Blogging is hard work, especially if its not your full time job and you have a business to run. The chances are you struggle for time and just like me, need ways to make your blogging life a little more enjoyable and a lot easier.
Here’s 5 tips that I hope will help. I use them to keep on top of things myself.
Deciding exactly who you are writing for is a great way to make your blogging a LOT easier. When you know your target audience the words will flow a lot easier.
Do some market research and think about who your existing clients and readers are and then think about the questions they ask and solve problems for them. I make a list of questions that my clients ask me during training sessions and it helps me form new blog posts and social media content.
Once you’ve figured out who you are writing for the ideas and posts will become a lot easier to write.
I usually recommend using an online calendar as you can share it amongst staff and add ideas from your phone when you’re out and about. You could even create different calendars for different campaigns so everyone knows what’s going on.
To get started on your calendar look at special days and try to write posts around them. You can then add your individual campaigns to the calendar and it will soon be full to bursting.
Here’s a few ideas to get you started:
This is more of a time management tip than blogging tip but if you’re doing things that are not bringing in results then stop doing them and use that time for blogging.
If you’re routine dictates that you do certain things on certain days then take a good look at these things and see if you can drop one and add blogging to that time slot. It may be an email newsletter that you’ve been sending out for years but hardly get any business from….. drop it if its not working and use that time for blogging, social media and connecting with your customers.
I split my time into training days and office days and I try to have 1 or 2 office days per week (not always possible!) so that I can work on blog posts, podcasts and write more content for my training manual. As long as I feel in control of the content I’m happy.
If you build writing into a part of your weekly routine blogging will become much easier and you’ll enjoy it a lot more.
I started this post on March 1st, finished writing it on March 13th and will put it live on March 18th.
I try to keep a few posts scheduled for the following week so I’m on top of things and I don’t get into the situation of having a big blogging break because I’ve been busy….. it doesn’t always work, but I try my best!
Wordpress and Blogger are probably the most popular platforms and they both have ways for you to write, preview and schedule posts into the future. Its great if you go on holiday or take a break but its even better for keeping yourself ahead of the posting game and releasing pressure on yourself.
Understand your target audience & who you are writing for
Deciding exactly who you are writing for is a great way to make your blogging a LOT easier. When you know your target audience the words will flow a lot easier.
Do some market research and think about who your existing clients and readers are and then think about the questions they ask and solve problems for them. I make a list of questions that my clients ask me during training sessions and it helps me form new blog posts and social media content.
Once you’ve figured out who you are writing for the ideas and posts will become a lot easier to write.
Create an editorial calendar
One of the top reasons for a lack of posts is not having enough things to write about. It could be writers block or just a temporary lack of inspiration but you need to be able to keep the ideas flowing so you don’t get stuck in a rut. Having lots to write about will make life easier. Sit down and spend some time with Google Calendar or your diary and plan ideas for blog posts.I usually recommend using an online calendar as you can share it amongst staff and add ideas from your phone when you’re out and about. You could even create different calendars for different campaigns so everyone knows what’s going on.
To get started on your calendar look at special days and try to write posts around them. You can then add your individual campaigns to the calendar and it will soon be full to bursting.
Here’s a few ideas to get you started:
- Post around the four seasons
- Create content for Bank holidays & National Days
- Mothers & Fathers Day
- Product launches & marketing campaigns
- Christmas & New Year
Keep at least 6 posts on the go
This was one of my Twitter tips from last week and it really helps to make life easier and keep the flow of posts….err….flowing! I’ve normally got around a dozen blog posts or social media ideas on the go at any one time and some are almost finished, others just started but it means that if I haven’t posted for a while I can get something together pretty quickly. If, like me, you struggle for time then use a phone app to help you jot down ideas and add little bits to your posts. I use Trello to plan posts and frequently add little ideas when waiting for trains or stuck in a queue.Build blogging into your routine & scrap things that don’t work
This is more of a time management tip than blogging tip but if you’re doing things that are not bringing in results then stop doing them and use that time for blogging.
If you’re routine dictates that you do certain things on certain days then take a good look at these things and see if you can drop one and add blogging to that time slot. It may be an email newsletter that you’ve been sending out for years but hardly get any business from….. drop it if its not working and use that time for blogging, social media and connecting with your customers.
I split my time into training days and office days and I try to have 1 or 2 office days per week (not always possible!) so that I can work on blog posts, podcasts and write more content for my training manual. As long as I feel in control of the content I’m happy.
If you build writing into a part of your weekly routine blogging will become much easier and you’ll enjoy it a lot more.
Schedule posts to stay on top of things
I started this post on March 1st, finished writing it on March 13th and will put it live on March 18th.
I try to keep a few posts scheduled for the following week so I’m on top of things and I don’t get into the situation of having a big blogging break because I’ve been busy….. it doesn’t always work, but I try my best!
Wordpress and Blogger are probably the most popular platforms and they both have ways for you to write, preview and schedule posts into the future. Its great if you go on holiday or take a break but its even better for keeping yourself ahead of the posting game and releasing pressure on yourself.