A blog page for your website should showcase your expertise, process, and client stories. Regularly scheduled blog posts will help boost your Search Engine Optimization as well as give prospects a peek into your mission, values and process. With all the faith and determination in the world, you started blogging a couple of years ago, but you couldn’t maintain a regular schedule. You may feel guilty or embarrassed; but just because you started something you were not able to maintain, this doesn’t make you a failure. It just means you’re human.

I meet loads of people networking; it’s one of the best parts of being a business owner. I schedule time to get to know them, look them up on LinkedIn, and go through their website to learn as much as I can about their business and their story. More times than not, I’ll see a blog page with entries that looks like this:

• April 2021
• May 2021
• September 2021
• January 2022
• May 2022
• August 2022

And that could be where they left off. People get busy, new projects pop up and pile on, and their best intentions evaporate into the air.

When asked about it, they’ll often say they’ve given up on having a regularly scheduled blog and are too embarrassed to start again. Inconsistent blog dates show that you’re trying to do it all yourself and sometimes you have time to get things done, but most of the time, higher priorities have taken over.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Take time to get organized and plan ahead. Don’t blog for today because you have time today.

Every business has a slow period, so during that sluggish time, draw up a list of themes and topics you can blog about easily, and decide on a blogging schedule that’s easy to commit to.

Hint: if your former blog posts were months apart, don’t fool yourself into believing you’re going to turn into a weekly blogger.

Start with monthly and see how it goes. When you’ve laid out a plan with predetermined themes and topics, I promise you that 12 blogs in a year is no sweat.

1. Keep a notebook to jot down ideas or phrases as they come to mind. Keep that notebook super handy. If it’s on your phone, you can dictate into it. some people even send themselves an email when an idea pops into their heads.
2. Call on the natural seasons of the year to inform your topics. What is your target audience doing in summer? What are they concerned with in the fall? Does your business do something special in the winter? You don’t have to follow any calendar holidays, and please do avoid the hokey pretend holidays that you see in social media. Just match the time of the year to what’s on your best client’s mind.
3. Did you have a great experience working with a customer? Changing names and other identifying factors, write up the project as if you were telling a story. Why did the customer come to you? Why did they believe you were the best choice? What did you do for them that went beyond their expectations? How was the result you gave them transformative in their work or personal life?
4. What new industry trend is going on in your line of work? Are there “thought leaders” and “gurus” saying crazy things that you don’t agree with? While remaining professional, give your insight on the trend or line of thinking that will showcase your industry knowledge and expertise.
5. Call on your own personal stories in regards to your industry. How did you come to be an expert in your field? Did you have struggles in your journey? Funny stories? Share yourself as a human who wants to encourage new business relationships with other humans. It could be the factor that finally sways your prospects.

For a monthly publishing commitment:

• 2 industry trends
• 2 personal stories
• 2 new ideas from your notebook
• 2 great customer experiences
• 4 seasonal blogs

For twice a month publishing:

• 4 industry trends
• 4 personal stories
• 6 new ideas from your notebook
• 6 great customer experiences
• 4 seasonal blogs

Planning ahead and being organized is the way to go for just about any new habit you want to implement consistently.

If you find that that you’d rather plan with a professional and let them handle the writing, do interview a few writers. Don’t just ask about price – ask about their process.

Reach out to me if you’d like to know how I work.