If you are already a staunch supporter of the inbound marketing ideology, you’re also likely to have a vast appreciation for the promotional power of blogging. A good content-based strategy is at the heart of every effective website… and consistent blogging is the foundation.
In my opinion, every small business should make a resolution to blog more (and better) in 2015. But as anyone who’s tried will tell you, it’s tough to keep it going… especially when you may not see huge results overnight.
In the long run, it’ll be worth it… but there are things you can do now to make it easier on yourself and your blog-posting staff. Here are 7 things you can start doing in the new year to help you keep your blogging resolution and continue to grow a more effective website.
1. Find keywords that you can actually rank for.
Writing a blog that you want to rank in the search engines takes a little creativity. Your competing with every other blog in your industry, but fortunately you are more creative. If you sell shoes, don’t write a blog about “shoes”… write about those new “stylish hiking boots” that just came in. (Moz has some great keyword tools for this and a free trial.)
2. Write a big list of blog post ideas.
If you ever get writer’s block just trying to think of a title, keep an ongoing list of blog ideas so you can just pick a topic and start writing. Even if your titles sound kind of the same now, chances are the blogs will end up being very different, especially if you write them weeks or months apart.
3. Write about what you like to write about.
If you don’t actually like what you do, I guess you’re outta luck. For everyone else, writing about what you like is a simple concept that’s often over-thought. Don’t try to tell people about what you don’t understand or what you don’t care about. Your readers will either think you’re dumb or end up bored and leave.
4. Put yourself out there and welcome the feedback.
You really need to take the old expression “don’t be afraid to fail” to heart. Fortunately, and unfortunately, the collective memory of the internet community is shorter-lived than a goldfish. Egregious blunders and spectacular thoughts will rise and fade as quick as you can blink. Either way, you’ll have valuable feedback, both direct and indirect, that you can apply to future efforts.
5. Don’t ignore inspiration.
When lightning strikes and you’ve got a great idea for a blog post, don’t put it off. Write while the iron’s hot (or something like that). If you are truly in the middle and can’t get to it immediately, write down some notes/keywords/titles at the very least, so you can come back to it later.
6. Stockpile your posts.
If you have the attention span to sit down and write more than one post at a time, you can set yourself up nicely for the future. Hunker down and hammer out 4 or 5 blogs over the course of a day or two. You might also try getting a few posts started with just an intro or an outline, so you can pick it up later (that’s actually how this one started).
7. Celebrate your blogging success.
The true joy of blogging doesn’t come from just hitting the publish button (save the occasional frustration-fueled rant). The real reward comes after that… Bask in the glow of the rankings, the visits, the comments, the shares, likes, tweets and retweets. Don’t forget to keep an eye on all of these in the hours, days and weeks that follow. After all, that’s why you blog in the first place.
A safe and happy new year to you all!