It’s the end of 2020 and it’s time to take a serious look at blogging for your 2021 marketing plan—if you aren’t already on board with writing for your business.
It’s a bit crazy that it’s already so close to the end of the year, but honestly, I’m embracing it as a blessing. The fresh slate of 2021 looming ahead gives a lot of us business owners a final boost of energy to make the most of the end of the year. Just last week we were talking about writing for your website and now it’s time to start taking a look at your marketing plan for 2021.
This whole global pandemic has been exhausting, but it’s also showed us that if blogging and having an online presence isn’t at the top of your marketing list, it’s time to rearrange your priorities.
And I know this isn’t new advice.
I was in journalism school in Montreal when I first heard about blogging. It was 2004, and Sofi, my cool friend with perfect Betty-Page bangs, started a blog.
Blog? About what? I asked.
My thoughts and life, she said.
Fool that I was, I scoffed. Who wants to read that?
15 years later, I’m wishing I had a time machine to go back and capture the wasted opportunity that Sofi could see in its early days.
Is blogging worth it?
Now, more than ever.
Just kidding. I think we can all agree that line is ready to be relegated to the scrap heap of history.
But seriously, there is something about the present moment that’s extra-ripe for blogging. Maybe it’s our collective exhaustion with social media, and its selling and snippets and influencer tedium that’s opened the door to creating our own platforms.
With everyone moving their business online, those word-of-mouth referrals are getting harder to come by.
Blogging—and writing in general—can capture leads before your first sales call.
Kate
Maybe it’s because, in this economy, word-of-mouth has become harder to come by. People are doing their own research before hiring or buying from people online. And that blog becomes your most authentic way of connecting and providing information.
Or maybe it’s just because we all got a little more real this year and became comfortable sharing the messy sides of ourselves because we just don’t have the kind of time you need to clean your whole house before that zoom call.
But blogging for your business is so much more than just having something to post on social media.
Blogging is SEO Gold!
I’ll be honest: SEO is not my forte.
But the smart person I hire to help me with mine tells me blogging is excellent for it. When we’re crafting new ideas for content, we’re thinking about what people are searching for online to lead them to my business. And then we’re writing blog posts around those keywords so that when someone is searching for things like ‘blogging,’ they’ll find my website in the rankings.
Take time to brainstorm all the different words people would google to find your business online, and then craft blog posts around those keywords and phrases.
More writing, more connection
Customers, audience, fans, influencees—they all have something in common. They’re all people. Human beings trying to make it in this crazy world.
Your blog is a way to speak to them, share your thoughts, stories, values, taste in GIFS and bond over your shared version of humanity.
When coming up with ideas for the kind of content you can write for your business, don’t be afraid to let your personality shine. Doing a recap of the year post or sharing big news on your business blog is a great way to provide insights into who you are as the business owner.
Bring focus to your niche
A lot is going on right now, and you might be making more work for yourself without having a blog.
Crafting stories on social media can take up a lot of time as you struggle to convey everything you know in 240 characters.
Use your blog to take a deep dive into topics that you spend a lot of time answering questions about already.
So when you see those questions come up in conversation online, you can show your niche knowledge by directing people back to your blog.
Getting started in blogging
If you aren’t already blogging for your business or you’ve been in hiatus for a while, it can be daunting to get back into it.
Lucky for you, I have a pain-free 5-day blogging course that will take you step-by-step through getting your next blog post online.
It’s like a couch-to-5k program for your writing, but better because you won’t even have to break a sweat.
Still have questions about what to post and how to relate it to your business? I help my clients with this all the time. Comment your questions below, and let’s chat about it!
