Blogging Basics: How To Create Consistent Content For Your Blog
If I had a dollar for every time someone gave business advice like “just make a content calendar” or “blog every day, and you’ll see results,” well, I wouldn’t need to work quite so much.
The onslaught of generic advice and generalities really irks me. I remember being a beginner blogger and desperately wanting to do it the “right way,” only to fail because while I knew how to make a calendar, I had no idea what to put on it. Blogs are among the primary three forms of media used in content strategies today, according to Hubspot, so whether you’re just starting with a blog on your website or taking advantage of a new year and trying to infuse new life into your existing blog, here are some best practice tips to help you find your rhythm.
Do your research
It’s impossible to create a content marketing plan or strategy without research. Sure, it’s easy enough to pull out your calendar, decide you’ll blog every single day for a month, and wing it. Unfortunately, that’s also a recipe for wasting your time writing content that no one searches for on Google.
Every great blog post begins with research like
What does my audience want to know?
What is my audience searching for online?
What kind of content makes sense for my website?
As an avid reader, ’d love to spend my days writing book reviews on my blog, and while someone might like that, my audience isn’t coming to my website for book reviews. Instead, they are coming for nonprofit marketing advice, website strategy, and best practices for business leadership.
My blog research starts on Keywords Everywhere, and I typically take a look at my analytics and top-performing posts, as well. Then, I create a list of related topics that my audience might be interested in reading. Admittedly, a lot of the process is trial and error.
However, I have enough pillar content (the big comprehensive posts that drive the majority of my SEO results) to attract the right audience to the right content and keep them coming back for more.
Create a realistic plan
Spoiler alert: writing one blog post a day isn’t very realistic. Now, if you’re just starting in business or your entire job (and only job) is to write, it might work for a little while. However, it’s best to create a realistic plan for blogging that assumes writing brand-new content every day isn’t going to happen.
When planning my business blog content, I use my existing planning system (see this post on productivity for details) and figure out where I can dedicate at least two hours to a blog post. I used to batch blogging (doing research, writing, editing, and posting on separate days) but have gone back to taking it one post at a time these last few months.
I find that when I spend 30-40 minutes doing research, it gets my creativity flowing, and it feels natural to move right into the writing process. If time allows, I’ll leave the editing and posting to another day or at least plan a few hours in between so I have time to let the words settle and see if I’ve missed anything.
Your planning process might be different than mine - that’s fine. The important thing is that you create a plan and stick to it. Blogging is not a quick win for SEO or conversion rates, but it has been the number one tool I’ve used to grow my Nonprofit Template Shop sales.
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Start small and then layer
There is a lot of blogging advice out there in the internet world. Most of it will tell you that a “good post” must be at least 2,000 words. It’s called long-form content, and the advice isn’t wrong. However, these mega-posts (or pillar posts) are valuable resources and signify to readers and Google that “hey, this person knows a thing or two on this topic.”
However, the ability to sit down and knock out a 2,000 well-researched word post packed with data and outgoing links and practical advice is challenging. For beginners, it’s nearly impossible.
A much better approach is to start small (think 1,000 words or so) and gradually add to the post over time. For instance, one of my highest-traffic blog posts (How a board report can save your sanity and what yours should include) started at just 650 words. It’s now well over 2,000 words. I do a little more research every few weeks and add a new section.
The post is already getting great traffic, so I know it’s a good use of my time. And, using analytics, I know what people typically click on inside the post. This approach allows me to add valuable information that can help them give context to the topic and provide additional reading.
Don’t be afraid to hit publish on that 1,000-word post and then revisit it a few weeks later. The chances are good that you’ll think of something else you wanted to include, anyway. And, if you’re simultaneously running advertising campaigns on sites like https://howtoadvertiseonsiriusxm.com/, you can incorporate some overlap in messaging and direct those ad listeners to read more on the blog!
Build momentum with consistency, not results
As I mentioned before, blogging is not usually a quick-win tactic. While a new post can rank in less than a week (I’ve had it happen), building steady and consistent traffic and maintaining those numbers takes longer.
It also takes time to get conversions from a post - the ultimate goal. The lack of immediate results is discouraging for some beginners, and momentum feels elusive. I recommend letting consistency build your confidence instead of results.
Instead of focusing on traffic and clicks, keep a list on your desk or in your planner of the days you plan to blog. When you do it, give yourself a big checkmark. It’s time for marketers to understand the value of putting out great content and let that satisfaction outweigh the vanity metrics of site visits or affiliate clicks.
Key Takeaways
Blogging and content marketing, in general, is a steady force in the digital marketing world. While trends for every year come and go, sharing informative, relevant, and timely content has never been more critical.
The temptation to chase the shiny and new is always lurking for beginners. But, from my point of view, the best service we can offer our audience is a dependable source of information that equips them to do good work.
What would you add to the list? Leave me a note in the comments!
Until next time,
Andrea
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