As expert inbound marketers, we know a thing or two about the importance of regular blogging for B2B marketing. As expert human beings, however, we know that blogging can seem like an overwhelming and, quite frankly, unwelcomed responsibility if you’re not exactly an avid writer.
For many, the sheer thought of writing a blog can seem like an agonizing task, between coming up with and researching a topic, getting your thoughts organized, putting the right words down on paper and, of course, meeting a deadline. After you hit publish, you may feel like relishing in the fact that you’re done – It’s out there! You can go back to a (somewhat) carefree lifestyle without the stress of writing a blog on your shoulders…until you look at the calendar and realize that, inevitably, you’ll have to go through the whole routine again next week.
Some people feel that writing and publishing blogs once a week (or more) is asking too much, but the reality is that it’s probably not enough. We suggest to most of our clients that they blog at least once a week, which usually sends their teams into a panic, trying to figure out how they’ll be able to manage the task.
There’s no need to panic, though, because we’ve put together a list of ways that will help you (yes, you) write and publish a blog a week. Here’s how:
Put together a blogging team. Look to the experts within your organization to make sure you have your bases covered for the topics that are relevant to your target readers. If your industry experts aren’t exactly writing experts, you can still have them contribute to your blog by getting their thoughts and opinions down on paper and finding someone within your organization to ghostwrite or edit it for them.
Start a blogging schedule, rotating your writers. This goes hand-in-hand with putting together a blogging team: the bigger your team, the more writers you can put into the rotation, taking stress and anxiety off of everyone involved. Isn’t the thought of having five dedicated bloggers who only have to write once every five weeks much better than having two writers who have to write every other week? This is one of the best ways to avoid burning out any of your writers – and yourself!
Hold regular meetings to discuss topics. Ask each of your writers to come up with a new blog topic for your meetings. Getting the writing team together to discuss topics is a great way to bounce ideas off of one another and come up with additional topics. Tailor how often your blog team meets around how many writers you have. Don’t stress your writers out by asking them to meet once a week with topics if each person only publishes once every five weeks.
Don’t feel pressured to come up with a great new topic every week. If one of your writers is having a hard time thinking of a new topic, have him or her provide a commentary on one of the latest industry trends. Don’t have anything to say about any of the trends? You can always newsjack!
Have a few extra blogs written, just in case. Say a writer gets sick or suddenly has to go out of town for a big meeting. Having a blog or two in the holding tank, ready to be published at a moment’s notice, will help you stick to your weekly schedule, keeping your regular readers (and the SERPs) happy. Once your writers have gotten into the routine and feel comfortable with it, ask them each to write an extra blog. You never know when you may need it!
So, are you feeling inspired to jumpstart a healthy blogging schedule? It may seem hard at first, but believe us, if you (and your blogging team) commit to it, you’ll have no trouble getting a blog a week written and published to your site. Happy writing!
Topics: Content Marketing
