Blogging requires skill, which as a small business owner or writer you have lots of– and time, which you likely don’t. Because of these, and that the impact from blogging is less directly measurable than most everything else you do, when the going gets rough, your instinct may be to relegate blogging to the bottom of the pile. But before you do, consider this: Blogs in fact play a critical long game in helping your business grow by engaging new clients and nurturing the existing ones, translating to more revenue. Fortunately, you can easily publish a blog using this 4-step process. (Only 4 steps? Piece of cake!) What now may feel like a chore or is something you ignore will soon become a task you not only like doing but one you can do quickly and well. Soon you’ll enjoy your elevated standing amongst your clients and customers– and your substantially increased bottom line.
If you are a small business owner or writer who relies on Internet traffic to bring in new clients and customers, you need to continuously post valuable content on your site. A wide range of blog content that provides tips, helpful insights, and deeper information about your field does two important things:
Blogging regularly is one of the best ways to scale your business.
I call it the “blog boost cycle”:
–> New customers read your blogs and come to trust you and buy from you.
–> That trust inspires them to also share your content with others
–> Those new people then read your content and become new customers.
Using this easy 4-step process to prep & publish your blog will grow your circle and your reward.
To write a first draft, in order to get to your best, most interesting thoughts, you have to pour it all out without trying to make the writing behave itself, look tidy, or even make sense.
For a writer or business owner accustomed to operating at a high level of competency, being confronted with a mess of ideas, bad grammar, and sentences that don’t look like sentences can hurt, sometimes enough to make a person seize up or stop writing altogether.
But if you follow the tips below to mentally and physically prepare yourself before you begin writing, you will be in a stronger position to get through this ungainly first step, as it is necessary for you to ascend the staircase to a published blog.
A happy first draft is a first draft that’s on the page.
Note: if you’re not sure what the blog will be about, only write down the rough topic and skip the rest. Or write down the “working bones” but understand that if you off-roading during the writing, that’s perfectly fine.
It is impossible to write your final draft first.
In “The Art of Not Thinking; a Counter-Intuitive Approach to Writing a First Draft” I explore the reasons you don’t want to edit while writing and makes a compelling argument for why you have to keep moving forward!
If you find your natural perfectionist tendencies or desire to edit as you write are too strong, watch this video to learn 3 helpful tips for mind-tricking yourself to get through the first draft:
It may also help to know that most of the time, we have to write our way into what we want to say. The real issue or topic may not even reveal itself until mid-way down page 3. The only way to get to that point is to let ‘er rip!
a. Rewrite the blog
(Yes, the whole thing. Copying and pasting will cost you more time and feel choppy)
It can be interesting, funny, warm, generous, charming- all the things you are with your clients or as your public persona.
The more “you” you are, the more you will distinguish yourself and ensure you sound human and real (further establishing the benefit of a person-written blog as opposed to a Chat GPT blog).
Recognize that rewriting the blog is in its best interests—and yours. Once you’re done, you’ll see how much leaner, cleaner, and more en pointe it is.
b. Refine, tidy, and make it interesting
Aim for a minimum 750 words, but a blog that’s over 1000 words is best.
c. Confirm the blog is tailored to your audience in content and voice
Your audience has specific concerns that you’re in a position to help solve in a way no one else can. Know your audience, and you’ll be able to tap into their “pain points” enough to gain their trust over anyone else.
(Note this street crossing in a neighborhood zoned for horses- now that’s knowing your audience!)
d. Do a last cross-check on the blog’s structural integrity before smoothing it out
Read the blog aloud. The number one way to lose your credibility, even if you have 3 PhDs and are the dean of a university is typos.
Refine your long-tail keyword, and make sure you’ve used it in all the right places:
Link to:
The links must be to reputable sites with updated content; you do not want to associate with out-of-date or unkempt sites that could lower your ranking by association.
The links should also be spread organically throughout your copy; listing them in bulk is a no-no (Google penalizes this as “link stuffing”).
Here is some additional insight on formatting your content.
And that’s it. You did it!
Like with any new skill, at first it may feel a bit cumbersome to begin a blog-writing practice, but the more you use this easy 4-step process to prep and publish your blogs (and have fun with it!), the easier it gets.
In time, you will find that frequent blogging will help you get to know your clients and customers’ needs more intimately, further hone your business persona and brand, bring about new readers and clients, and strengthen your writing skills, which you can enjoy across everything you write.
The additional benefit to all your blogging is it’s a short hop from writing a series of blogs to writing a book. And that’s when the real magic for your business begins!
If you know you’d benefit from further information, learning, practice, and the chance to generate up to 12 blogs, check out: The Blogshop: a Self-Guided Course for Small Business Owners and Writers
Or go big or go home with our Write Your Business or Self-Development Book in 4 Months program!
