8 ideas to help you blog more easily.
Blogs help build new business, but many professionals are put off by not being sure of what to write or where to get the ideas from. How often have you heard comments like:
“Writing is easy, thinking of ideas takes too long”
“Where will I get ideas about what to write”
What is your objective in contributing to the firm’s blog?
There are many reasons for publishing blogs, most relate to making more profit. Why should you use a blog to attract new clients to your practice. Some reasons are:
- Show your expertise by helping potential clients, so items about what clients might want to know are good.
- Develop relationships with clients and potential clients so they get to know more about you and the way you think. This can help people select you over the competition, so you’d need to include your thinking or ensure they’re styled in your way.
- Increased visits to your firm’s website, helping your firm’s Google ranking. This would mean ensuring you understand the right keywords and writing articles that allow you to use them.
What should I write in the blog?
- Rule one: Write content that is interesting to your target audience and fits your objective and the firm’s objective for the blog.
- Rule two: Refer to rule one.
I don’t have time to write a regular blog.
The most common reason for this is a mental block about what to write. The other big tip is to sit back and relax, you’ll never write when trying too hard.
Where can I get ideas of what to write in my blog?
I clip ideas from various places and put a couple of sentences on post it notes. I write them up later when I’m feeling creative (never occurs when I’m desperate to blog). Try:
- Trade Magazines: Never copy articles, but you may see something that makes you think “I can write a better 400 word article than that”. You know this will be relevant to your target audience.
- The news: Are there things going on in the news that are relevant to your sector? What thoughts can you offer on how that may affect your prospects?
- Conversations with clients: What things do your clients ask you about? Many of these conversations will contain general information that other clients would benefit from
- Things you hear people saying: What conversations have you overheard about things in your industry? Here’s a chance to put the record straight!
- Your top 10: What are the most common things that people ask you, or the best pieces of advice you often give?
- Things that amaze you: What odd things have you seen that really surprised you?
- Weird connections: This is my favourite, but takes a bit more practice. Use things you see around you or like as metaphors. It’s great as they may reveal bits about your personality
- What’s your favourite source of inspiration? Your feedback below is very welcome. If you would like some help to think about the content you would like to share to build your online footprint, then download our free guide to content planning.
