blogging Archives - Nancy Sheed

Here’s some great advice from my friend Kate at Digital Marketing Momma...

Do you want to blog for your business, but can’t find the time to sit down and write?

Almost everyone I know who runs their own business struggles with the same thing. Writing content.

Challenges:

What to write about
Finding time to write it
Getting people to read it and share it

We all face this. Even if you love to write, it can difficult!

I came across this post the other day from Huffington Post and I wanted to share why this type of content and blog strategy is brilliant and a great way to get content out there quickly.

This was posted on August 24, 2016.

Stephen Colbert Has Finally Figured Out Hillary Clinton’s Illness

To date this post has been shared, 2.8k times and the actual youtube video that was posted by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert was viewed 1,232,310 times. WOW!

Here’s what I love about this post.

The author focused on a very trending, hot topic at the moment. Hillary Clinton’s health during this wacky election. This has been all over the news lately and all the media outlets are obsessing over it. So, his choice of topic was spot on for what’s happening now.
The content is obviously of interest since it’s being shared and “liked”.
It probably didn’t take him that long to write it up.

Here’s how you can do this in your own business to post great content at lightening speed. Hate to write? There are ways to make it not so awful!

First you need some inspiration to write about.

Step 1: Start by asking yourself these questions:

Is there anything trending online that’s relevant to your audience? I use an amazing online tool to help me with this. It’s called BuzzSumo. Totally worth my monthly investment. I use it every day!
Is there an upcoming event that your audience needs to know about?
Is there a product launch that could enhance your products or services that you offer?
Did a celebrity jump on board with an endorsement or cause that’s relevant to your business?

Step 2: Go on YouTube and do a search for videos that will help/educate/anger/empower/ease/bring laughter to your audience.

Do a search for your topic/industry/idea and see what shows up first. Find a video that’s from a credible source. TIP: Don’t post a video by someone that could be considered your competitor… Just sayin’

Step 3: Write a short, easy blog about the video.

Tell your audience your thoughts on the video. Give them your opinion. It doesn’t have to be a novel. Just tell them what you are thinking. Add in your expertise and wisdom. Tell them what to do with the content. Share how it can benefit them.

Step 4: Embed the Video on Your Blog Post.

Make sure to cite the source of the video and relevant content. You can see I’ve done it in this post. Give credit where credit is due! You could even go a step further and tag the author and media outlet in your own social media.

Now your turn . . . What’s the hardest part writing blog posts for you? Please share in the comments below. Also, if you need help with content creation or strategy, reach out. We LOVE to come up with plans!

Hopefully, by now, you’ve given some thought to several things that you would like to achieve this year. Are you planning to roll out a newsletter, become a regular blogger, learn about social media (– or maybe you just want to simply commit to exercising more). If you haven’t given it any thought, then take a few minutes to look at your (probably pretty blank calendar) for 2014 and think about what you would like to be doing and achieve this year?

Got your goal(s) in mind? Great! Write it down where you will review regularly so that you can remind yourself on a consistent basis what you are working toward. You don’t want to get distracted by the everday-ness of life and loose focus on the big picture.

Now it’s time for the “secret sauce second step” as the big disconnect for many is getting from goal setting to actually making it happen.

Break down your goal into manageable steps – Many times we don’t reach our goal or even get started on the goal because it seems too lofty, unattainable or overwhelming or we don’t know where to start. Breaking your goal down into manageable bite-size steps will help you get started quicker and more than likely will help you create productive habits that support your goals.

For many, Step #1 is simply doing the research. As you are figuring out your steps also think about what other resources might be involved in reaching your goal. Can you do this by yourself? Will you need the help of others? Are there costs involved or set-up work that needs to happen?

Here’s an example: Let’s say you want to get 200 followers on your social media sites or your email list, your basic steps might look like this:

Step #1 – Research using the Internet, attend social media class or webinar
Step #2 – Set-up social media account or email service
Step #3 – Create profile or templates
Step #4 – Follow or subscribe to others in your space, to figure out best practices
Step #5 – Introduce promotion/announcement to encourage followers
Step #6 – Figure out how and where you are going to source and save content and content ideas for posting and sharing
Step #7 – Create a regular schedule* for sourcing, posts and responding.
Step #8 – Review what is working best for you and adjust accordingly.

As you can see, breaking down what might seem to be an overwhelming prospect now becomes an actionable attainable process. The key is to ensure you make time for the process.

Put it on the calendar – Now you have laid out the steps required to achieve your goal, it is very important to make the time for each of these steps. Get that 2014 calendar back out and start scheduling realistic time for each of these steps. Don’t just write it down on your calendar as a “to-do”. You should literally create an actual time slot or appointment for each and every step.

For some, planning forward scheduling time for each step in a manageable sequential time frame is the best approach. For others, it works better to set a deadline date by which you would like to have the goal achieved and work backwards to the present day building in each step. Either way you should ensure that you have a clear picture of the time frame you are committing to achieving this goal.

Think of it this way, it is not just a calendar, but it’s your life. “Fill it with the things that deserve to be there,” advises time management guru (and a client) Laura Vanderkam. Having a plan will not only make you more productive, it will lead to more fulfilling life. You will be amazed what you can achieve in a year!

Here are some resourceful articles and downloads about planning, scheduling and executing particularly for small businesses focused on their online marketing and social media.

* Want to Be More Productive? Build Your Editorial Calendar – Dorie Clar k
* Don’t Let The Small Business Time Vampire Drain The Life From Your Social Media Presence – Social Collectives
* Your Daily Blogging Checklist – The SITS Girls
*Online Marketing Calendar & Checklist (Click to download) – NancySheed.com

Please leave a comment below sharing your big plans for this year. Thanks!