Everyone is busy these days, and unfortunately blogging is one of those things that always seems to get pushed to the back of our to-do list. It’s probably because most of us don’t see the value in blogging, and we simply think it’s handing out free information without seeing any sort of return.
Just a few weeks ago I read a report that says companies who blog at least ten times per month earn two times as much online revenue as those who don’t. I know through personal experience with my clients that those who blog do much better all around with making money online than those who don’t. Over the years I’ve worked on marketing campaigns with hundreds of small businesses, and I’ve developed five simple tips and tricks that I share with all of them about updating their blog regularly. Here are 5 easy tips to keep your company blog updated
If you’re really too busy, hire a writer:
You’d be surprised at how easy it is to find high quality blog writers these days. Many SEO companies offer them as part of their SEO packages and there are even specialized companies that only offer blog writing services. It isn’t too expensive either– usually anywhere from $10 to $50 per post depending on the length and niche. While this isn’t the right answer for everyone, if you own a business and typically make $100+ per hour when you’re working, it might make sense for you to hire a writer.
Write about topics you’re familiar with:
So many people don’t know what to write about when they blog, so they start to write about topics that they aren’t 100% familiar with. I personally am extremely well versed in web design and SEO, so I rarely blog about anything other than that. When I’m running low on ideas, I often visit a competitor’s blog to see what they’re writing about which often motivates me and gives me a great related topic to write about.
Post special offers and business updates:
One of the easiest blog posts you can write is an update about your business or a special offer. If you’re running a promotion, have a new product or service, a new employee, or just want to let people know you’re still there, write a blog post about it! It’s so easy to write 400-500 words about your own business, but make sure you don’t do this all the time as your blog needs to be informative and not just a sales ad.
Understand that your blog makes you money:
I rank in the top 5 positions for a handful of keywords with thousands of searches per month, but I also have over 100 blog posts on my website and I rank for thousands of long-tail keywords relating to my blog posts. I still get more traffic to my blog posts than to my highly competitive keywords, so blogging truly does deliver website visitors and leads. I know from our Google Analytics reports that our blog posts deliver about 50% of our online revenue, and without blogging we wouldn’t be very successful.
Schedule your blog posts:
As a business you probably have days where the phone is ringing off the hook, and other days when the phone doesn’t even ring. Take advantage of your down time or free time and write a few weeks worth of blog posts. Most blogging platforms allow you to schedule your posts to release on certain dates; I usually write all my blog posts for the month the first 3-4 days of the month, then schedule them to release two or three per week throughout the month — it really makes things easier!
Hopefully these five simple tips will help you keep your blog alive and updated. Once you develop a following and get some of your blog posts ranking in search engines, you’ll start to understand the value behind regularly posting to your blog. It helps people gain information they’re looking for, and it’s also a great revenue generator for businesses.