HOW TO GET YOUR BLOGGING MOJO BACK
Aka: Do I really need a blog for my small business?
You’d think blog writing would come easily for a copywriter. But just like most small business owners, I struggle to write my own blogs. I’m time poor, focused on client work and if I’m completely honest, sometimes it feels like it’s all been said before.
Want the truth? This is the first article I’ve written for myself in eight months. So, if a copywriter can’t get her act together to regularly whip up 800-1000 words on her favourite topic, I’m sure you’re wondering if you need a blog for your small business at all. It’s a great question. Plenty of digital marketing experts would scream YESSSS!!! BLOG YOU MUST!! But my opinion is less shouty.
Sure, there are some great benefits – if you have the time and you do it well. But plenty of people run extremely successful, highly profitable businesses without a blog. And if it’s a choice between doing the work that’s earning you money, or spending that time writing an article for your website, it’s a no-brainer, right? You do what pays the bills.
Now, before I send any potential clients running, here’s my disclaimer. Writing blogs for my clients is a completely different story. I spend most of my time writing website copy these days, so I really enjoy a quick blog-writing session to blow out the cobwebs and get the creative juices flowing again.
(That sounds dirtier than it did in my head.)
So now we’ve established you can survive (and even thrive) without a blog, I’m going to give you three good reasons you should do it anyway.
A blog can give you an SEO boost
You’ve probably been told you need a blog for SEO, which isn’t completely true. There are plenty of ways to optimise your website to improve your chances of being found in a Google search. A blog is just a small piece of the SEO puzzle, but when done well it can be highly effective.
Here’s how blogging can help your SEO. Firstly, every blog you write creates another page on your website. Every page should be optimised with relevant keywords to help you get found in searches and bring traffic to your website.
Secondly, you can write guest blogs for other people’s websites. How does writing for someone else help your SEO? It can earn you a backlink – which is a link from another website back to yours. Backlinks from reputable websites show google that your website is trustworthy and has some valuable content. Backlinks help your website build authority.
A note of warning here: don’t be tempted to buy links or fall for the dodgy emails offering “hundreds of quality backlinks”. Just don’t do it.
A blog shows you know your stuff
A blog is the perfect place to show off a little. Not in a look at me kind of way, but in the quietly confident way that shows people you know your stuff. Sharing your knowledge, giving tips and advice, and writing articles demonstrates that you’re an expert in your field.
It gives people a chance to know, like and trust you. And if they do, they’re more likely to buy from you or work with you.
Did you know on average people need to engage with your content seven times before they’ll buy from you? Known in marketing as the Rule of Seven, it’s a concept that gives businesses great motivation to regularly create useful, engaging content.
People need time to get familiar with you and your brand before they’re ready to hand over their cash. Despite what KFC might lead you to believe, it’s rarely a case of “shut up and take my money”.
And while social media allows you to make lots of small interactions, a blog gives you much better scope to talk about a topic at length and really go deep. Some people like snippets, others love all the info they can get. A blog satisfies the audience who wants to learn more.
A blog gives you content to slice and dice
Once you’ve spent all that time and effort writing a blog, you want to make it earn its keep. You’ll publish it on your website and share it to social media, but it can do a lot more.
Firstly, if you’ve written a lengthy article (which you should, but that’s a topic for another day!) break it down into several social media posts that you can use over the next few weeks.
You can also use the content to create videos for YouTube, Facebook, IGTV or any other platform you use. Written a listicle? (That’s a combination of an article and list, by the way). These can be repurposed into a downloadable PDF. I did this with my post Small Business Blogging: 20 Easy Post Ideas and sent it out as a freebie to my email list.
Blogs can also be great to turn into a podcast episode, or if you don’t have your own podcast, pitch the topic to a podcaster. Want some extra engagement? Create a survey, Facebook or IG poll and link it back to your blog. Then you’ll have those results that you can post about on social media, or you can even use it to update and expand your original blog post.
So, if you’ve lost your blogging mojo, how can you get it back?
Here are some quick tips to help you fire up the keyboard and get your blog on.
Set realistic goals. Some people can write an article every week, for others it’s once a month. Be honest with yourself about the time and energy you have.
Done is better than perfect. Don’t spend hours perfecting and fine tuning. Write the thing, check your facts, run a spell check over it, proofread it and hit publish. Perfection is the enemy of action.
Get some accountability buddies. I’ve just started working with some fantastic businesswomen to encourage and motivate each other to write monthly blogs. I noticed I wasn’t the only one in the group struggling, so we’re going to cheer each other on.
Schedule it. If you never make time for blog writing, it’s not going to happen. Make an appointment with yourself, put it in your calendar or on the To Do list and deal with it like you would any of your other tasks.
Stop scheduling it. Huh? But you just said … Ok, let me explain. Making the time is important, but for some people when they force themselves to write at a set time, it just doesn’t happen. Instead, they find the words flow better when the idea strikes.
Outsource it. If writing really isn’t your jam, there’s nothing wrong with hiring a copywriter to write blogs for you. If it takes the pressure off and saves you time, why not? Tip: make sure you work with an SEO copywriter who can optimise your blog with the right keywords to get the most bang for your buck.
Need a bit more inspiration to get started? If you’re stuck for ideas, check out my post Small Business Blogging: 20 Easy Post Ideas. Yes, I’ve shamelessly plugged that post twice, because linking to posts you’ve previously written is a great way to get new eyeballs on older content. Want more posts about blogging? SEO? Or general copywriting tips? I’ve set myself a goal to post every month, so if there’s a topic you’d like me to cover let me know. You can email me at hello@dayarnesmith.com.au or get in touch via socials on Instagram or Facebook.
About Dayarne Smith
Dayarne is a freelance SEO website copywriter who creates professional, powerful, playful words to help businesses show off their best bits, connect with customers and get found online. Her natural habitat is the nearest Officeworks or Kmart stationery aisle. She is generally delightful, but best approached with caution until she’s had her morning coffee.