If business blogging feels like a burden, chances are you won’t get around to doing it.
As a business owner, no doubt every day is busy and if writing a blog post feels like too much of a task, it will get placed at the bottom of the to-do list.
To encourage you to sit down at your computer and get your blog onto the page, I’ve come up with seven tried and tested methods to make your blogging easier.
Have a read, get motivated and start blogging on a regular basis – as consistency is the key to the foundations of a good blog.
-
Understand who your audience is
Before you put pen to paper, you need to understand who it is you are writing your blog for. Who is your target market? Who is your avatar? Remember, as much as you might want to write about your favourite business topic, it’s important you are creating something of value for your audience, otherwise your blog won’t be read.
Get specific on your target market and picture your audience as one person. Where does this person work? How many kids do they have? What is their name? What was their level of education? And most importantly, what problem do they have and how do you plan on solving it?
Once you have a clearly formed vision of your audience in mind, you will be able to target your communications more reliably.
-
Get organised with a content calendar
If you’re a deadline-orientated person (hello, former journalist-self!) a content calendar is the perfect way to ensure you post regularly.
Not only will it give you the space to think deeply about each blog topic, but it will give you a kick up the bum to make sure you deliver your posts weekly.
Having a plan in place for your business blogging schedule will help to ease the stress of frequent blog creation.
Get organised now with our free content calendar.
-
Write like you’re talking to a friend
Once you’ve got your business blogging plan in place, it’s time to craft your blogs. It can be easy to get caught up in the jargon when you’re writing about topics you know in great detail, but remember your audience might not understand obscure language.
It’s best to keep your blog’s wording casual – like you’re chatting to a mate – as it’ll not only be more personable but easier to read and understand.
The average time spent reading a blog post is just 37 seconds, and if your post is too technical, you’ll push your reader into clicking off the page even faster.
-
Structure your post with a beginning, middle and end
Write a blog as if you are telling a story, with a clear beginning, middle and end. Begin the post with a hook – your headline and first few sentences will determine whether your reader will stick with your blog or not.
For example, recount something relatable which makes your reader go ‘aha, yes, I’ve been there,’ or craft and introduction which surprises them and encourages them to find out more.
If your target market is a hairdresser, perhaps you could begin a post with, “Have you ever had a client consistently turn up late for their appointments? I did. Her name was Sally, and this is how I managed to convince her to show up on time, every time.”
This introduction would hook in a fellow hairdresser, as chances are they’ve been in this very predicament.
-
Focus on one topic at a time – and get specific
Although it might be easier for you to blog on a general topic such as ‘Trendy hairstyles’, or ‘The best office design tips’, these topics are too broad.
Instead, get specific so you can completely nail your subject with a thorough answer. For example, instead if ‘Trendy hairstyles’, why not opt for ’12 bridal up-dos that are completely on-trend in 2020.’
And rather than ‘The best office design tips’, you could choose a topic such as ‘5 ways to impress your clients with office design tweaks that won’t cost a cent.’
-
Use stats to help back you up
Using statistics in your posts helps gives your blog authority while also allowing you to be more specific. Rather than writing something vague such as, ‘Facebook is popular with marketers,’ it’d be better to state that ‘89% of marketers use Facebook in their brand marketing efforts.’
-
Proofread and publish
Sometimes there can be pressure to get our posts perfect before we hit publish. But remember, done is better than perfect! Sure, read through your post carefully a couple of times, and even ask someone else to sweep their eyes over it. But don’t spend days editing and re-writing as your time is probably best spent elsewhere.
You don’t want blog post writing to take up too much time in your week, so set aside 1-2 hours and stick to it. Once the post is engaging and interesting, hit that publish button and stop fretting over every. single. word.
According to Digital Agency 99 Firms, blogs that post daily receive 5 times as much traffic compared to those that don’t. I’m not necessarily suggesting you post every 24 hours, but it’s clear the more frequently you post, the higher the chance of success. So get to it!
