Do you have a blog for your business but struggle to keep up with content creation?
Are you too scared to check when you made the last update, it was that long ago?
If that’s you, you’re not alone. In my work as a content marketing strategist I scan blogs on a daily basis looking for key influencers in different niches. More often than not, I’ll find a terrific blog that hasn’t been updated…. since 2013.
If your priority is serving clients and not churning out blog posts, then the chances are you feel like blogging is more of a painful nuisance than a fun and exhilarating experience.
The thing is, if you don’t keep your blog up-to-date, you may be missing out on traffic and sales. Forrester research showed that 50% of all online sales are lost because consumers can’t find content.
Consumers expect you to give them content that will help them make an informed buying decision. If you don’t, then they’ll look elsewhere.
The problem for many business owners, though, is often not expertise or ideas, it’s simply getting started and then staying the course.
Last year I surveyed business owners to see what was holding them back with their content creation. About ⅓ of respondents said lack of time and another ⅓ said consistency.
Recently, I interviewed about 20 business owners to dig deeper into the issue and most of them said they are so pressed for time that it is difficult to get into the blogging habit, or alternatively, they simply don’t have the funds to hire a professional content writer who can produce good quality blog posts. The “staring at a blank screen” problem was considered a huge time-waster and when you run a small business, time is a precious commodity. Another issue is how to promote a blog post once you’ve written it. Many bloggers simply don’t know how to get their blog posts before the right people.
Creating content for your business is not a problem that is just going to go away, so below are 3 key tips to help get you back on the blogging saddle.
#1 Use Topic Generation Tools to Gather Headline Ideas
There are a plethora of topic generators on the web. To help you find a good one, I’ve reviewed the best ones I found here. Topic generators can spark ideas for your content calendar and help get your creative juices flowing. They can also help alleviate that feeling of overwhelm you can get when you don’t know what to write about.
#2 Use Blog Post Frameworks
When we write blog posts for our clients we create frameworks every single time. Some bloggers even pay us just to create frameworks for them because they are such a massive time-saver. Using a blog post framework can cut down on your blogging time by up to 40%. A framework simply is a paragraph-by-paragraph breakdown of your blog post’s structure. I used a blog post framework for this post and managed to spit it out in half an hour.
#3 Stop Thinking of your Blog as a Luxury
Consumers research just about every buying decision these days. If they’re not in a shop comparing prices and product features on their mobile phones, they’re at their desktop reading reviews on Yelp. The sales environment is competitive, so if you want to stand out, and you want to help your customers shift from prospect to buyer, it’s a good idea to prioritise creating the information that will help lead them to the sale.
If you are feeling stuck with your business blog, and need help, I encourage you to reach out. Here’s a carrot: I will happily create a free blog post recipe for any ABN member that asks me. Just contact me via my website and use the subject line “ABN blog post recipe offer”.
And if you are worried about how long it’s been since you last blogged, it’s okay. You can get started again any time. It’s never too late!
All the best with your business blogging in 2016!