Archive for April 2010

Five cures for blog writer’s block

04.30.10

You have a blog. You’re committed to writing posts. But you have NO IDEA what to write. Now what?!

1. Find your voice

You may have an inkling of the tone of your blog even before you begin writing. But after you have a few posts under your belt, you should be able to identify your own personal writing style. Maybe it’s cool and casual. Maybe it’s professional and serious. Maybe it’s instructive with a different how-to post each week. Knowing your individual technique should help you recognize new and suitable topics when you encounter them in everyday life.

2. Write what you know

You are a wealth of knowledge. Think about various aspects of your business and your expertise. Break them down into topics. If your business sells cork screws, you could blog about different types of cork screws, the history of bottle stoppers, local restaurant corkage fees, corking vs. screw caps, high-end cork screws vs. the ones that come free with a large wine purchase at the liquor store… See? The possibilities are endless! Pick and choose what makes sense for what your blog is trying to accomplish.

3. Look at the world

Take a current event and write your own op-ed piece as it relates to your industry or business. If you are an IT services firm, perhaps you want to write about the slow death of popular browser, Internet Explorer 6. This technique is handy because there will never be a shortage of international, national or local headlines on which to comment.

4. Look around you

You may not have to consult a newspaper to find what you’re looking for. You’d be surprised how incidents in your own life can be turned into blog posts. You just have to be open to recognizing them. Before you go to bed each night, ask yourself: Did I learn any lessons today? Can anything I encountered be related to the variety of subjects that make up my blog? Sometimes, it may not be obvious. Maybe your four-year-old asked you why the sky was blue. If you are a business consultant, you could angle a post on the top ten abstract questions your clients have ever asked you about running a company (and maybe you can even answer them, too!).

5. Read other blogs

The World Wide Web is filled with people giving away free information. Read blogs written by professionals in your own and other industries. You are bound to be inspired. Just remember that while you may link to and reference others’ articles, be sure you don’t copy their exact ideas or content (um, that’s called plagiarism).

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Five ways to make time to blog

04.15.10

So you have a blog. But are you actually posting? Keep reading for tips on following through with your company’s blog.

1. Keep your promises

Determine a posting schedule. It can be daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly… Whatever it is, stick to this timetable so that your readers’ expectations are met. If you are having your hip replaced or going on an extended vacation, consider a guest blogger to fill in so that your readers aren’t disappointed by your blog’s sudden absence.

2. Record ideas as they occur

Whenever an idea for a post comes to you, write it down. It doesn’t matter if it’s not a complete thought.  Even just a word or phrase can be developed into a full article later on. Don’t assume you’ll remember an idea you had in the shower by the time you sit down to compose a blog post next Tuesday. Write it down now! Keep all these ideas on a topics list and refer to it when you are ready to write a post.

3. Write now, publish later

It’s like blogging on credit. During downtime (if you have any) write as many posts as you have ideas for on your topics list. You can assign dates for them to automatically post in your WordPress or Blogger blog, or you can manually publish them when you’re ready.

4. Put it on your calendar

If you’re like many solopreneurs who take on every role from president to administrative assistant, you may never have downtime! In this case, you must schedule time for writing, as you would for any project or meeting. Whether it’s something you take care of first thing every Monday or last thing every Friday, dedicate one hour to your blog each week (and maybe more if you’re aiming for several posts a week).

5. Don’t waste a moment

Use the time you squander in the waiting room at the doctor’s office or in line at the grocery store to jot down notes that you can later expand into posts. Spending otherwise wasted time wisely will cut down on the actual writing phase and take less time away from your work.

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Five reasons your website needs a blog

04.01.10

You know you should blog. Here’s why.

1. Freshen things up

It’s imperative to keep your website content fresh if you want to give your site visitors a reason to come back. Think about it: would you return to a website that never had anything new to say? Can you imagine going to cnn.com to read news from a year ago? Absurdity.

2. Drive traffic to your site

Oftentimes, small business websites are only a few pages (About Us, Our Services, Contact Us… sound familiar?). Having such modest content makes it hard to compete with bigger companies in your industry when it comes to search engines. One way to overcome this scenario is to build a blog full of keyword-rich posts. This doesn’t mean each post you write should include the word “flip-flops” 30 times (assuming you’re selling flip-flops, that is). But if you write tips of your trade, you will naturally embrace the words people are searching for, and over time, your website’s pages will multiply, attracting new visitors to your site via search engines.

3. Build consumer confidence

Before you hire a contractor to remodel your kitchen, wouldn’t you want to know that he knew a thing or two about cabinets and floors? A simple way to stand out as an expert in your field and earn the trust of prospects is to take some time to express your thoughts and knowledge on issues you are passionate about. Your blog’s sole purpose shouldn’t be focused on gaining new customers, but it certainly can be a bonus.

4. Become an expert (if you’re not already one)

When you have a small business, you may not know everything, especially when you’re starting out. A blog commitment will force you to research and write about relevant topics on a regular basis. Eventually, you’ll be the authority on your subject matter.

5. Interact with readers

The best part about blogs is their two-way communication. Engage your readers by asking questions and encouraging comments. Show them there is a real person behind your company’s website. Be sure to connect with your active readers by responding directly to their comments and writing follow-up posts based on feedback.

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