Want it or not, you need a blog
We’ve already talked about why you might want to include a blog on your website, in the earlier post “What’s the Point of Blogs“. A brief reminder, blogs are an important element of your overall digital marketing strategy as they tick the content marketing box and give Google a reason to keep coming back to look at your website. These Google visits will help with your website’s SEO (search engine optimisation), improving your rankings, and getting you found above your competitors in the search engine results pages.
Hands up, are you a reluctant blogger?
There are many reasons to blog, and just as many excuses not to. Now we’re not saying this blog malarkey is easy, it’s not. But it is worth the effort. Common procrastination theories, and our tips to combat these, are:
Writer’s block
Everyone gets this. Even famous authors are not immune at times, from JK Rowling and Stephen King, to Leo Tolstoy and Virginia Woolf. Go back to basics. Write about what you know. If you sell products or services, write about these, describe them and the benefits they give. Share your knowledge and expertise. Write about your business, yourself, your team. People are nosey, they want to know who is behind the organisation, so tell them! Tell people about projects you’re working on, industry events you attend, and other news from your sector. Just start somewhere. You can always go back when you get a creative burst to embellish and finish your blog.
Can’t think of a title
The blog title is actually pretty important, and it is widely acknowledged among bloggers and article writers that the title or headline should be allocated at least a third of your time slot. The title needs to grab your audience’s attention, make them want to read on. But it also needs to be relevant to the blog content. The title can come after the blog, use a “working title” to keep your blog on track, then sort out the proper title after you know exactly what your blog is about, as quite often, once you start writing, your blog turns into a different beast to the one you intended.
What images should I use
Relevant ones! Images, photos, cartoons, videos, whatever you have that complements the post. Look at what specification and size you need, and be wary that some images might be the wrong size or shape.
Where do I find an image
You can take your own photos and upload these, or use a website that allows you to download free images.
Takes up too much of my time
This is a tough one and probably the most common obstacle. Block out time to create your blogs, and stick to it. A well thought out, relevant blog that takes your audience into consideration, using key words and keeping interest high, can’t be rushed. You will need to allocate at least a couple of hours to each post. This includes coming up with the idea, researching, writing, optimising, finding images and nailing the title. It’s a big ask to fit this into a busy schedule, but remember the benefits. At best, if your competitors aren’t blogging, they don’t have an advantage over you, at worst, if they are blogging, you are losing ranking.
If you want to blog but are struggling to find the time, contact us today.
