Owning a business, especially in the age of Coronavirus, requires intestinal fortitude and creative thinking. Your commitment to your employees, your customers, and to yourself drives you to continue to search for new and creative ways to communicate your message and passion.
I am frequently asked for some tips for starting a blog. Here are a few of the simple ideas I often pass along to new and aspiring bloggers.
Think first.
A blog is an instrument used to do three things:
- Drive traffic and boost search engine optimization (SEO).
- Establish you and your company as a resource and industry leader.
- Create and define your ‘virtual voice’ that will humanize your online presence.
Given these three items, hopefully you can appreciate the importance of the content of your blog posts. Think first, write second. Take the time to determine the purpose of your blogging efforts. There is nothing wrong with mixing it up a bit so long as it stays within the scope and message you are looking to deliver. (Can’t think straight? No worries. I got you.)
Make a plan.
I swear by the Editorial Calendar. Map out the blog dates, titles, and call to actions for each post and enter them into the calendar. When you design the plan for the post creation and dates, it should come together in accordance and support of your marketing goals and strategies. Don’t have marketing goals and a strong strategy? It is okay. (I have marketing gurus that can help!)
Find your voice and be true to it.
Now it is time to write. Let the audience see your persona. It may take you a while to find your voice and open that persona, but it is well worth the efforts. The old sales adage that people buy from who they like, runs true with blogging. People follow who they like and can learn something from. Stick with it. Ask for feedback from peers and customers. Use the feedback to fine tune your new found craft. It may soon be your passion.
People tell me they can hear my voice when they read my posts. Then mission accomplished. Your persona and personality should shine through. It is you they are buying from and trusting. Let the audience ‘see’ you.
Be true to your voice. Impart the wisdom of your business and experiences. People will look to you as a thought leader and you are off to the races. (If you need a little nudge, I am a great nudger.)
Find your voice and let it be present in your blog posts.
Is blogging still popular?
The short answer is yes.
- With a large portion of the working population finding themselves at home with no commuting time or lunchtime interactions, people are reading more on the internet.
- Making it engaging for the reader using easily identifiable headers, lists, and relevant bites of information. This will build a return visitor and a loyal following.
- It is estimated that over 80% of marketing agencies encourage the use of blogging as a tool for achieving company goals and building consumer confidence.
I hope you are not at the end of this blog post and are thinking, “I cannot do this.” Don’t worry if you are looking back at your blogs and thinking, “I should have done this differently.” We all do. It is a practice for your mind just like yoga is a practice for mind and body.
My team is available to help you either create your marketing goals and blog calendar, edit your blogs and offer advice, or create the blog posts for you. Blogging can be so much fun and if you need a little help to start, so be it.
Even a race car like Ferrari, gets a little help from their pit crew.
Ferrari getting a little help from the crew.
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