7 Steps to Becoming a Better Blog Writer

A good blog can be an effective way to deepen customer relationships and attract new prospects who find your post while searching for a topic that interests them. SEO experts tell us a blog may also move you up in search engine results. But in our busy professional lives, maintaining a blog can seem like a tall order. Here are 7 steps you can take to make the task easier. 1. Commit to blogging. Add a blog page to your website or create a branded blogsite using resources like WordPress.com, Blogger.com, or Wix.com. These sites also offer a range of templates and options to fit your business, but you may want to hire a professional to customize them. 2. Schedule time to think and write. Schedule specific time periods to work on your blog. This frees you up to think of a topic, research it, formulate your point of view on it, and then write a post about it. Schedule at least 2–3 of these time periods a week, although daily is best. Oh, and pick a place where you like to write! 3. Keep an idea notebook. Carry this with you always. Jot down thoughts and daily life experiences. Brainstorm about yourself. Write down your 5 key areas of expertise. Come up with 10 more areas that complement those key ones. Describe your target audience by their needs and interests. What expertise of yours would they find most useful? Check out sources on the web for generating blog topics. 4. Choose a topic and outline it. Research topics on search engines and industry sites, then pick one you'd like to explore. Write a snappy keyword title, and then do an outline with 3–5 bullet points that take you from beginning to middle to end. Study blog posts you like and outline how their content flows. 5. Write the post. Flesh out your outline with more about the topic, peppered with your point of view, knowledge, and personal experiences. Focus on what you want your audience to take away from the post. Make sure it answers the promise in the title. Use the content to feature your expertise. 6. Add engaging hooks. Readers can get hooked on a variety of elements you put into a post. Experts say that insightful quotes, fascinating statistics, photos, drawings, and charts can increase opens and engagement by 65%. Look for opportunities to add videos, podcast links, infographics and to offer case studies, fact sheets, or white papers you have. These all add value and keep readers involved. 7. Publish and promote it. Publish your post to your blog; then be sure to link to it on all the communication channels you use. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+, podcasts, emails, and videos are all great ways to promote your latest blog post. Then Google yourself to see how it's all working. With blogs, the important thing is to keep posting. People are always searching for fresh content they can share. If you have something of value to say and something useful to offer, folks will find you. Use your blog to inform, educate, and inspire people and you will sell them too. Here's to your continued success, as you keep putting together your best year ever.... Enjoy a great month!