On Blogging Faster

“I don’t have time.”

“I can’t keep up with it.”

“It takes too long.”

“I’m so busy.”

“I don’t know what to write about.”

These are just a few of the common reasons I hear for business blogs losing momentum, and it’s really a shame because of the multitude of benefits that blogging can provide.

For instance, it can feed your business’ social media content pipeline, give you an outlet to prove your expert knowledge, supplement pitch or RFP submissions, give your consumers a place to engage with your brand, serve as a platform to run digital promotions, and – well you get the point… there’s huge value in maintaining a business blog.

So, the question is, how can you overcome what seems like many business bloggers’ worst nightmare, a lack of time?

Blog faster.

And here are 8 tactics, tips, tools and strategies to do just that:

Always have a new post on the go

If you always have a new post on the go, you’ll avoid feeling the pressure of looming publication dates, which can hinder progress, and you’ll never truly be starting from scratch. Even if you’ve just got the main points of your post mapped out, get them down on paper, it’ll really help you to finalize your post faster at a later date.

Create an ongoing list of ideas

Do you ever sit down to start a post and draw a complete blank on what to write about? Of course you do. We all do. Avoid this by creating an ongoing list of ideas to blog about. Write them in a notebook, keep them in a Word .doc, or use a note-taking tool like Evernote (which is really awesome). And, the next time you sit down to write a post, you’ll have a huge list of ideas to draw upon.

Write first, edit later

Try getting your ideas down as efficiently as possible before you take time to edit your content. Writing in this way should help the flow of your writing, and will help your thought processes to be fluid and comprehensive. Avoid interrupting your flow with edits that can easily be made later.

Keep your posts short

Your blog posts don’t need to be written in volumes. Keep them short, stay focused on main points, and don’t worry if you haven’t included every imaginable angle or argument. I’m certain that your audience will still see value in your content, and even if you’ve left something out, it’ll give them opportunity to chime in and add their thoughts.

Have confidence in your content

The content you are writing is yours. You’re the expert. You’re the storyteller. It is your opinion. It isyour experience. Write and publish with confidence, and don’t second-guess yourself.

Make blogging habitual

As the saying goes, ‘the more you do something, the better you’ll become’. The same goes with blogging, and blogging efficiently. Make sure you stick to your publication calendar, and force blogging to be a priority. Once you develop your own tone and style, you’ll be cranking posts out much faster than when you started.

Create content series

Creating themes or series of content will help you create valuable blog posts with speed. Once you establish a format for your series, you can update with new content for a quick, but valuable post, without needing to reinvent the proverbial wheel with every single article.

Shelf a post until later

Sometimes, no matter how much time you put into a blog post, ideas to really flesh it out just don’t come to you. When you hit a block, shelf it and come back to it at a later date, then write about something that comes more naturally in the moment.

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I know, I know… a mere eight points to implement in order to be a more efficient blogger. It may seem like a bit much.

The reality is that there is no single best way to crank out valuable content efficiently on a regular basis. These are just a few tactics that I, and other people I know, have implemented with some success. You will most certainly find some of these points to be more valuable than others, and I’m sure there are other tactics that you have, or will, discover on your own.

How do you maximize your blogging efficiency?

What do you find takes the most time when writing a new post?

As always, it would be great to chat with you more about this in the comments, or on Twitter @RGBSocial

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