perspective. Additionally, if your content speaks to a reader's needs or wants, they'll be more interested in taking action. While you should always blog about something you have an interest in, remember that with each post, you're trying to sell your information to your audience. Don't be the used car salesman with crude and obvious tactics, or you'll find your readers running for the hills.

Give Readers a Way to Remember

Nothing is worse than putting effort into writing great content, only to have it lost in the information overload that we call the internet. One of the easiest ways to help people remember your article is to keep the main message simple. Distill your article into a few brief points and repeat those points at appropriate places in your article.

Wait, what was that?

Don't be afraid to surprise your readers. Saying something in a unique or attention grabbing manner helps your audience remember the post later. If your readers can't see something coming, your message will stick. Of course you can go too far; don't forget that business blogs need to retain a level of professionalism - rude or shocking facts and images may be remembered, but can easily degrade your overall message or even cause you to lose readers entirely.

Now that I can relate to

We touched on using empathy earlier to help get across your message; it can be just as effective as a tool to help readers remember. Use images and ideas that your audience can identify with - concrete examples and real-world representations are more easily remembered and recalled. Real people and situations are compelling; who doesn't remember the grandma asking "Where's the beef?". Take some time to consider your audience and determine what types of situations they're likely to meet on a regular basis.

Don't take my word for it

There are many great blogs and blog writers out there, so don't be afraid to do your own research and see what other tips you can learn. Check out some of your favorite blogs and see how they're using these three rules to engage their audience:

• Make your point
• Make it interesting
• Make it memorable

Related articles

• Do you Write Outlines for Your Blog Posts? (problogger.net)
• Business Blogging: Don't let it hurt more than it helps (dotconcepts.net)
• Is What You Write More Important than How You Write it? (punctualityrules.com)
• Everything you blog about need not be original idea (kevin.lexblog.com)