Any small business with a blog has a few key goals they strive for. And one of those is increasing their blog traffic.
But what if I told you there was a simple trick that could triple your blog traffic? (Without hours of extra promo workâŠ)
You might call me crazy, but I watched it happen with one of my clients.
This client recently launched their blog, so theyâre still testing whatâs working and whatâs not.
But there was one blog post I wrote for them that got 3 times more traffic than almost any of their other articles. Yes, you read that correctlyâthree times!
And not only that, but when we promoted that blog to their email list, we got a click rate of 11.4%! (If you look at that and think, OK, so what?, then I should mention that the average click rate for this clientâs industry is 2-3%.)
My clientâs audience was gobbling this content up.
But why?
Well, it started with that one simple trick I promised to tell you. And I wonât make you wait any longer.
Triple Your Blog Traffic by Writing About Your Ideal Clientâs Burning Questions
After analyzing the blog and the sharing methods, I realized that what made this blog post get triple the average number of page views was simply ⊠the topic.
Not the topic in general, which was bookkeeping. The blog post itself answered a burning question that my clientâs ideal customer had.
This client is a bookkeeping/accounting business that serves other small businesses.
Turns out, many of their readers are confused about how to pay themselves correctly.
Yep. It wasnât a sexy topic. It was actually pretty boring: âHow to Pay Yourself as a Small Business Owner (And What Not to Do).â
But thatâs not boring to a small-business owner. Thatâs a huge question they have! No solopreneur or boutique shop owner wants to find themselves in hot water with the IRS because theyâve been paying themselves incorrectly.
And there you have it ⊠a high-traffic blog post.
How to Discover Your Readersâ Burning Questions
So letâs turn this around and apply it to your blogâŠ
Start by thinking about your current clients.
What questions do they ask you most often?
What concerns do they have regarding your niche?
What fears compel them to seek out the answers to their questions?
Thatâs what you need to be blogging about.
If youâre not sure how to answer that list of questions (or if you havenât been in business long enough to get to know your clients), donât worry. There are still things you can do to dig up the answers.
Ask around on social media
Ask your email list
Ask other entrepreneurs in your space
Poke around on other blogs in your niche
For that last tip, keep an eye out for their most popular blog posts and note the topics/questions that drive those posts. Donât copy their topics exactly, of course, but you can use those popular blogs as inspiration for a new topic for your own posts.
Triple Your Blog Traffic With a Solid Headline
A perfect topic is the foundation for a viral blog post. But you still need to write a great headline to get that precious traffic you crave.
But the biggest tip I can give you right now is simply this:
Make your promise as clear as possible.
Donât hide your topic behind fancy schmancy words. And be careful with too much mystery.
If you have a blog post that touches on a topic your audience really cares about, then the best thing you can do is make it as clear as day how your blog post will benefit them.
Recall the headline for the article I wrote for my client: âHow to Pay Yourself as a Small Business Owner (And What Not to Do).â
Thereâs no razzle dazzle to that headline. Itâs really not that much to look at. But if youâve been confused about how to pay yourself correctly as a small business owner, then you know that blog post is for you.
Of course, topics that work for my client wonât necessarily work for you. Thatâs why you have to get out there and get to know your readers! Then, try out different topics on your blog and see what resonates most. In no time, you’ll be on your way to triple your blog traffic.
I recently asked dozens of bloggers what their biggest struggles were with blogging. Hands down the most common response was: âI struggle to blog consistently.â
And itâs no wonder! We entrepreneurs are so busy nowadays serving our clients and networking that we have little time left for blogging.
The problem with inconsistency is that it kills your momentum.
When you blog consistently, you build a loyal audience. They expect you to have a fresh article at a certain time and they keep an eye out for your content.
Consistency is how you nurture your audience.
But when you start becoming inconsistent (or you go AWOL for a time), it confuses your audience and you lose the momentum you had. The point of nurturing is that it’s consistent. You lose that, and your audience quickly loses interest.
#1 Enemy of Consistency: The Mental Block
In my experience, what prevents people from being able to blog consistently has more to do with mental blocks than it does an actual time commitment.
Sometimes when we think about blogging, we get overwhelmed with all the steps and time involved in writing, optimizing and posting.
We subconsciously freak out at the mountain of tasks involved in creating a blog:
Thinking of a topic
Researching the topic
Creating an outline
Fleshing out the content
Editing and revising
Optimizing for SEO
Finding a quality featured photo
Designing social sharing photos
Posting the blog
Sharing the link on your social media
Phew! That does seem like a lot, doesnât it?
Hereâs the thing, though. It doesnât have to be as intimidating as it seems!
Letâs walk through 3 practical steps you can take to overcome this mental block.
Create a system and use templates.
Batch your content when possible.
Destroy time-wasters.
Iâll take you through these steps one by one.
1. Blog Consistently With a System
Systems are truly amazing things. When you create a system for a complicated task, you break it down into bite-sized pieces.
Systematizing a process also allows you to accomplish it faster, more consistently, and at a better quality.
An easy way to turn your blogging into a system is by using checklists and templates.
Checklists provide you a step-by-step process for your blog. This way, you know exactly what to do right now and what to do next. It removes the guessing for you so you can walk through the process on autopilot and reserve your critical thinking for the actual content.
Write down everything you have to do to create a quality blog post and turn that into your checklist.
Templates save you time and energy as you create images for your blogs.
When I first started my blog, I purchased social media image templates from Bluchic, and I love them! I slightly tweak the images in Canva, update the headline andâpresto!âI have a new image for my blog.
Here are some templates you’ll find helpful for your business:
Please note: The following links are affiliate links, meaning that if you click through and purchase, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. As always, I only promote products I use and love!
If youâve spent any time in the digital entrepreneurial world, youâve heard more than one person praise the benefits of batching.
But just in case you havenât⊠Batching is the process of setting aside a block of time to perform one task. Just one.
And thereâs a reason so many entrepreneurs swear by it. Itâs one of the most effective tools to help you blog consistently!
The reason is that when you batch, you give your mind time to get into a rhythm regarding that one task youâre working on. Once you hit that repetitive groove, you accomplish more than you would have with the same amount of time split up into several different occasions.
Try to use batching in one of two ways:
You can set aside a chunk of time each month to hammer out your whole monthâs worth of blogs, start to finish.
You can set aside several chunks of time throughout the month to accomplish specific blogging tasks.
So for instance, you could set aside an hour to flesh out all your ideas for your next four to six blogs. Then you use another chunk of time to create outlines. Take another chunk to flesh the blogs out and optimize for SEO. Then another chunk to create all the images, and another to post all the blogs.
Both these methods can work! But to make your batching effective, I recommend that you dedicate at least 1 or 2 consecutive hours at a time.
Pin this article and share the love!
3. Destroy Time-Wasters So You Can Blog Consistently
How many hours in your week do you waste on nonessential activities? Thatâs time that could be going toward your blog! (And as Iâve said before, blogging is one of the best ways to grow your brand in 2020.)
Have you ever wasted hours on one of these time-wasters? (I know I have!)
Social media scrolling
YouTube rabbit holes
Perfectionism
Daydreaming
Arguments
Tech confusion (perhaps inevitable, but still a time-waster)
Chatting/texting with friends
Watching TV
These are just a few of the things that can steal our time from our most valuable investments. Can you identify a few more throughout your day?
Of course Iâm not saying that you shouldnât talk to your friends or that you canât relax and watch some TV. But when you let those things take up too much of your time, you lose opportunities to blog and grow your brand.
Your turn! What are some suggestions you have for blogging consistently? Leave a comment below with your thoughts!
Are you missing out on serious blog growth because youâre not utilizing your unique personality strengths?
There are timeless marketing and copywriting principles every single blogger needs to use to grow their blogâto be sure. Writing for âthe one,â using calls-to-action, promoting a lead magnet on your blog ⊠these are all best practices you should follow. They donât vary from person to person.
But I also believe one of the all-time best ways to grow your blog is by leveraging your personality strengths.
Hereâs what I mean by that:
Most personality tests use classifications of some sort to group us. Think of introversion vs. extroversion, abstract-oriented vs. sensory-oriented, logic-based thinking vs. feelings-based thinking and so on.
But every single personality test or metric has two things it reveals: strengths and weaknesses.
Always.
Studies show that you will grow far more (and feel overall more satisfied) by focusing on honing your strengths than you will by simply trying to improve your weaknesses. Just a fact for you there…
So how do you use your personality strengths to boost your blog?
Iâm so glad you asked! It starts by recognizing what your strengths are.
Iâm going to guess that a lot of people have a hard time recognizing their strengths. (Unless one of your strengths is confidence⊠in which case, you likely already know them!)
I want you to look at this list of words and write down the ones you think describe you.
Charming
Smart
Practical
Creative
Empathetic
Strategic
Systems-oriented
Free-spirited
Gentle
Confident
Loves to take charge
Outgoing
Quiet
Passive
Intuitive
Logical
Emotional
Great with people
Loves having multiple projects at once
Great with numbers
Go-with-the-flow
Charismatic
Laser-focused
Talkative
Action-taker
Concise
Diplomatic
Deep thinker
Have you written down the words that describe you? Great!
Now, what I want you to do is refer to your list as I go through some key strengths that are helpful when building your blog.
You most likely wonât identify with every single one of these archetypes and that is totally OK. Your goal is not to be some âRenaissance blogger.â Your goal is to find out which of these strengths you naturally have so you can leverage them while building your blog!
Note: Please keep in mind that these strength archetypes are largely oversimplified. You may find that you identify with parts of a strength I describe but not all. Thatâs fine! Leverage what youâve got, my friend!
The Charming Ideator
Words most often associated with this strength: Charming, Creative, Free-spirited, Intuitive, Emotional, Loves having multiple projects at once, Charismatic, Confident.
People who are Charming Ideators love coming up with new ideas. In fact, they canât help but come up with new ideas.
It was probably a Charming Ideator who came up with the phrase âbrainstorm.â How fitting!
If this is you, youâre probably the person a fellow entrepreneur calls when they need some fresh inspiration. By the time they get off the phone with you, they have a list of 25 new projects or topics they can pursue.
When it comes to blogging, Charming Ideators usually have no problem coming up with what to write about. This is a huge advantage because statistics show that the more regularly and consistently you blog, the faster your blog will grow!
According to a HubSpot research study, companies that blogged 16 times a month had 3.5 times more traffic than companies that blogged only four times a month or less.
Now, a word to the wise: This does not mean you have to publish 4 blogs every single week. Depending on your schedule, that might lead to burnout and inconsistency.
Because of that, I encourage Charming Ideators to harness their creative energy to batch their blogs.
When you get a million ideas for your writing, make sure you get them out of your head and onto a Word doc (or Google doc⊠whatever you use).
But donât post them right away. Instead, schedule them out over the next several weeks. This will prevent you from posting four blogs in one week and then nothing for the next month or so.
Harness your personality strengths!
The Strategic Networker
Words most often associated with this strength: Charming, Practical, Strategic, Confident, Loves to take charge, Great with people, Charismatic, Talkative, Action-taker.
A Strategic Networkerâs strength is exactly what you would expect it to be ⊠networking!
Strategic Networkers love forging powerful relationships that are mutually beneficial, and they also love connecting their friends when they know they could help each other. Win-win!
This is such a fantastic strength to have because authentic networking is one of the best ways to grow your blog, especially when youâre first starting out.
Until you grow past a certain point, most of your traffic to your blog will come from people who have a relationship with you in some way. Whether they met you at a conference or a networking event or they connected with you in a Facebook group ⊠knowing you is what drives them to care about what youâre writing and offering.
Not only that, but being able to make genuine, strategic connections is helpful when trying to cross-promote with other content creators in your niche.
Guest blogging and being a guest on someoneâs podcast or video show are incredible ways to expand your audience and put your God-given message in front of new eyes and ears.
Remember: Leverage your personality strengths!
The Practical Systematician
Words most often associated with this strength: Smart, Practical, Strategic, Systems-oriented, Logical, Blunt, Great with numbers, Action-taker, Laser-focused, Concise.
If you tend to be a more practical person who drools over step-by-step instructions and how-to articles, you might have a little bit of the Practical Systematician in you, my friend.
One of the personality strengths of the Practical Systematician is that theyâre great at breaking down complicated processes and turning them into step-by-step journeys that make sense.
This is a huge asset because when it comes to learning online, people tend to automatically look for how-to pieces. Itâs just natural to us.
If I have a problem, I want to learn how to solve it. If I need to learn how to set up my TV, please give me detailed, clear instructions on how to do it⊠not a poem about how TVs make you feel.
When it comes to blogging for your business, it helps to provide instructive, clear-to-understand blogs about whatever it is you offer.
If youâre a health coach, consider writing step-by-step blogs about how to set up a healthy meal plan, how to eat foods that work with your metabolism, or how to work out safely after an injury.
This is how you use your personality strengths to your advantage!
The Empathetic Listener
Words most often associated with this strength: Empathetic, Intuitive, Gentle, Quiet, Passive, Emotional, Great with people, Go-with-the-flow, Diplomatic, Deep thinker
If you think youâre an Empathetic Listener, well then welcome to the club, my friend. Itâs so good to meet you. đ
Those of us who have this strength tend not to see it as a strength. And really, itâs no wonder ⊠a lot of our characteristics arenât typically associated with entrepreneurship. But thatâs OK, my friend, because Empathetic Listeners have a crucial strength that every single blogger and entrepreneur needs to learn to have.
What is it? Well, simply put⊠we listen. People love to come up to Empathetic Listeners and share 1) how they feel, 2) what they believe or think, 3) what they need or want, and 4) literally their entire life story.
Now, I could write a whole different blog about the importance of having boundaries with this strength, but for now, letâs focus on the positive. đ
This strength is actually really important when it comes to blogging for your business because it equips you to find out what your target reader (or target client) wants, needs, feels, and believes.
And if youâve read any of my other blogs, you know Iâm a die-hard proponent of writing for your audience. The only way you can possibly do this is by listening to them.
Only by listening can you learn to use the words your target readers use to describe their pain points (the problem you can solve for them) and their goals (the solution you can help them achieve).
When people hear you using their language to talk about the same feelings or experiences they have, it builds trust. That trust is a core ingredient in growing your business and making sales.
Take These Personality Strengths and Make Them Your Own!
So, friend, did you see yourself in any of these strength archetypes?
Maybe you saw a little of yourself in a few of them. Or maybe you didnât really identify with any of them. Thatâs OK too.
What I want you to do now is create your own, unique strength archetype. List your strengths and how you can leverage them to help build your blogâand your business.
If you liked this blog, make sure you share it on your social media! (See that colorful little bar on the side of your screen with all the social icons? Just click one of those and spread the love!)
Has the pandemic left you scratching your head, wondering how to effectively grow your business right now? Well then, let this sink in today: A business blog is still one of the cheapest, safest and most effective ways to promote your brand in 2020.
As this pandemic continues to wreak havoc on peopleâs health and the economy, many of us are looking for ways to save money and time. We know we still need to keep promoting our businesses to draw in fresh leads, but who can afford expensive ads right now?Â
Weâre looking for cheaper ways to organically grow our businesses that donât consume a ton of our precious time. (Because donât let anyone tell you differentlyâyour time is valuable.)
This is where blogging enters the picture. You may not feel like youâre a naturally gifted writer. Or you may think you truly donât have the time. But Iâm telling you: You donât have the time not to blog.
Hereâs why Iâm so convinced blogging is one of the best ways to build your business right now:
A Business Blog Doesnât Cost a Ton of Money to Get Started
Starting a blog costs $0 if you already have a website. After all, your website theme probably already has an option for you to host a blog. You just have to use it.Â
And on top of that, many plugins that you need for a blog (SEO, social media sharing, etc.) are completely free.
Now, if you donât have a website, I do recommend you build one. (And no, you donât have to be a professional coder or a tech genius to build a website.) Nowadays, you can easily set up a website and download a theme you like.
Getting your website up and running can cost you as little as $3.95 a month when you sign up for Bluehost. When you purchase Bluehost, you also get a free domain name for a year (thatâs the URL people type in to go to your website) and a free SSL certificate (which tells people your site is safe to use).
Important Note: The link above is an affiliate link. That means if you click on it and end up purchasing Bluehost for your website, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. And just so you know, I only promote products I use and love. đÂ
If you donât have a website and you really canât start one right now, you can still âblogâ on your social media with long-form posts. But I do highly recommend blogging on your own website. For starters, it looks much more professional.
And the other reasons? Well…
Itâs Safer to Blog on âYour Own Propertyâ
Hereâs the ugly truth, my friend: You donât own social media.Â
That means that when you make any social medium your blogâs home and post all of your messaging and promotion there, you are at the mercy of that platform.Â
Just yesterday, a fellow online entrepreneur shared his horror story of how Facebook shut down all his promotion for his online course. They deleted every one of his prior posts and blocked him from posting for at least 21 days. He said he felt âguttedâ because he had put all of his course promotion on social media.
Chances are, this fellow business owner somehow broke Facebookâs promotional rules. But heâs not the only one who has accidentally done so. Social media platforms often have strict rules you need to follow when it comes to posting content for your business, and itâs easier to break them than you think.
The lesson here is clear.
You donât own social media, but you do own your website. When you blog on your own website, you face far less danger of your hard work being deleted or shut down.Â
Plus, when you blog on your website, itâs like inviting your readers into your home. When someone reads your blog on your own site, it lets them see a clearer picture of who you are and what you do. In some ways, it fosters a deeper connection between you and them.
The last reason I highly suggest you use your own website to host your blog is that it gives you way more opportunities to lead readers into your sales funnel as you promote your lead magnet on your site.
Blogging Lets Readers Consume Your Content at Their Own Pace
People often donât have time to listen to an entire podcast or watch an entire video, especially now during the pandemic. Studies show that during COVID-19, time watching TV and on social media is up. Meanwhile, though, some studies suggest that podcast listenership dipped after the coronavirus struck.
With people spending more time on their phones and computers, they have more time at least to skim your blog post. If what they see fascinates them, they can save it and go back to it later.
Or if they have more time on their hands, they can binge-read your blog to easily find the info theyâre looking for.
A Business Blog Gives Better Opportunity for SEO and Backlinks
This is a huge reason why I love blogs.Â
With blogs, you can optimize for SEO, link to credible resources and link to other pages on your site.Â
Podcasts canât really give you that same opportunity unless you create show notes and transcripts. Thatâs totally doable, but it does take a lot more work. With blogging, you do all that in one fell swoop.
Blogs Are Easier to Promote on Social Media
When you post a blog link on Facebook or LinkedIn, all the reader has to do is click the photo and it takes them directly to your post.
Hereâs an example of that:
Â
See how the photo in that FB post is clickable?
You canât do that with a podcast because a podcast link doesnât have a featured image. (Unless youâre hosting the podcast on a blog, which is something I recommend!) So when you post a podcast link, it shows up like a normal, ugly link within the Facebook caption.
Yuck.
What most podcasters end up doing when promoting their episodes is they put the ugly link in their caption. Or they have to direct people to listen on iTunes or GooglePlay. Then they upload a separate photo to attract attention.
There are two things that make this difficult for an audience.Â
1. This adds an additional step for potential listeners.
They have to either scroll through your caption to click the link, or they have to leave Facebook and find the podcast in iTunes or GooglePlay. You lose potential listeners in that process.
2. People love clicking photos.
People are far more inclined to click the picture than they are to click the link within the caption.
Believe me.Â
When I was online news director at a Christian magazine, I actually tested this. Facebook was malfunctioning one day and not loading the clickable pictures for articles. So I put the link in the caption and uploaded the photo separately for our articles that day.
Traffic suffered. Badly.
My scrappy substitution posts were better than not posting at all. But the dip in traffic until Facebook fixed the bug in its system was pretty noticeable.
A Business Blog Makes It Much Easier for Your Audience to Take Action
Every content creator knows that they should end their message with a call to action (CTA). Something that tells the listener/viewer/reader what to do next.
With podcasts, or even sometimes videos, you have to explain to the viewer/listener what to do and where to go. For example, on a podcast, the host may say: âHey, please rate and review my podcast! Go to iTunes or GooglePlay and click the âReviewâ button.â
Again, the host is asking the listener to do an extra step. Far fewer will actually follow through and go the extra mile to rate and review the podcast.
With a blog, though, you can provide a clickable link that directly sends your readers where you want them to go. Hyperlinking those CTAs makes the process so much simpler.
For example, if I tell you, âHey, go to Facebook and like and follow my page! My handle is @JennyRoseSpaudo,â you are far less likely to actually do what Iâm asking.
But if I say, âHey, would you take just 2 seconds to go like and follow my Facebook page?â All you have to do is click twice to follow through with what Iâm asking. So much simpler.
Iâm Not a Podcast Hater, I Promise
My goal with this article is in no way to hate on podcasts. Podcasting can be a great way to organically grow your business, and if you have the time and resources to do it, I highly recommend it!
But during this pandemic, when time and money are in short supply, blogging is certainly the ideal way to go for many small-business owners.Â
You have a lot of things to do for your businessâlike make money and serve people. So for those who are just starting out or are trying to tighten their money belts, all I have to say to you is: start blogging.
Do you want to start a blog to promote your business? Grab my free roadmap to receive the clarity you need to get started the right way. Just sign up below to get started!
And, P.S., if youâre already blogging and want to make sure your blog is optimized for your business, this roadmap will still be super helpful for you.
Well, thereâs no getting around it. COVID-19 has flipped our world upside down. And some are saying thereâs no going back. So how does this affect your content marketing strategy? Should you blog about COVID-19 or just ignore it and give your readers a sense of normalcy?
For the most part, my suggestion to you is to talk about it as long as you’re responsible with the information you share. There is so much misinformation spreading about COVID-19 that you should definitely not add yourself to that mix!
That said, this is the perfect opportunity to bring hope to someone. After all, the coronavirus has impacted practically every single person in the United States. (And if you live outside the U.S., chances are, itâs impacted every person in your country, too!)
Granted, there are some bloggers who probably shouldnât blog about it because itâs simply not helpful to their readers in any way.
People who shouldnât blog or podcast about COVID-19 include people whose followers are seeking an escape from the bad news of everyday life. Their readers follow them to be entertained or to learn more about a feel-good hobby.
But even that doesnât mean all entertainers or hobby instructors should shy away from talking about COVID-19. The best way for you to know if you should stay quiet about the virus is to simply ask your audience.
If youâre still not sure which camp you should be in, email me at jennyrosespaudo@gmail.com or send me a Facebook message. Iâd love to help you figure this out!
After all, itâs more than likely that you shouldnât shy away from this ugly topic.
Why You Really Should Blog About COVID-19
Iâm of the opinion that those who shouldnât blog about COVID-19 are the exception, not the rule.
Why?
Because the virus has changed the way many of us live our daily lives. Our habits have changed. Many of us are starting to work from home full-time. Some are learning how to homeschool their public-schooled kids. Others are trying to figure out how to do things digitally that theyâve done in-person for decades. Raise your hand if you had to figure out Zoom in the last month.
Itâs a weird time to be alive. And if one thing is certain, itâs that weâre all learning new things and trying to figure stuff out.
Thatâs why now, more than ever, your followers need to hear from you that everything is going to be OK.
If youâre a homeschool influencer, your followers need to know itâs going to be OKâthey can protect their families, keep them healthy and still get their homeschool duties done.
In fact, now is a great time for homeschool influencers to expand their market and reach out to parents of public-schooled kids who desperately need advice for how to teach their children at home.
If youâre a nutritionist or fitness expert, your followers need to know itâs going to be OKâthey can still eat healthy and work out faithfully even during quarantine. Look, those extra quarantine pounds are REAL, friend.
If youâre in ministry, your followers need to know itâs going to be OKâGod is still with them. And Heâs still the same yesterday, today and forever. He will get them through this crisis.
If youâre a financial expert, your followers REALLY need to know itâs going to be OK! With everyone freaking out about recession, now is the time to reinforce basic financial wisdom and remind people they donât have to panic if they manage their money wisely.
Itâs Time to Get Innovative
A crisis isnât a time to shy back in fear. A crisis is a perfect opportunity to get creative.
Donât think of it as taking advantage of the horrible situation. If thatâs your motive, stop and get that right first.
What Iâm talking about is an honest desire to help people with their newfound needs.
Look around you and think about it. How have peopleâs lives changed since the coronavirus hit? How have those changes created new needs, new concerns and new challenges?
Speak to those pain points. If you have a solution to their problem, offer it and donât hold back.
I have to tip my hat to a lot of churches around the U.S. who have gotten creative in the midst of quarantines and stay-at-home orders.
Many churches have either live streamed their services (some for the first time!) or are even doing drive-in services. A drive-in service is pretty much what it sounds like. Congregants park in the church parking lot and listen while the pastor preaches, often from the church roof or a scissor lift. Sometimes theyâll honk their horns in place of a hearty âAmen!â
Thatâs a great example of getting creative to solve a problem and meet a need.
Now itâs your turn.
What need are you seeing that you can offer a creative solution to? Thatâs your next blog topic! And maybe your next product.
Need some help coming up with ideas for how to help your followers during the COVID-19 crisis? Connect with me and letâs talk about it!
I know plenty of people who know they should be blogging but just donât have the time to do it.
Their schedules are full of keeping their businesses running, taking care of their kids, and tending to the thousands of other things theyâve volunteered for. They just don’t have time to blog.
I get that.
But also, respectfully, I disagree.
I think if people were to let go of some of their blogging misconceptions, they would feel free to invest in this important content-marketing strategy.
Hear me out.
Itâs true that blogging can become a full-time gig. Some people invest hours each day promoting their blogs on social media, engaging people on forums and pitching affiliates.
But thatâs not the only way to blog.
So how can you blog when you have no time?
My goal is that this article gives you some hope. If you want to start blogging but donât know where to find the time for it, keep reading, my friend.
Misconception #1: Promoting my blog and writing consistently take too long.
No, they donât.
Promotion can be a black hole if you let it. So donât let it.
Learn the top one or two social media platforms your ideal clients use, and focus on those to promote your blogs.
Donât waste hours promoting your blog on forums or social media where no one will care. In the future, when you have more time to branch out, you can do that. But for right now, start with your core people.
As for writing consistently, find a frequency that works for you. Right now, Iâm working a full-time job in addition to maintaining this blog. So the frequency that works for me is once a week.
Find whatâs right for you.
Misconception #2: Writing one blog will take hours.
It can, but it doesnât have to. And it really shouldnât.
If your blog is a way to provide insight into your brand and show yourself to be an expert in your niche, then there are some simple ways to write blogs that donât consume tons of time.
First, write what you know.
What are some of the main problems you see your customers facing? What advice would you give a client who was struggling with one of those problems? Write your blog as though youâre writing to that one person.
Second, write out of your own experiences.
Again, use examples from your own life to write your blogs. Tell your readers what has worked for you and what hasnât. Tell stories about mistakes youâve survived and lessons youâve learned.
Third, write like youâre having a conversation.
Donât make your blog stuffy. Often, writing takes us so long because weâre trying to sound smart.
You donât have to fall for that time-waster. Write as though youâre talking to a friend.
An easy way to do this is to say what you want to communicate out loud. Then simply write out what you just said and clean up any grammatical yuckiness. (Yes, thatâs the technical term.)
Misconception #3: Editing my blog will take forever.
If youâre a perfectionist, then, yes, it will take forever.
I know this because Iâve lived it. And still do sometimes.
But blogs arenât meant to be perfect. Youâre not publishing your blog in a magazine or newspaper. So be willing for it to be less than perfect.
This does NOT mean that itâs OK to let your blog look like a hot mess. But editing doesnât have to take forever. Run the piece through a spell checker. Or ask a friend to look over it for you. Or look over it once or twice yourself. (Or hire someone to edit it for you, letâs be honest now.)
But donât require it to be perfect.
Misconception #4: Making graphics for my blog will take forever.
It certainly can if you donât have the hang of it or if design isnât your thing.
Itâs not mine, for sure.
Thatâs why I purchased social media templates from Bluchic. (You can check them out here if youâd like.)
I purchased the package when they were having a Black Friday sale. But there are tons of others out there.
The templates may cost a little money, but they save you a ton of time.
Another easy way to create social media graphics is on Canva.
I introduced my mom to Canva a couple of months ago and she loves it! Some of the graphics sheâs creating now are way better than mine, and Iâm not even salty about it.
Basically, Canva gives you templates you can edit and customize to make them unique for your purposes. They have templates for Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and more.
Misconception #5: I donât even know how to start.
Here are a couple easy ways to introduce your blog:
Help the reader visualize the problem youâre trying to solve. Provide an example or a story.
Help the reader visualize the success theyâre trying to achieve. Create a scenario in which the reader is the hero. Then tell them how to get there.
Start off with a controversial statement. Then explain why you think that way and how it will help your reader.
Just because I think youâre swell, here are three more tips to help you save time on blogging:
1. If youâre an author, use short excerpts from your book and simply tweak the intros and outros.
2. If youâre a pastor or speaker, use excerpts from transcripts of your sermons or talks.
3. If you already write for social media, take your most popular posts and expand them just a bit.A blog doesnât have to be long.
The truth is that, yes, writing a consistent blog is a time commitment. But it doesnât have to be a big one. You can streamline the process and make it work for you.
As always, Iâm here cheering you on!
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