A reader named Karen recently shared a common business blogging issue. “My problem, as always, is time. I write a couple blog posts, then I miss a couple of weeks.” Sound familiar?
Donna shared a similar worry, and after the Barrie Business Blogathon in January 2013, she wrote: “A whole morning, from 9 to noon, was dedicated to writing blog posts. I completed four posts that I could email to Linda, just four feet away. While I worked on the next post, she enhanced the one I had just sent.”
Even if you’re not registered for the Blogathon, you can still devote time and attention to your business blog this week. Here are 10 ways you can incorporate the key techniques we’ll be using at the Blogathon:
- Book the time – Schedule an appointment with your blog in your calendar. Choose a day and time when you typically have the creative and mental energy you’ll need for writing.
- Value your time – If you’ve signed up and paid for the Blogathon, you’ll likely make an effort to attend. Think about what missing it could mean for your business blog – unhappy website visitors, a hit to your credibility, lower website traffic, and no content to share on social media. This is a key business meeting that you shouldn’t skip.
- Plan ahead – Blogathoners receive a customized blogging plan. When you sit down to meet with your blog, start with some big picture planning and brainstorming. Here is my seven-step blog planning method.
- Batch your blogging – Aim to write several posts at once, to capitalize on your momentum and make the most of your dedicated time. Donna, who you met above, holds our Blogathon record with four posts written in three hours (less, considering our introduction and wrap-up time).
- Draft before you edit – You’ll be able to get more blog posts written if you’re not worrying about making them picture perfect. Just aim to get all your ideas out of your head and onto the page. At this point, don’t censor yourself or worry too much about your writing.
- Book your next blogging meeting – Keep up what you’ve started and make the commitment now when you’re feeling jazzed about your blog. As I mentioned in #1, find an optimal time that matches your energy for doing this type of creative work.
- Set up for success – Set up some blank documents, folders or mobile phone notes with the titles of your blog’s themes/categories. Then keep those topics in mind as you meet with clients, browse websites, blogs and social media, and hang out with friends. Jot down anything that could be a potential blog post, then bring these notes to your next blogging meeting.
- Edit before you publish – For Blogathoners, I’ll edit up to three blog posts that they write at or after the event. Be sure to step away from each of your posts for a few minutes or a few days, and then come back and read it out loud. Does it sound like you? Does it say what you wanted to say? Correct any awkward sentences, typos or other errors, then publish the post for all to see.
- Promote and discuss your blog post – Blogathoners will see examples of compelling social media messages that encourage people to visit your blog and read your new post. I recommend you write three different messages and schedule them at various times over a few days. Include some questions to spark discussion that could even provide content for your next round of blog posts.
- Do it all again – Whether it’s once a week, once a month, or four times a year at the Barrie Business Blogathon, make sure to repeat this process so your blog stays active.
Blogging will keep your website fresh, give prospective customers a better understanding of you and your company, establish your credibility as an expert, and provide content you can discuss and display on social media. Like any other important task in your life, you need to set aside time to make it happen.
P.S. You don’t live in Barrie? Stay tuned for a virtual version of the Barrie Business Blogathon.