I get asked about blogs and blogging all the time by prospects and clients. There appears to still be a wrongly-held perception about what they’re for and how you can best use them to help your business, so I thought I’d write this piece to answer some of those questions.
Why should I start blogging?
People are unlikely to be interested in what you had for breakfast or what your cat did at the weekend, but used properly a blog can help your business in a number of ways;
The search engines pick up content in blogs very quickly, and love websites that are updated regularly, so you’ll score well on both those counts.
A blog is also a great way of letting customers know what you’ve been up to, and a way to build credibility and set yourselves up as experts in your field.
How should I do it – what should I write about?
My advice would be to choose your subject matter carefully and plan ahead.
- Start by making a list of say 12 topics you want to cover in the next few months
- Create a framework for each of the blog posts by writing half a dozen headings – this can help to keep the post focused and on-topic
- Depending on the subject matter, write between 250-750 words on each
- If you write your posts in batches and you might find it easier to manage and can get through more once you’re “in the groove”
Most good blog software will allow you to create a draft and then publish it at a future time and date of your choosing. You can mix these up with more informal opinion pieces or news updates.
When should I do it and how often?
To get the most of blogging for your business, you need to be writing a blog post at least once a fortnight. Once a week is even better, and if you can manage to write a blog once a day, you really will see the benefits. My last tip, however, and probably the most important, would be this; start as you mean to carry on. Be realistic about what you can achieve longer-term and stick with it – a blog that gets neglected after a few months looks terrible.
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