What to Do Before Writing a Blog

Writing a blog is a necessary part of any business’s marketing strategy in today’s business economy. Without a little bit of planning and forethought a blog can be an overwhelming experience.

Before You Begin Writing a Blog

• Develop an idea for how often you want to publish blog posts. Remember, the benefit of blogging comes in routinely keeping your business in front of your customers. This takes consistency. I would recommend posting at least once a week. If you can consistently generate quality blog ideas and write quality posts, 2-3 times a week would be even better. The important thing is to not let the quality of your posts decline in the name of frequency, however.
  
• Think of the terms you want your business to be found for, as customers search. These are the terms you will want to work into your blog posts on a regular basis. If you know how to, do some basic keyword research to get an idea of what the high traffic and low competition terms are.
  
• Generate as many blog ideas as you can. It’s good to start a blog with at least 5-10 ideas you know you want to write. This will help you ensure there are more ideas down the road. As you generate ideas, keep in mind there are a number of types of posts you can publish as you are writing a blog: product reviews, industry news, interviews, how-to’s, lists, and many more.
  
• Start an editorial calendar. WordPress has a calendar plugin, or you can use a good-old fashioned planner to keep track of what posts you want to run, and when. Make sure your posts are fitting in with your larger marketing and sales goals. For example, accountants should be talking taxes in Feb-April, and personal trainers should be talking about swimsuit season April through August or so. An editorial calendar is a key piece of the planning, as you are writing a blog.
  
• Establish a plan for having a second set of eyes review your blog writing before it is published. This is especially helpful if you are not a natural writer. This can be a friend or industry colleague to provide feedback, or a copy editor to ensure your posts are in the best professional shape.
  
• Understand the steps that should be taken before you publish quality content. An engaging headline, beautiful photo, and optimized content are all important.

Blogging is a valuable asset in any marketing plan. It requires the ability to communicate your ideas through writing and some strong attention to detail. Some businesses choose to do it themselves, and many choose to hire it out. It’s extremely viable to hire a blog writer if you are looking to create the most professional blog possible.

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