We're merely an advertising agency, so we can't tell you with full, clinically proven confidence that "tough love" is an effective strategy in dealing with businesses who still don't have a business blog. That said, we're going to go the "tough love" route anyway and ask any stragglers out there why they don't have a business blog yet.
Why don't you have a business blog?
We assume you realize there's no excuse for not having a business blog in this day and age (a classic tough-love technique, by the way — the old "no excuse" card.) Nonetheless, we'll assume the opposite: that you do have excuses. Maybe you don’t have the time. Maybe you don’t know what to write. We know getting started with blogging can be overwhelming.
That’s why we thought we’d break it down for you:
Step 1 - Make sure you have writers. You don't necessarily need a rock-star writer to get the ball rolling on your blog. You, as the business owner, are an expert in your field. You can talk about industry trends, customer concerns, and popular products. You can do so in 250 words, three times a week. And if you can't? Surely a staff member can. And if they can't? You can hire a writer or blogging service provider!
Step 2 - Amass content and content ideas. We’re confident you'd make a great blogger. Call it a gut feeling. Nonetheless, you may be stricken with writer's block on occasion. Which is why we suggest signing up for Google Alerts, bookmarking interesting web sites, subscribing to similar blogs and continually keep an eye on your social media so you'll always have material to help you brainstorm content.
Step 3 - Set up a blogging plan. This doesn’t need to be too complicated. The key to successful business blogging is consistency and diversity. As we said before, three times a week is a great place to start. If you're feeling ambitious, mix the "tone" of the posts. Mondays, for example, can be a riff on an industry trend or just commentary. Wednesdays can be about a specific product where you direct people to a shopping cart page. Fridays direct people to a social media page.
Step 4 - Write and publish your first post! This, naturally, will be done either on your site or on a third party platform. Focus on publishing content that is original, speaks to your company's expertise and, whenever possible, is inherently "shareable" so that followers will want to pass it along to their friends. Also don't forget the importance of a good title for your post.
Step 5 - Promote your blog posts. Share your posts on your social media platforms.
So there you have it. Give or take a few minor details, your business blog should be up and running within 20 minutes. If we've done our job, our tough love approach to business blogging has made you feel, well, slightly guilty for not starting a blog.
Looking for more tips for creating a killer business blog? Download our Business Blogging eBook:
