In today's digital world, blogging is an important piece of the marketing pie. By minimizing its importance, you're throwing away an opportunity to get your business some much-needed exposure.

Many business owners choose not to blog because they think they don't have the skills to write engaging content. But you don't need to be a writing expert to blog. You just need a few tips to help you along.

Here are five writing tips that'll automatically make you a better blogger and (hopefully) generate traffic to your site.

1. Use the AIDA formula

Many copywriters use a formula called AIDA to help with sales and marketing copy. You can apply the same formula to your blog posts. So, what is AIDA?

• Attention: You can grab your readers' attention by writing a powerful headline. Write something that piques their curiosity.
• Interest: You can engage your audience by telling a short story. It doesn't have to be anything elaborate, just something that will create a hook.
• Desire: Create desire. One way is to allude to something that will be happening in the near future. People are curious by nature.
• Action: Tell your readers what you want them to do.

2. Don't write for search engines

A long, long time ago, stuffing your blog posts with keywords would help attract more traffic to your site. Today's reality is that the value that the content provides for an audience is more important.

Sure, it doesn't hurt to have a strategically placed keyword in your headline or your title tags, but your content should always reflect your target audience's interests.

3. Use the word 'you'

It's been said that "you" is the most important word in content writing. People want solutions to their problems. You'll need to demonstrate how your product or service can help them. If you make it about them, they'll take notice. A good idea would be to use "you" in the opening sentence. That way, you have the reader's attention from the get-go.

Just a word of caution, though: Don't use the word "you" just for the sake of using it. First, you'll need to understand your audience. What will resonate with them? What do they want to know about? Doing your homework first will give you an advantage and help you create a connection.

4. Be conversational

Write like you talk—but just a little more polished. Trying to sound technical won't impress your audience. In fact, they'll be more likely to click away from your page. They want to read posts they can relate to. A conversational tone makes your audience feel you are talking to them, rather than at them. It makes them feel like they are being engaged in a conversation.

If you can make them feel a part of your story, then you'll have automatic fans.

Don't focus so much on your writing skills, per se. That's what an editor is for. Being engaging is far more important.

5. Use the KISS principle

Last but not least, always remember the KISS principle. It stands for "keep it simple, stupid." You don't need to complicate things. Keep it short, sweet, to the point. Your readers are busy people, so they appreciate content they can quickly read, chew on, and absorb.

Chew on this food for thought

There are hundreds of millions of blogs. How can you carve out a place for yourself without drowning in the sea full of competitors? Quality!

By creating high-quality content that people want to read, you can separate yourself from the rest. Sure, there's more to it than that, but before you can even consider the next steps, you have to ensure that what you write is engaging.

People have very short attention spans. People generally won't spend more than 20 seconds on your site before deciding whether it's worth their time. Keep that in mind when writing your next post.

* * *

Now that you have some tips on writing better content for your blog, you need to implement them. No one says you have to blog daily (although the more you do it, the better you'll get at it). You just need to start and be consistent. Find a schedule that works for you. Once you get in a groove, you'll start to see benefits.