If you’re an internet marketer or internet business owner, you know that the quest for inbound marketing is constant. And one of the best ways to enhance inbound marketing is to constantly create and publish great content. Great content keeps readers coming back to your blog, and compels them to tell others about the insightful, relevant, timely, and witty things you have to say. It’s your best advertisement for your business. Unfortunately, given everything else you have to worry about, business blogging can seem somewhat overwhelming. Here are 5 tips to get your blogging done efficiently and easily.
1. Keep an Idea List. Get into the habit of keeping a small notebook with you at all times. When you have an idea that you’d like to blog about, jot it down. If you don’t write it down as soon as possible, chances are you’ll forget about it by the time you get home or get to the office. You never know when you’re going to be inspired to write—in the car, in the line at the grocery store, at a seminar, etc., so don’t assume that you’ll only want to write while you’re sitting in front of your computer. And having a list with you at all times sure beats trolling the internet for topics to write about.
2. Stop Obsessing. One of the major roadblocks to business blogging is the incorrect assumption that every post should be a work of literary art. Yes, your posts should be grammatically correct. Yes, you should spell words correctly. But you’re not aiming for the Nobel Prize for Literature, just an engaging, relevant, interesting post that your readers will like. Write your post, use spell check, leave it alone for awhile, come back and proofread it one more time, and hit Publish. That’s all the time you need to spend.
3. List it, Bullet it, and Number it. The advent of the internet has turned most of us into scanners. We spend a few seconds scanning blog posts to see if they are relevant or interesting and then move on. One way to visually engage the scanners who come across your page is to use lists and bullets. Listing and numbering help the reader understand from the very beginning how much content your article covers and how much they will need to absorb.
4. Get the Links Later. Instead of centering your blog post on one or two links that you find relevant and interesting, add the links later. Write what you want to write. When you’re finished, hunt around for relevant links to point to from your post.
5. Be Wise About Comments. If you want to keep your readers and engaged and returning to your blog, you have to respond to their comments. It's the only way to keep the conversation going, and you have to keep the conversation moving if you want to keep your readers. But you don't have to respond to every comment individually. Before you respond, ask yourself if the comment is a question about your post or your product, if it contains a misconception or misstatement about your company that you need to clarify, or if it's from a frequent commenter or loyal customer. If the comment falls into any of the above categories, then a response would be prudent. Otherwise, let the conversation ball move along via the momentum of the commenters who engage with one another. If you have time, of course, respond all you want. But if you’re pressed for time, be choosey about how and when you respond.
Business blogging is a great form of inbound marketing and can make a huge difference in the success of your business. Don’t put off this task because it seems potentially overwhelming. Embrace the opportunity by blogging efficiently using the five steps listed above.
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