How to Balance Consistency and Quality on Your Blog
Making time to blog is not easy. You’ve got so many other things to get done, even coming up with topics to write about seems to be the last possible priority. You may also find yourself putting off blogging because, while you have some ideas, you don’t think they’re quite good enough. And, as a result, your blog lies fallow.
Which means, of course, that it’s not doing any of the things it’s supposed to do. A blog that hasn’t been updated in months is, in terms of both SEO and lead generation, simply not living up to its full potential.
Blog better, blog often
Your blog should always strive to be two things: Relevant and consistent. Blogging just to have some words on a page won’t achieve much—but taking the time to create a blog that’s really great definitely will.
To ensure that your topics are fresh and your content is solid, try asking your customers what they’d like to see. Ask them, either on Facebook or via a survey, what subjects they’re curious about, or what questions they have. That way, you’ll have a litany of new ideas that you know they’ll find valuable.
Another good way to make sure your content is strong is to see what your competitors are doing. It’s perfectly accepted to do a little deep-Googling after other, similar companies in your market to see what kinds of things they post and write about, and then determine how you can add to that conversation.
Relevant content is also timely, so be sure to always keep an eye on news events that pertain to your business. If you’re able to react or add to an ongoing discussion about a current event, you’ll be able to provide new insight that will demonstrate your authority.
When in doubt, you can always fall back on one of the tried-and-true blogging formulas that everyone knows and loves: how-tos, lists, and curated posts.
Perfect is the enemy of done
Trying to maintain consistency and quality can, at times, feel contentious.
If you’re trying too hard to find the absolute most ideal, most clicky, more talked-about topics, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to come up with ideas and actually do the writing with the frequency required to ensure top performance.
For that reason, it’s best to hold yourself to a frequency that you can live with — once every two weeks, for example — and then stick with it, even when your ideas feel only pretty good.
That’s not to say that you should make a habit of just throwing up any old post for the sake of posting, but if you get into a regular cadence, you’ll find that blogging starts to feel a lot easier.
Not only that, but you’ll also begin to see more rewards from the blog, whether it’s improved engagement on social media (make sure you’re always promoting those posts!) or an increased number of Google hits for your site.
Make blogging a team effort
The more brains, the better.
You may find that it helps to bring in assistance. Ask around your office to see if there’s anyone else who might be interested in blogging every now and then. When running the blog becomes a group effort, it’s much easier to feel like you’ve got some wiggle room with the timeline.
Try assigning posts, too—if there’s a coworker who you know has a unique take on a subject or issue, ask them to write about their experience or feelings on the matter. You might even try interviewing some of your coworkers to give you ideas about what to write about.
Your blog won’t do what it’s supposed to do if it’s left to sit, collecting dust. Help your audience come to expect and get excited about your blog posts by establishing a regular cadence and a constant flow of consistently good content. Once you get in the habit, you’ll find that blogging comes more naturally than you ever thought it could.
A professional copywriter can craft consistent, quality content for your blog
The experienced digital marketing team, content strategists, and copywriters at efelle can help you create top-notch content with SEO and business strategy in mind. We’ll help you consistently reach your target market and distinguish your brand from competitors. Please call 206.384.4909 or fill out our online contact form to speak with an online marketing expert.