Five Tips for Consistent Blog Writing

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Here’s a free SEO tip: Fresh, relevant content on your website is a really good thing to have, and one great way of adding fresh content is to practice blogging.  I tell this to a lot of clients, and many agree that it’s a good idea, but I always hear that they don’t know what to write about or, more often, that they don’t have the time to do it.

I’ll admit that I’m guilty of not writing blog articles as often as I should, but I am consistent with it.  In this article I’m going to offer up five tips for consistent blog writing.  I’m not going to tell you how to write, but rather what you can do to make sure you are writing, or at least getting content added to your blog with some regularity.

1. Set a Schedule

This is the biggest thing that helps me.  I have a column I write where I look at weekly search engine ranking results for my SEO clients, and I set a goal of writing it every Monday.  If I set an expectation of myself, and more importantly I let others know when to expect a new article, it helps me make sure I get it done.

2. Read

Some people don’t have something that changes from week to week that they can write about, so my second suggestion is to read.  If you’re a small business owner, chances are you read some kind of industry publication or keep up with news as it pertains to your business.  When you read, surely you have some thoughts on the subject about which you’re reading, so why not write them down?  You can cite an article and give your opinions on the matter, or maybe you can write your own angle on a topic.  Either way, reading will give you ideas, and ideas are what you need in order to write.

3. Don’t Worry (Be Yourself)

I’ve got a client who does a video blog of his landscaping projects.  When I first started working with him on optimizing the video information in his YouTube account he had questions about his presentation.  After all, he was just walking around with a camera and talking about the work he was doing.  My advice to him?  Don’t change a thing.  His personality really comes through in the videos, so when potential clients meet him after seeing the videos, they already feel like they know him.  The same rules apply for a written blog as a video blog.

One of the things that is often touted about social media (of which blogging is a form, especially if you post your articles to Facebook, Twitter and other social networks like you should) is that it gives consumers a chance to know the personality of the companies they’re buying from.  Don’t be afraid to let your personality come out when you’re writing.

Disclaimer:  This is not to say that you shouldn’t worry about proper writing techniques.  Nothing looks less professional than poor typing skills, so if you have to get a friend to proofread it, please do.

4. Guest Writers

Nobody said you’ve got to write everything yourself.  A lot of savvy people understand the value of being able to write articles for someone else’s blog if the owner allows the writer to have a little autobiographical blurb and/or a link to their website. Granted this is an easier solution for some websites than others, but even your own clients might be willing to write a little something for you, even if it’s a glorified testimonial.  However, if you’ve got a site related to, let’s say weddings, you should be able to reach out to multiple vendors and schedule months’ worth of articles.

5. Hire a Writer

If all else fails, hire someone to write articles for you.  (Hint: Ahem, we can do that for you.)  Once you and your hired writer have agreed upon the tone, style and subject matter, you can just pay your writer every month to write your articles and not worry about it at all.  You won’t have to worry about grammar or getting someone lined up; just sit back, run your business and build up your library.

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