Amy Jackson — January 9, 2017 I hate doing the laundry.
The most difficult part is actually putting away the clean clothes. Putting the clothes in the washer and transferring them to the dryer is a breeze. Honestly, I don’t even mind folding them. But there is something so truly terrible about actually getting them hung in the closet and put away in their respective drawers.
Laundry is not hard, I just hate doing it.
Blogging is not hard. It is far more difficult in our minds. But to be honest, blogging ain’t easy either. It requires dedication, patience and perseverance.
It turns out that blogging is a lot like doing the laundry, you just gotta do it week after week.
Blogging requires a plan
If there is one single secret to blogging it is that you must have a plan. Even the greatest writers on the planet will fail at blogging if they don’t have a plan.
Don’t over complicate your blogging plan. You can figure it out in one afternoon. The bad news is that your plan means absolutely nothing if you don’t stick with it.
Develop your blogging plan and then stick to it. That is the secret sauce.
The core elements of a blogging plan
- What is your main blogging topic?
- Decide on 3-5 blog categories
- Write 10 blog posts titles for each category
- Write 2 blog posts for each category
- How often will you release a new blog posts?
- Have a month’s worth of blog posts before you launch a new blog
If you do the above steps, you will be lightyears ahead of the average blogger.
Blogging requires patience
Just because you release a blog post doesn’t mean that loads of people will rush to it and read it. It is heart breaking, I get it.
You spent tons of your precious time writing away. You poured your heart and soul into this blog post. Why isn’t anyone reading it?
The truth is, blogging can be lonely. Blogging requires patience and this is where you have to just hang on.
You have to keep blogging even when you don’t get a single comment. You have to keep blogging even when your mother isn’t reading it. You have to keep blogging when your mother is the only person reading it.
Whatever you do don’t stop blogging. The primary reason that blogs fail is because the blogger didn’t have patience and gave up too soon.
Blogging takes far more time than it should
Just moments ago, I put some biscuits in the oven. It felt like all that I had done was write the title for this here post and they were done.
Could 13 minutes have really just passed? Yep, because I was blogging.
There are two ways for time to pass for a blogger. Time moves at the speed of light or time moves at a snails pace.
I survey bloggers quite often and ask them how long it takes them to get a blog post done. The fastest that I have ever heard is 4 hours. The average blogger spends around 6 hours per blog post.
If you are a small business owner you are thinking that there is no way that you can dedicate that much time. That may be true, by the way because time is the enemy of a business owner. But let me ask you, do you have a team member that could spend the time?
Did you know that you can hire a writer? Yep, a lot of people hire freelance writers for their business blogs. If there is a will, there is a way.
Blogging makes you feel vulnerable
This is my last bit of bad news for bloggers but it is probably the worst news of all. It is a terrible feeling when you put your heart into a piece of content and no one seems to care.
What is wrong with people anyways? Don’t people know that this is Amazing?
Seriously, just read my blog post and leave a darn comment PEOPLE.
When you are feeling insecure about your blog, just remember that the good parts take time. You just have to keep blogging.
It does get better. If you keep blogging you will hear from someone and they will tell you how much your post helped them. I promise you it will happen.
Why you should blog for your business.
- Blogging drives organic traffic to your website. Google wants to put relevant and specific information on the front page. If you write a blog post that is in-depth and answers one single questions, your blog post has a higher chance of getting on the first page.
- Blogging is a great way to generate new leads. Each time that you write a blog post that provides value to your potential client, you are proving that you know your topic. People want to hire someone who knows their stuff.
- Blogging gives your brand a face. This is how you can give your brand a story and make it stand out from the crowd.
- Blogging can give you audience insight. What blog posts topics get the most amount of click thru and which blog posts have the longest time on-site? These are invaluable insights into what your potential client cares about.
- Businesses that blog generate 67% more leads than those who don’t.
Conclusion
There will always be a reason to not blog. There are plenty of fears associated to blogging. You may be thinking that you just don’t have enough time to blog. But let me ask you, do really have the freedom to not blog? There are scores of statistics that prove the relationship between blogging for business and increased business.
Take a moment and consider what you could do with a 67% increase in leads.
Digital & Social Articles on Business 2 Community(70)
