If you’re a small business owner, you may have thought about this question: Should you start a blog? You may have also wondered: Is blogging dead?
If you’ve asked these questions, you aren’t alone. People have been asking these questions for years.
The answer is that blogging is not dead. In fact, it’s still a very important part of small business marketing.
There are many reasons you should start a blog for your small business. In this blog post, I’ll give you a list of the top reasons to start a small business blog and answer some of the most common questions people have about blogging.
1. Set your goals and create a strategy
When you’re running a business, you wouldn’t just go about your day without any sort of plan or strategy. You would set goals and create strategies to help you reach those goals.
The same goes for your blog.
Before you even start creating content, you need to take a step back and think about your goals and how you’re going to reach them. This is where a content marketing strategy comes in.
Your content marketing strategy is a high-level plan that helps you identify who your target audience is, what kind of content they want to see, what your goals are, and how you’re going to get there.
It’s a good idea to create a new content marketing strategy at the beginning of each year, but you should also revisit your strategy regularly to make sure you’re on track to meet your goals.
2. Understand your audience
The more you understand about your target audience, the easier it will be to create content that resonates with them.
To do this, create audience personas. These are fictional characters that represent your ideal customers.
When creating your audience personas, consider things like age, gender, occupation, income, location, hobbies, and interests.
You can also get to know your audience better by asking them questions and encouraging them to leave comments on your blog posts.
The more you know about your audience, the more effectively you’ll be able to create content that speaks to their needs and interests.
3. Create a content calendar
Once you have a list of blog topics, you need to create a content calendar. This will help you stay on track and ensure that your content is being published consistently.
A content calendar is a schedule of when you will be publishing each piece of content. You can create a content calendar in a spreadsheet, a Google Calendar or a project management tool like Asana or Trello.
When creating your content calendar, consider the following:
• How often will you publish new content?
• When is your target audience most likely to read your blog?
• Are there any holidays, events or promotions you want to create content around?
4. Create a content bank
Once you start getting the hang of writing blog posts, you may decide to create a content bank. A content bank is a collection of blog posts that are written and ready to go live when you need them.
This is a great way to ensure that you always have content available for your audience, even when you’re too busy to write.
A content bank can also be helpful if you ever decide to take a break from blogging. You can schedule your blog posts in advance so that they go live while you’re away.
This is a great way to maintain consistency and keep your audience engaged, even if you’re not actively working on your blog.
5. Set a content schedule
As you’re planning your content, you should also create a content schedule. This is a calendar that details what content you’ll publish and when.
Your content schedule should include the title of each piece of content, the date you’ll publish it, and the date you’ll create it. You can also include any relevant keywords, the writer’s name, and the stage of the buyer’s journey each piece of content is intended for.
By creating a content schedule, you can ensure that you and your team are on the same page about what content you’re creating and when it will be published. This can help you avoid any last-minute scrambles to come up with content ideas.
6. Plan your content
Content planning is an important part of any marketing strategy.
When you plan your content, you can make sure that you are providing your audience with valuable information on a regular basis.
You can also make sure that you are not repeating yourself too much and that you are covering a variety of topics that are relevant to your audience.
There are a few different ways that you can plan your content. You can plan your content on a monthly basis, a quarterly basis, or even a yearly basis.
You can also use a content calendar to help you organize your content and make sure that you are staying on track.
Finally, you can use a content planning tool to help you come up with new ideas for your blog posts.
When you plan your content, you can make sure that you are providing your audience with valuable information on a regular basis.
7. Use an editorial calendar
An editorial calendar is a tool that allows you to plan and organize your content in a calendar format.
It’s a great way to see the big picture of your content and make sure you’re covering all your bases. It can also help you stay organized and make sure you’re publishing content on a regular basis.
You can use an editorial calendar to plan out your blog posts, social media posts, email newsletters, and more. You can also use it to assign tasks to your team members and keep track of deadlines.
There are many different types of editorial calendars you can use, from simple spreadsheets to more complex project management tools. The key is to find one that works for you and your team.
8. Create a content team
Many hands make light work. If you have the capacity to create a content team, do it.
As your business grows, you’ll need more content to keep up with your audience’s needs. You may even need to cover multiple topics across your industry to keep your readers engaged.
A content team can help you create a variety of content that resonates with your audience. They can also help you with keyword research, data analysis, and more to make sure your content is the best it can be. Well-planned content creation directly contributes to eCommerce growth by ensuring a steady stream of valuable information that attracts and retains customers.
9. Use an editorial workflow
A good editorial workflow can help you manage the content creation process from ideation to publication and beyond. It can also help you keep track of deadlines and make sure that every member of your team is on the same page.
There are many different editorial workflows out there, and the best one for you will depend on your specific needs. However, most workflows include the following steps:
• Ideation
• Assignment
• Writing
• Editing
• Review
• Approval
• Publication
• Promotion
• Analysis
If your blog includes monetization strategies, such as paid memberships or subscriptions, integrating a payment solution like Stripe Connect can streamline transactions and automate payouts, making your workflow even more efficient.
10. Use a project management tool
If you’re working with a team, it’s important to have a single tool where everyone can see the content calendar, their assignments and deadlines.
Project management tools like Asana, Trello, and Basecamp can be a great place to house your content calendar and keep everyone organized.
If you’re a solopreneur, you can use these tools to keep yourself organized, or you can organize your content calendar in a Google Sheet.
11. Create a content style guide
Finally, creating a content style guide can help you maintain consistency in your blog posts. A style guide is a document that outlines your brand’s editorial standards, such as voice and tone, grammar and punctuation, and formatting.
Your style guide should be a living document that is updated as your brand grows and changes. It should be accessible to all team members who write and edit blog posts, and it should be used as a reference whenever necessary.
In addition to maintaining consistency, a style guide can also help you onboard new writers, as well as ensure that your blog posts are high-quality and professional.
Conclusion
In conclusion, content planning is a vital element for your business blog. It saves you time, keeps you organized and makes your content more effective.
