Law Firm Marketing Agency
Writers often find themselves stumped on what they can do to make their blogs unique and riveting to their target audience. This is a lesson that has no expiration; whether you are in the process of writing your first blog, or already consåider yourself a seasoned vet in content writing, all writers stand at the same starting point for each of their blogs. The two main questions that ring in our heads, in one form or another, are: “What can I do to make my blog different from all the rest?” And “How can I make the audience trust my thoughts and ideas?”
Here, we will discuss key elements to include in the argumentative aspect of your blog, as well as actual interactive features that can garner your content more attention and traffic:
Ethos, Pathos, and Logos: Your Three Rhetorical Tools
For those who have studied Writing and Rhetoric at some point in their educational careers, these three techniques have been drummed into their heads countless times when getting ready to write an argumentative or even an expository essay. Ethos, pathos, and logos are terms coined by Aristotle, and are used as modes of persuasion in speeches, literature, and, nowadays, any form of media. Here are the brief definitions of each rhetorical appeal:
Ethos
This term has to do with the method in projecting one’s character and values to the target audience. The key is to develop a trust between you and the audience, by giving them open access to your experiences and knowledge on a particular subject. A common example of ethos would be medication commercials/advertisements that feature actual people who have used the medication in question, and doctors who have administered it and guarantee its effectiveness.
Pathos
This technique is very effective in evoking emotions from your target audience from the specific subject matter being discussed. One should never underestimate the power their words have on an audience, that’s why it’s important to focus on three main things when delivering your content: your audience’s frame of mind from the beginning, middle and end, being aware that emotions can vary from person to person, and how to use your influence over a particular subject in a universal way that can bring people’s minds together. A stellar use of pathos can be found in Martin Luther King Jr.’s, I Have a Dream speech.
Logos
If your first thought was to relate the word ‘logic’ with this tool, you would be correct. Setting emotions to the side for a moment, content would not have complete credibility without the use of evidence and facts to back it up. The use of data and statistics are great examples of how a rhetorician can persuade an audience into trusting their expertise on a specific topic. Sometimes, audience members aren’t looking to hear or read flowery language or deliberately complicated jargon, they want to be given direct and concrete facts to determine their take on the matter being discussed. An example of Logos we see every day is any type of cellular device commercial that highlights its latest features and specs.
When writing blogs, one of the most important things to consider is your audience’s perspective and what they’re looking to gain from your content. Using these three tools of persuasion can guarantee a decent level of engagement from your audience, because not only would you be addressing their curiosity, but you would also be putting their doubts and uncertainty to rest.
Features to Include in your Blog Directly
Once you’ve figured out how to frame your argument surrounding the topic you’ve chosen to write about, comes the easier part: adding features that can optimize web traffic to your blog. Ensuring that your audience has a reason to delve further into your work will help advance the notoriety of future blogs you’re looking to write about. Here are some aspects to consider using in your blog content to boost its profile:
1. Incorporate Visuals:
Even when there’s no doubt that your content can create all the mental images your audience needs to recognize its validity, images and videos are able to visually enhance your blog enough to maintain your audience’s attention. It is a fact, that using a visual aid allows readers to retain the text quicker and remember the content longer, as opposed to blogs unaccompanied by images. Incorporating videos in your blogs can also generate positive reception from your target audience. It encourages your readers to take action quickly because it makes the information you’re giving out more relatable and quicker to digest.
2. Enter any Necessary Keywords and Links to Related Content:
There are a variety of search engine optimization (SEO) tactics that can greatly improve your rankings and web presence. A few crucial properties of this practice are the use of keywords and outbound links to content related to your blog. People tend to look up very general keywords on search engines when looking for content associated with their topic of interest.
Doing proper keyword research and understanding the queries your audience is typing in every day can help your blog’s chances of being the first site to pop up in their search. Entering external links in your blogs will also show your audience the importance of using other relevant sources to back up the content you have written. Offering outlets outside of your main domain demonstrates your attentiveness to your audience’s own research – which can prove your content worthy of being followed or subscribed to.
3. Finish off with a Call-to-Action:
By leaving a call-to-action (CTA) in your blog post telling viewers what to do next, you significantly increase responsiveness or click-through rates. By encouraging your audience to take deliberate action, you’re asserting your importance on a media platform and increasing your chances of not only being contacted, but being shared on different forms of social media.
Within your blog post, it is important to give clear instructions that move viewers along to the next step. A simple request like this can increase your readers’ involvement with your content.
Having a consistent blogging cadence is a sure-fire way to keep your audience engaged with your content. By putting yourself in your target audience’s position, you’ll be able to better understand the type of persuasion they’re looking for to be fully convinced of your subject matter. And by updating your content with essential SEO techniques, you can guarantee yourself a spot at the forefront of your ideal market. If you have questions on how your law firm can best engage your audience with blog content, get in touch with our marketing experts today.