One way to organically drive traffic to your website and help convert visitors into leads is through consistently adding content to your website, i.e., blogging.
But how do you do this as a busy solopreneur so that it's as simple and easy as possible?
There's a process I use that I've found extremely helpful in keeping me consistent—and I'm going to share it with you.
What is Blogging?
Instead of writing my own definition, I found this definition from Hostinger Tutorials:
"A blog (short for “weblog”) is an online journal or informational website run by an individual, group, or corporation that offers regularly updated content (blog post) about a topic. It presents information in reverse chronological order and it’s written in an informal or conversational style."
5 Benefits to Blogging
Besides helping to drive organic traffic to your website, it's a fantastic way of using the content for social postings.
You can also use your blog as a jumping off point for your newsletters or content that you send to your email list.
When appropriate, you can also create lead magnets (or freebies) within the blog post to grow your email list.
If you have comments turned on, it's another way to engage with your target audience.
And finally, blogging is a fantastic way of showcasing expertise and authority.
What You Should Know Before Starting a Blog
This blog will be focusing on helping you get into a rhythm of consistently writing content for your website, i.e., blogging.
This blog will not be covering the technical aspects of blogging, such as blogging platforms, how to set up a blog, how to add images, links, SEO, etc.
I do recommend that, before you start blogging, you already have your platform of choice or you know what platform you'll be using for your blogs.
Okay, let's get into this!
Blogging in 4 Simple Steps
Step 1: Research Topics to Blog About
Researching topics will make it so much easier to write. I can't stress this enough. When you have a list of topics readily available, and you've planned which topics you'll be blogging about in sequence, it makes the rest of the process go so much smoother. Don't skip this step!
I recommend putting aside at least an hour of time for the first step.
You'll be creating a list of topics that you could blog about. Therefore, I suggest using some kind of note taking method for this part. (I use an Excel spreadsheet.)
As you're researching topics, keep in mind three things:
Your target audience
What keeps them up at night
How you can help solve those issues
Keeping these three things in mind will guide you in knowing what to write about that would best suit your target audience.
Here are 7 ways to start creating a list of topics to blog about:
Google Search: Use Google search engine to create a list of topics. Check out the People Also Ask section, as well as the additional keywords that appear at the bottom, below Related Searches for Topic Ideas.
Online communities: If you're part of an online community where your target audience hangs out, there may be conversations occurring on topics that you can address. You might also reach out individually to people within this community to ask questions to generate topic ideas.
Similar businesses: Check out other business websites that are similar to what you do, especially businesses that are successful. See what kind of content they're posting about and make a list of topic ideas.
Podcasts: Do a search for podcasts that are in the same or similar area as you. What topics are they podcasting about? You can also scope out topic ideas in the comments.
Ask: If you have an engaged audience on social media, ask them! Create polls and ask questions. There could be some topic idea gems!
Ubersuggest: This is a keyword suggestion tool created by Neil Patel that can give you a list of topic ideas.
Amazon: Search for books that cover topics within your area of expertise. Read the book summaries and reviews for topic ideas.
Now that you have a list of topics, you're ready for the next step.
Step 2: Create a Calendar of Topics
Make three decisions:
Decide on the frequency to publish your blogs, such as once a week.
Decide when you'll be publishing your blogs, i.e., every Monday morning.
Decide when you'll be writing, i.e., every Tuesday morning.
Mark those days on your calendar. Block off time to write and publish your blogs.
Next, decide on the topics you'll be blogging about and the order.
To give you an idea, here's a snapshot from my content planner of my blog topics and corresponding schedule:
Step 3: Write
Some people work best by batch writing. I find that writing one blog a week works for me in terms of balancing my client work and my brain capacity and creativity to write in one sitting.
But the point here is to create a consistency of writing so that you're regularly putting content into the world that demonstrates your authority and expertise.
Write, write, write! And review and revise, too!
Don't worry about perfection and excellence. You're aiming for clarity, consistency, and helpful information. B+ work is good enough.
Step 4: Publish Your Blogs
Ah! You're at the final step.
Once you've finished writing your blog, now it's time to set it up on your platform of choice and hit publish.
And then you get to start the process over again, except this time you can skip steps 1 and 2 and start from step 3. How awesome is that?!
Why Most Bloggers Fail
Most bloggers fail for two reasons:
They didn't prepare a list of topics before they started and so they get tripped up because they don't know what to talk about or they talk about things that aren't relevant to their target audience.
They didn't decide or plan on a cadence of writing and so they post blogs inconsistently, if at all.
If you can master these two things, you're well on your way!
Psst... If you need help getting your website to convert web visitors into leads, let's find out how I can help you by booking time on my calendar.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As a published children's author, StoryBrand Certified Guide, copywriter and marketing strategist, Sandra Beatty helps service-based business owners convert web visitors into leads by implementing a website and marketing strategy, and getting clear on their messaging.
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