“I know I should be blogging, but where do I start?”
Content marketing is no longer the preserve of those businesses with internal marketing teams or hefty budgets to engage a posh agency to write content for them. In a world where social media, user-generated content and forums are the norm, most of us are publishers in one way or another.
However, sending the odd tweet is one thing and, if like many business owners, you want to branch out and start blogging and generating content materials for your own website, where do you start?
Listen
One of the biggest hurdles people face when sitting down to write a blog is staring at a blank sheet of paper. What to write about? How can I find something original? What happens if no-one reads it? A planned approach to producing content is always wise, which means thinking about what topics your audience wants to engage with, what problems they need to solve and what is being written about in your industry. What are the hot topics? Are there debates happening? What are your competitors writing about? Are there industry events coming up that people are talking about? Using keyword research and analytics insight to inform your content is an invaluable way of knowing what is already being searched online in your subject area and producing different materials that meet that demand. Social media is an invaluable listening tool, so use this to uncover ideas and build these into a content plan that covers various different subjects.
That said, a planned approach doesn’t suit everyone and being agile when it comes to producing blogs is important too. Believe it or not, many people get the blogging bug once they get started and enjoy the freedom of writing about subjects they care about. Lots of businesses are extremely successful when it comes to producing blogs because they spot a trend, news event or industry topic and write about it quickly, with passion, to demonstrate their expertise.
Set realistic targets
Wearing our strategic marketing hats, a certain level of frequency is recommended as part of any good content marketing plan. There is no greater turn-off for visitors to a website to see the last blog or piece of content being months (or even years!) old. Better to not have one at all. But frequency depends on the nature of your business of course. A sensible target for most organisations is to produce a fresh blog – or indeed any piece of content, e.g. a short film or practical guide – every month. A quality, not quantity, approach is the best approach and far better to have one monthly blog of a good length (500/600 words or more) and containing smart-thinking than to have more of a poorer quality. Of course, if there are multiple people in the company who are tasked with blogging, then a greater number of blogs would be feasible. Start with a target you can commit to, and see how it goes. In our experience, blogging schedules fall apart if the number of desired posts is unrealistic, it’s demotivating not to achieve something you’ve set out to do and ideally, blogging should be engaging and enjoyable – not a chore.
Create some space
Writing a blog requires a different mind-set to other materials and business documents you might be used to writing. It sounds simple, but by taking yourself off to a different space or work area can really freshen up your writing and generate different ideas. Some people prefer silence when they write, others prefer the hustle and bustle of a busy coffee shop. Also, think about the time of day where your best ideas often come from. If you’re a morning person, then leaving blog-writing to the end of a busy day is unlikely to generate the best material. Block out the time in your diary first-thing, as you would do a meeting or monthly sales reports, to get the job done.
Consider different formats
Blogging is just one part of the content marketing mix, and introducing a range of different materials in addition to written posts is a smart way of appealing to different audiences and creating a competitive advantage. For example, video content is becoming an essential form of ‘snackable content’, with many social media users preferring to consume media in small, bite-sized pieces. In contrast, a practical guide or whitepaper can be an excellent way of demonstrating expertise in a certain area and can have a dual purpose, being hosted on your website but also used by teams to support the sales process.
Don’t over-think it
Yes, material you publish under your own name and as part of your brand must represent your businesses in the very best light. Of course, it must be free of mistakes. Ideally you will have written a blog that you are proud of. However, we are all our own worst critics and we often see great blogs edited over and over again until the person writing has lost all perspective on what the piece was meant to be about in the first place. Regardless of your business’ sector, the topics you are likely to be writing about will be specialist and perhaps complex. But it’s important to remember what content marketing is all about. Blogs are not meant to be The Most Definitive Guide to Subject X Ever Written (unless that is what you’re setting out to do, in which case – good luck!!). They contain thoughts, ideas, tips and perspectives that matter at a moment in time and which engage an audience. Don’t fear criticism. If you have a comment area on your website then invite readers to comment, but don’t worry that people will pick apart your every word. They won’t. If it helps, ask a colleague, peer, friend or family member to read through your first few blogs and welcome their thoughts on the tone. But once you’ve done this, do a final proof-read, and go for it. Hit the publish button and get thinking about what you’re going to write in your next one.
If you would like to talk to us about how you can get your own blog up and running, or if you want some help getting you and your teams engaged with the process and producing materials regularly, do get in touch. We’d be happy to help.
